Chronicles of the Shikigami Master: Part One
by Uruz 11
Summary: After the Cursed Mask game. Four and a half months after returning home, Michiru finds himself transported to the United States where he starts a second adventure as a new member of the Ghostbusters. Chapters 1-9 have been rewritten with minor changes. Michiru/Sango
1. An unexpected surprise

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, Ghostbusters, or anything associated with either of them. This story is being written just for fun and enjoyment.

Chronicles of the Shikigami Master: Part One

Chapter #1: An unexpected Surprise

Author's Note: When I played Inuyasha: Secret of the Cursed Mask for the first time, I wished that another game was made where Michiru Kururugi (the male character whom you play as in the PS2 Game) could return to the Feudal Era or visit a number of different worlds. For those of you who haven't played the game and aren't familiar with it, I have written a short summary of what took place before starting this new story which takes place afterwards. Circumstances have dictated that this story be rewritten with a change to the time frame as well as minor alterations to events in order for this adventure to turn out for the best, most of the changes are small and are hardly noticeable unless you read very carefully; I apologize to all in advance for this and thank you for your attention and reviews.

Basically, Michiru had come home from school one afternoon during a Festival taking place at the Kururugi Shrine( located on the same property is part of his home as well) and went to his family's storage shed to get some amulets for his father who was helping out with the Festivities. As he walked inside through the narrow space about as wide as a small hallway, he had accidentally stepped on to a red star shaped pentagram which was painted on the floor. To late, the wooden floor boards cracked and feel apart beneath him which caused Michiru to fall through some sort of magical void which had sent him hundreds of years back to the time of Japan's Feudal Era. There he had met Inuyasha, a half demon whose father (a full demon lord) had married Inuyasha's human mother which explains his half demon state.

Immediately after Inuyasha led Michiru to a nearby village, he met Kagome Higurashi, a pretty high school girl about his age from modern Japan just like him who came to the Feudal Era under similar circumstances many months earlier. She also happens to be the reincarnation of a powerful priestess named Kikyo (whose powers of purification were passed on to Kagome)who was entrusted to guard and watch over the sacred Shikon jewel of four souls over fifty years ago in the Feudal Era. During his first meeting with Kagome, he also met a very young fox demon named Shippo who has the power to transform himself into other people or perform magic tricks that would make any modern day audience gaze in amazement and disbelief. The village he met Kagome and Shippo in is named after Kaede, a wise elderly woman(Kikyo's younger sister now grown old fifty years later) who is very kind and generous despite the fact that she makes Inuyasha mad when she argues or talks with him.

Later on after several short travels throughout mid evil Japan, Michiru meets a talented Buddhist monk named Miroku who travels all over the land using magic to perform exorcisms on evil spirits or demons as work for a living. Most of the time however, Miroku doesn't act honestly and tricks people to give him free food and more pay than what the cost of performing the exorcism is actually worth. Most if not all of Miroku's exorcisms are performed to exorcise a demon or spirit(another trick of Miroku's) that doesn't even exist to begin with. His most disturbing trait of all(one that he inherited from his father and grandfather both of whom were also monks) is his desire for lechery, which is proven by the fact that he'll walk up to a complete stranger(as long as she's both young and beautiful) and ask her to bear his children. Needless to say, all this information was quite shocking for Michiru to process as it would be for anyone from the Modern Era especially since Miroku is anything but an honorable monk.

Michiru also met Sango on the same occasion when he had met Miroku. Sango is an athletic and very beautiful warrior who travels throughout the land hunting and slaying demons as a means to earn a living(honestly, unlike Miroku). She is accompanied by a cute little two tailed cat demon named Kirara who looks harmless at a first glance, but Kirara can transform into a giant, and dangerous cat demon (nearly as big as a full grown lion)with sabre tooth fangs and has the ability to fly high in the sky while in this state. Sango often takes any spare time available to practice training with her Hiraikotsu(a giant boomerang shaped weapon carved from a bone about 5 - 6 feet long) as well as many other weapons in her arsenal, all of which are deadly and require immense skill to use. Her lack of supernatural strength or powers forces Sango to train efficiently in order to keep up her own strength during a battle that might occur so she doesn't become a burden for the rest of the team.

Michiru often felt the same way when he first began travelling around with Inuyasha and everyone else he met later on. Until he could properly use the Shikigami magic(a rare spiritual power that exists in all creatures in the Universe)which he discovered had only just awakened within himself once he first arrived in the Feudal Era, he felt the need to become stronger and began to train with Sango when ever the two of them had some free time together. As well as training with Sango, Michiru also learned how to harness and use his Shikigami powers thanks to the invaluable lessons taught to him by an elderly woman named Kakuji, who Michiru discovered much later was his great, great; great Grandmother. He also found out that a hitogata(a living doll) named Utsugi was responsible for summoning Michiru back to the Feudal Era to use him for his own personal ambitions. Even though he was just a living doll, he was a formidable opponent because he also possessed Shikigami powers which by comparison were far superior to even the most powerful spells that Michiru could cast at the time.

This training coupled with the battles he would fight against demons while travelling from one village to another prepared Michiru for a few more dangerous conflicts against an evil demon named Naraku who (fifty years ago)was responsible for cursing Miroku's Grandfather with a Wind Tunnel in the palm of his right hand which was eventually passed on to Miroku as well. In addition to this terrible act, Naraku also tricked Inuyasha and Kikyo to fight against each other over possession of the Shikon jewel. In this battle(also fifty years ago) Kikyo died from her injuries just after sealing Inuyasha against the tree of ages with a sacred arrow launched from her bow. Kagome came to the Feudal Era fifty years later through the Bone eater's well located at Higurashi Shrine. A few weeks later, Naraku massacred every member of Sango's family except for Kirara and Sango's little brother Kohaku who was taken by Naraku and forced to live under his control for a very long time until Michiru helped to rescue him. Naraku sought to gain all the Shikon Jewel Shards to increase his own evil power so he could one day kill Inuyasha and all of his companions, including Michiru. Luckily, by the narrowest of margins; Naraku was finally killed in battle by the combined strength of Michiru and his friends.

Shortly afterwards, Michiru was teleported back to his own home in the Modern Era at the exact moment in time that he had left during the doll festival of wishes during the afternoon. Although his original goal to find a way to return back home was finally accomplished, Michiru couldn't help but feel a sense of loss now that he was separated from his closest friends. He missed Sango most of all, she had been his companion during their days off in the Feudal Era, and he had developed a deeper connection to her over the course of his travels. He had even declared his love for her before being summoned back to the Modern Era, he had acted to tell her, since he might never get another chance to see her again once he returned to his own time period. Now that Naraku was dead and gone, the only task left to Inuyasha and his friends was to recover all the remaining sacred jewel shards that lay shattered throughout the land. Unfortunately, Michiru would be unable to help his friends to search for them until he could find a way to return to the Feudal Era. At long last Naraku's death had brought the most important journey of Inuyasha's companions to an end. But for the young Shikigami master, it was nothing more than a stride compared to what was about to begin much later. Although he would have no way of knowing it at the time, the beginning of his next great adventure would start not in the Feudal Era, but in the Modern Era. And that alone would set the stage for everything that would follow afterwards throughout the rest of his life. And so begins the second great adventure of the brave Shikigami Master known as Michiru Kururugi.

Roughly four and a half months passed by since that fateful day Michiru had gone to and come back from the Feudal Era, during which time he began studying history and looking up every page of information he could find about his newly discovered Shikigami powers. Unfortunately, there was no way for him to return to the Feudal Era and so all he could do was study, practice his magic when his parents weren't home; and take physical training in the back yard to become stronger like he had done with Sango during his travels with her. During the Summer vacation, this was easy since he had five weeks of free time to himself; although he hardly made any progress in finding how his magic worked. But when school started up again, it was an entirely different situation; Michiru had to work extra hard on his homework from school in order to make time for studying and training. Although his grades were average, he was a slow learner in some subjects and needed to read and check everything carefully to make sure it was done correctly. Ironically, time was both on his side and against him as well, he had to complete all his homework assignments for the second half of the school's first semester until Autumn vacation which was only five days from October 6th to the 10th. Afterwards, he then had to do the same for the first half of the second semester which would go all the way until Christmas during the Winter break.

Although he could sign out books from the school library when ever he pleased, he could only take the time to read through them once he had completed his homework; he had spent the whole summer reading through numerous books until he gradually found which topics he needed to look for which would give him the kind of information he sought. Michiru could still read and borrow books from his father's personal library at home, but the variety of topics to read about was very small. Two thirds of them were about military history while the remaining books were fiction, literature, and ancient cultures. The young boy had read all that he could from his father's immense collection of books about the Festival of Wishes, and other such festivals of Japanese culture. But he couldn't find any information on magic spells, let alone what ever magic power that Utsugi had used to teleport him back to the Feudal Era. All efforts to find a way to return had led Michiru to a dead end, and with each day that went by brought more strain to the young Kururugi boy.

The most stressful thoughts on his mind which he couldn't shake off ever since his return home nearly four and a half months ago were finally starting to cause the Shikigami user a great deal of anxiety. First off, he had Kagome's cell and home number but was unable to contact her because she had yet to emerge from the bone eater's well located at the Higurashi Shrine where she lived with her Grandfather, Mother, and younger brother Sota as well as her cat Buyo. Michiru didn't like to admit it, but he was immensely jealous of Kagome because of her ability to instantly travel back and forth without even using any of her special powers. Secondly, why wouldn't she have returned home for a while now that Naraku was dead? Surely she would have taken the time to see her family now that no one in the Feudal era was in danger, not to mention catch up on all her homework that she missed from school. Or maybe everyone was still in danger, perhaps Naraku had somehow faked his own death which could explain why she returned so she could help out Inuyasha and the others battle him again.

It wouldn't have been the first time, and that thought made the teenager worry. He even imagined that Naraku cheated death again but waited for Michiru to be summoned back to his own time just after Utsugi died. Without Michiru and his Shikigami powers, Inuyasha and his friends were that much more vulnerable and would be easy prey to the evil and twisted scenarios which that demonic monstrosity set in motion all across the land. Thirdly and finally was the problem of how he was summoned back to the Feudal Era in the first place, magic was the obvious answer. But whose? Michiru had discovered that Utsugi had acquired Naraku's help in order to summon him back in time, so only the two of them together could have accomplished it with their combined powers. And now that both of them were dead, all the answers they possessed had been taken with them. There was now no positive proof that could answer any of the questions that weighed heavily on the Shikigami user's mind that evening and until he found even a useful scrap of evidence, he was forced to do nothing but guess and do the best he could with what available resources he had.

With no means of returning to the Feudal Era or contacting Kagome, Michiru decided that all he could do was to prepare for the worst case scenario. That meant getting all schoolwork done and over with and practicing magic only when he was alone or when his parents weren't at home. When his parents were at home, the young man would take physical training outside in the backyard or read through his father's books while he sat quietly in the privacy of his room. In the event that Naraku was still alive and causing havoc in the Feudal Era, Michiru began to read military history so that he could possibly anticipate and foil what ever plans the terrible demon had set in motion. Naraku possessed both immense power and intellect, which convinced Michiru to read in order to gain as much useful knowledge as possible since he obviously couldn't match Naraku's strength and demonic power. Thanks to the books and other information sources available to him in the Modern Era where he lived, Michiru had the advantage of learning and reading the military history along with various kinds of warfare from different countries and different time periods; something Naraku didn't have.

That Monday afternoon on November 19th, Michiru had just completed his schoolwork and felt good that he was now a week ahead in all of his classes; this was because each of his teachers had generously allowed him to do the work early so that he wouldn't get into trouble in case he suddenly became absent from school. He remembered Kagome telling him that she had been absent from school for a number of times and missed weeks of classes because of her time spent in the Feudal era where she could see Inuyasha and the others. But no matter how much he wanted to return to Feudal Japan and visit them as well, that was no excuse for skipping school; especially since his parents were very concerned with his grades. Even if they weren't, he still didn't know how he had been summoned back in the first place; which meant that he could only continue on with his ordinary life until a successful breakthrough had been made in figuring out how his Shikigami powers worked. This didn't exactly help him keep his mind at ease, although he told his parents that everything was alright when ever they asked; the fact that they both suspected a change in him was evident enough to prove that he couldn't handle being stuck at a dead with no feeling of being closer to accomplishing his goal. From July 7th to November 19th and he had spent countless hours reading through any books he thought would help him out and for all his efforts, he still had nothing to show for the work he had done; the only progress he made at all in anything was through physical fitness training that he had done over the summer which made him a little stronger and more physically fit even though he was still very lean. Nevertheless, it reminded him of the times when he and Sango had trained with each other during his Feudal era adventure and he secretly imagined both Sango and Kirara practicing with him in the modern world even though he was actually all alone for every occasion so that helped to ease his mind.

As he sat at his desk in the privacy of his room, he was now taking a moment to pause and think in order to avoid losing his mind which was deeply troubled about other matters besides returning to the Feudal era. Even though Michiru's imagination was running out of control, he couldn't ignore it. Long before the Kururugi boy had been summoned to the Feudal Era, Inuyasha and the others had fought numerous times against Naraku. Even when Naraku's plans were foiled or when he had sustained a great deal of injuries from fighting Inuyasha and his friends, Naraku always escaped with his life so that he could plan other evil schemes or set up another devastating trap for Inuyasha later on in the future. Michiru and Utsugi would change all that during the battle just north of Kururugi Village, where Naraku was finally defeated in battle from which there was no escaping death. The young boy let out a yawn as he closed one of the three books he had just finished reading, all of which belonged to his Dad's library. Luckily he could borrow books from his father's library as long as none of them left the house and that they were returned to the proper shelves in the same condition they were in before they were borrowed. In addition to the three books on his desk as well as an overhead map of Tokyo with all the streets, road systems and businesses listed, Michiru also had his travel log which he used to mark his destinations while in the Feudal Era. Unfortunately the brown haired boy was so focussed on the map in front of him, that he failed to hear a pair of foot steps sneaking up from behind him while he sat at his desk.

"So this is where three of my books ran off to hide. Or should I say this is where someone ran up to hide after snatching three of my books from downstairs?" a deep voice spoke with a hint of humour.

"Uh I was just trying to figure some things out, that's all." Michiru answered with a guilty look on his face after glancing back quickly over his shoulder to see his father leaning over Michiru from behind the chair to stare at what ever it was that his son was working at so intently. "I'll put all of them back on the two different shelves when I'm done in an hour or so."

"Hmm, alright then Michiru," Mr. Kururugi replied with a smile before padding his son on the right shoulder. "Just be sure to put the books back on the right shelves and don't mix them up.

"Okay, thanks Dad." Michiru responded gratefully as he heard his mother's voice call from downstairs.

"Supper's ready dear." Mrs. Kururugi shouted, waiting for a reply so she could serve the plates of delicious food that she had just cooked on the table once she knew that her husband and son were on their way to the kitchen.

"We're coming honey," Mr. Kururugi replied, giving Michiru a look to get up and follow. "Let's wash our hands and head downstairs."

After a quick but pleasant dinner, Michiru raced up stairs to his room so he could continue with his investigating. Inside the living room, his father was sitting at his own desk which was nearly twice as large as the one in Michiru's bedroom reading through some new books he had recently purchased at a book store somewhere in Tokyo. His mother was still in the kitchen tidying up with all the dishes, but afterwards she would go outside to check the garden for weeds and to gather any vegetables that were ready to be picked. Since he had just finished supper, there was always a slim chance that Kagome had returned from the Feudal Era for a brief visit and was eating supper as well with her own family. Although it had been nearly four and a half months since his own return, Michiru was quite surprised that Kagome wouldn't have come back even once to see how he was doing or to even visit her own family. He decided he had no choice but to keep calling once every couple of weeks until she was there to pick up, the boy punched in the numbers on his cell and waiting for a response as the ringing began. He would have liked to call more often, but his own daily schedule kept him very busy and he also wanted to limit how many times he called so he could avoid being questioned by his parents; for they would undoubtedly ask who he was trying to contact over and over again and he didn't relish the idea of having to tell them that he had befriended a girl and wind up being embarrassed about it.

"Hello? Whose there?" an old impatient voice called out from the cell's speaker.

"I-I'm sorry to disturb you but I'm calling to see if Kagome's returned yet from the Feudal Era." Michiru answered, trying to be polite since it was unfortunately Kagome's Grandpa who had answered the phone again just like last time and the time before that.

"The funeral prier! What are you playing at?" Grandpa asked angrily, "Being bedridden from poisonous snake bites and with a burning fever for a week doesn't mean a person is declared dead. Where did you get that ridiculous idea from? "Who are you anyway, a teacher? Why do you always call when ever she isn't home?"

Michiru was completely speechless after hearing Kagome's Grandpa rant and rave over something so simple as a yes or no question. Unfortunately, the old man's hearing wasn't the best when it came to talking over the phone. Not that it really made a difference seeing as how the Kururugi boy could easily figure out that Kagome's Grandpa was once again trying to fake another ridiculous lie to cover up the fact that his granddaughter was still in the Feudal Era and so he couldn't see her yet. Needless to say, the Shikigami user was getting very worried as well as impatient; his chances of seeing Kagome again weren't looking very bright and he relied on her to find out how everyone else was doing. Luckily, the old man's voice died down and was replaced by the sweet and caring voice of Kagome's mother.

"Higurashi residence, how can I help you?" Mrs. Higurashi asked, hoping the caller hadn't hung up because of her Dad.

"Oh um, hello Mrs. Higurashi." Michiru answered politely. "Its Michiru Kururugi calling, I just wanted to know if Kagome's back yet."

"You don't have to say your full name when you call Michiru, you've called about twenty times already so I know who you are. Or have you forgotten that you came over to our house during the summer to see if Kagome was home?" Mrs. Higurashi reminded him yet again.

"Oh right, sorry about that Mrs. Higurashi." Michiru admitted with a little embarrassment.

"That's alright, please don't apologize; I should be apologizing to you on Kagome's behave since she's making you wait for such a long time." Mrs. Higurashi continued. "I'm afraid Kagome hasn't returned yet but when she does, I'll make sure she calls you this time before she does anything else. I know that I've been waiting for a long time as well, but at least I'm fortunate enough to see her first when she finally comes home every once in a while; my patience is running out just as fast as yours since she's lost track of time and it'll be a miracle if she can still graduate with her friends in all the classes."

"I guess she has lots of practice for losing track of time and missing out of school doesn't she?" Michiru asked humorously, making Mrs. Higurashi giggle over the phone. "I can tell you that I'd certainly never get away with that, my parents would ground me for life."

"Well perhaps I should do the same for her when she does get home, I honestly don't know how she'll manage catching up in school given that her teachers aren't too pleased with her attendance record; I guess she'll have to make up for it by getting a hundred percent on each and everyone of her school assignments if she's to pass this year." Mrs. Higurashi answered.

"Won't that be a challenge, I know I can never do that good with my homework; at least not all of it. I discovered that I didn't miss any time here when I was summoned to the Feudal Era, but that advantage doesn't help at all if you're unable to find a way to travel back and forth." Michiru replied, "I just don't understand why she hasn't returned yet now that we've finally defeated Naraku, I know she likes visiting Inuyasha and the others a lot; but the only reason I could think of for staying away for so long is that there could be some sort of emergency that's keeping her and everyone else busy."

"You aren't suggesting that Kagome's in danger are you?" Mrs. Higurashi asked with a worried tone of voice.

"No! No of course not!" Michiru answered, trying to reassure Mrs. Higurashi while checking the time on his watch . "Maybe Inuyasha just won't let her leave until she's helped to gather up all the rest of the sacred jewel shards. No that doesn't make any sense, she would just use her sit commands over and over if he tried to do that. Well I'd better get off of the phone before it gets too late, it's a school day tomorrow after all; thanks for your time Mrs. Higurashi."

"Bye Michiru, I'll make sure Kagome calls you when she finally returns so don't worry; and good luck at school tomorrow." Mrs. Higurashi replied before hanging up her phone.

After clicking off his cell phone, Michiru had unfolded his overhead map of Tokyo with all its road systems, street and business names. This would hopefully let him figure out the location of every village he had travelled too while he was in the Feudal Era, he also had his family's address to use as one reference point for Kururugi village as well as Kagome's home address to use as another for Kaede's village. Michiru hoped to locate both of them on the modern map so he could see them with his own eyes. If he compared the walking distances along with the road systems he used and wrote down while he was travelling to and from every village he visited in the Feudal Era, he just might be able to make a proper map of the entire area with all the villages accurately located so it would be a lot easier to travel from place to place. That is of course, if he ever found a way to return the Feudal Era. There was no guarantee that he could accurately locate all the villages just from a little guess work and rough travelling directions from his journal, but this helped to pass the time and put the young Kururugi boy's mind at ease if only temporarily.

After a few hours of pencil work and reading, Michiru finally finished drawing out his map. Unfortunately he couldn't test its accuracy until he arrived in the Feudal Era, but it helped put his mind more at ease since he was preparing to return someday. The hour was late and the young boy's eyes were getting heavy, it was time to turn in. School was tomorrow and now that there was only a month left until the end of the second semester's first half, Michiru would have to work extra hard since there would be both homework assignments and tests coming up as well; especially now that the days were much shorter compared with what they had been over the summer. After returning his father's books and brushing his teeth before going to bed, Michiru glanced at his newly drawn map before clicking off the lights. As he climbed into bed and pulled the comfy blanket over himself, the tired teenager rested the back of his head and neck against the soft pillow underneath. Staring briefly at the ceiling above, Michiru's eyes closed shut just as he slowly drifted into unconsciousness.

As the boy plunged into a deep sleep, his mind became crowed with images of the faces of his friends and the places he had been in the Feudal Era. As wonderful as they were to see in his unconscious state, he still longed for opportunity to see them all in real life. Michiru began to have flashbacks of all the memorable events he had experienced in his travels throughout mid evil Japan, even the smallest of them held immense value to the young Shikigami user. He remembered how he had met Inuyasha, Kagome and Shippo and began travelling to Akebi village where he met Grandma Kakuji who had helped to explain what his mysterious powers were and began to train him afterwards when ever they encountered each other during their travels. Later on he had met Miroku, Sango and Kirara after returning from a battle in Kasasagi Town where he had met Kagura and Utsugi for the first time and found out about their common enemy Naraku. All the memorable experiences Michiru had with each of his friends during his days of rest and relaxation reminded him of how important they all were. Inuyasha, Kagome, and Shippo. Miroku, Sango and Kirara. To him, all of them were best of friends, almost family even though he had no relation to any of them.

They had spent most of their time in the Feudal Era fighting demons and tracking down clues about Utsugi or Naraku, so there were only a few brief periods where they had some time to have fun on their own. The most memorable example, the one which Michiru especially enjoyed was when all of them tried out for the drum competition during an annual festival held at Tsuzumi village. He had watched with the audience and cheered on each one of his friends as they tried their best during their turn to play the massive instrument, and it was even more wonderful when they won all five matches, making them the winning team of the competition. If Michiru did return to the Feudal Era, they would have a fresh start and all the time in the world to enjoy life with no worries or troubles at all now that Naraku was gone and Sango had her brother Kohaku back.

Suddenly Michiru's eyes snapped open as a loud ringing noise broke the peaceful silence in his bedroom, he quickly reached out his left arm and turned a switch which ended the annoying sound in an instant. After a short pause, the Shikigami wielder realized that the cause of the unbearable noise was only his alarm clock which was set to go off and awaken him at 6:30a.m. Laying his head back down on the pillow, the young boy mentally cursed the fact that he couldn't sleep in and return to his unconscious state which had given him so many precious glimpses of his companions from the Feudal Era. Why did the all of the good dreams always happen on the days when you had to get up early every morning to go to school or to work? It just wasn't fair, and this was one peeve that would forever remain unavoidable to every human being; even one with incredible magic Shikigami powers. It was no use dwelling on something that couldn't be changed or controlled, so the teenager reluctantly rose out of bed and went to have a nice warm shower to clean up and prepare himself for the day.

Forty-five minutes later the Kururugi boy had finished getting dressed for going to the school and walked downstairs into the kitchen where his mother already had breakfast served on the table. His father had already eaten and left for work early just before 7:00a.m. His mother didn't have to go to work until an hour or so later, but she still made breakfast for herself and Michiru so at least they could eat together in the morning before leaving the house. Michiru drank his glass of orange juice first to wash out the inside of his mouth before eating his breakfast, this way his taste buds would be active so he could savour the pleasant flavour of the fried eggs and toast that lay on his plate in front of him. His lunch which his mother had also made for him was packed and waiting on the kitchen counter so Michiru could grab it after breakfast before he left for the day. Michiru was already thinking about what he would do after he got to school, check out the school library during lunch break for any useful books he could use to study any history or spells about Shikigami magic. It was the only free time he would have for the day, for he would have to come home as soon as the school day was over and he needed to travel by bus. Suddenly the young boy's thoughts were halted by a curious voice which broke the silence in the kitchen, and simultaneously brought him back to reality.

"You look fully awake Michiru, you're usually still tired on a school morning and try to stay in bed for a few extra minutes." Mrs. Kururugi said, smiling at Michiru.

"Yeah, but then I'd be running late and its not a pleasant experience rushing to school during the winter." Michiru replied while eating his breakfast. "Now that there's only a month left before the first half of second semester is over, I have to stay ahead in my classes; especially with tests coming up soon so I can have any amount of free time left over to do over stuff."

"And what sort of stuff are you referring too?" Mrs. Kururugi asked, catching her son completely off guard. "Ever since the Festival of Wishes ended, you've been spending more of your free time reading and studying than you would usually do whether or not you actually had any assignments from school. And you've also been doing a large amount of physical fitness in the backyard during the summer, I even caught a glimpse of you training with a kendo stick in the yard just yesterday before you came inside and went to your room to do your homework. Listen Michiru, I can tell that something is bothering you. Now if you're not ready to talk about it, then I understand. I just want you to promise me that you will talk about it with me or your father when you feel more comfortable with the matter, okay?"

After a brief pause to take in everything his mother had said, Michiru reluctantly gave in. "Okay, I promise." Michiru responded, still feeling uneasy that he would one day have to explain everything including his adventure in the Feudal Era where he acquired his newly discovered Shikigami magic.

Once his breakfast was done and he had another glass of orange juice, Michiru got up and washed his dishes under the tap before placing them in the dishwasher. Then the young teenager went downstairs, quickly brushed his teeth and washed his hands before racing back upstairs passed the kitchen and up another flight of stairs to get to his bedroom where his light brown backpack was waiting for him. Everything seemed to be in order, which meant it was time to leave now that he had his wallet; house keys and cell phone which had been fully recharged. After placing his packed lunch inside his backpack and giving his mom a quick hug, the young shikigami user was walking briskly until he made his way to the bus stop located near Kururugi Shrine. A bus arrived within a few moments and after paying the driver, the Kururugi boy sat down in an empty chair to wait patiently for the bus to arrive at his school. As the vehicle drove on, Michiru quickly checked a list he had written down of certain sections of the school library where he could possibly find any books with useful information that he was going to be looking for later that day, if that didn't work; he could always use the internet on the school computers. Twenty minutes later, the bus pulled in to a stop, the teenager thanked the driver before stepping outside and found himself looking at the main entrance at the front of his high school.

Michiru was fortunate that morning classes for the day didn't have lots of assignments, he quickly eat all of his homemade lunch before heading inside of the school library where he could look for some books. Except for several librarians who worked at the check out service desk by the entrance, there wasn't another person in site so the place was nice and quiet, perfect for reading and researching. The Kururugi boy pulled out the list from his pocket and began to look around from one book another, after taking another piece of paper to write down the titles and authors of any books that contained any useful information that might prove helpful. As he continued his investigating, Michiru found himself overburdened by several books he had presently taken off of their shelves in addition to the weight of his backpack and decided to set everything down on a nearby desk before he was pulled down to the floor. Once his arms were free, he opened each book to a certain page and laid them beside each other about a foot away so he could jot down any information he wanted on a fresh piece of paper which lay directly in front of him.

The young man began to get very frustrated from the lack of information that the books were telling him, so far all Michiru could get was the origins of the what he thought was the same Festival of wishes which had taken place so many days ago on July 7th when he was teleported to the Feudal Era. According to the information he was presently still reading, the Star Festival or Tanabata as it is called in Japan; originated in a Chinese folklore legend called the Princess and the Cowherd which involved the two stars Vega and Altair. Once there was a weaving princess named Orihime(Vega), who was believed to make beautiful clothes by the bank of the Amanogawa(the Milky Way or Heavenly River) for her father Tentei(Sky King or the Universe itself). Her father loved the cloth very much so she worked very hard every day to weave it, but Orihime became sad that she would never meet and fall in love with anyone because she spent every day working hard to weave the cloth. Tentei arranged for his daughter to meet a prince named Hikoboshi(Altair) who works as a cow herder and lived on the other side of the Amanogawa. When the two of them met, they fell in love with one another and married shortly after.

Unfortunately, there were consequences that would befall the newlyweds after their marriage was over. Both of them neglected their work, Orihime no longer took the time to weave the beautiful cloth for her Tentei and Hikoboshi allowed his cattle to stray freely all over Heaven. Angered by these actions, Tentei punished the two of lovers by separating them on opposite sides of the Amanogawa and forbade them from meeting each other. Saddened by the turn of events, Orihime pleaded with her father's permission to let her meet her husband once again. Moved by his daughter's tears, Tentei allowed the two of them to meet on the 7th day of the 7th month so long as she worked hard to finished her weaving. The first time they tried to meet, but neither of them could cross the heavenly river because there was no bridge to use. Orihime became sad and cried so much that a flock of magpies came to her aid, they promised her they would make a bridge using their wings thus allowing her to cross over the river and meet her husband Hikoboshi on the other side. If it rains on July 7th, than the magpies cannot come and the two lovers remain separated which forces them to wait another whole year until they can meet again.

The Tanabata also known as the star festival takes place on the 7th day of the 7th month of the year, when the two stars Vega and Altair, which are usually divided from one another by the milky way are able to meet according to the Chinese legend. But because the 7th month coincides with August instead of July according to the traditional Japanese Lunar calendar, the Tanabata is celebrated on August 7th in some regions of Japan while it is celebrated on July 7th in other regions. For example, the two most famous festivals are held annually in different areas; one in Hiratsuka near Tokyo in the month of July while the other takes place in Sendai a month later in August. The Tanabata festival and the Chinese legend originated in China and was transmitted to Japan during the Feudal Era and combined with traditional local customs to become an official event at the Imperial court. Different localities developing their distinctive ways of celebrating the event in either July or August depending on what regions they lived in. In modern day Japan, people celebrate this day by writing wishes on small pieces of paper, sometimes in the form of poetry be they ceremonial wishes or actual wishes. The papers are hung on bamboo, sometimes with other decorations which are either set afloat on a river or burned after the festival around midnight or on the next day.

Needless to say, this information wasn't really a big help to Michiru since there was no information on Shikigami magic or anything in the Tanabata festival which related to the doll festival of wishes which had taken place at his family's shrine. As a result, the Shikigami user was once again forced to rely on guesswork based on what he could deduce from the information in front of him. For instance, the two lovers were allowed to meet each other just once on the seventh day of the seventh month every year. The little girl he met after his return to the Modern Era had shown him a wooden doll which was to be burned after she had written the name of a special person on it, thus allowing her the chance to see that person she desired. Michiru had followed her example by getting a wooden doll himself and writing Sango's name on it, and just as it was burning in a fire he had caught a brief glimpse of her twice for a few seconds; each glimpse just moments apart from one another on the evening during the festival. On the first occasion, Michiru remembered hearing a girl's apology after someone had accidentally bumped into him from behind. Once he heard the apology, he turned around to see who the voice belonged to and stood momentarily paralyzed at the unexpected site of the very girl whose name he had written on the doll just minutes before. After calling her name, Sango's image evaporated into thin air before his very eyes. The young Kururugi boy looked up at the sky hoping and praying for the chance to meet Sango again some day, and caught yet another glimpse of her walking peacefully among the clouds above. The orange and red sky coupled with the sunlight, illuminated her transparent form as the young man's eyes remained fixed on her beautiful appearance, Michiru could swear that she was looking back at him as her lovely, smiling face brought deep feelings of warmth and tenderness inside his heart.

Suddenly the high school student was brought back to his senses by one of the three librarians, a lady probably in her late thirties who was shaking lightly him by the shoulders. Looking at her briefly, the young man realized he must have dazed out and fallen asleep for a few minutes. The kind hearted women had awoken Michiru from his unconscious state and informed him that the school bell was about to go off, she also generously offered to return all the books herself so he could leave right away without being late, the overly grateful Shikigami user thanked her again before exiting the library and walking swiftly in the direction of his next class. After what seemed like a dead slow afternoon, the rest of the school day finally came to an end; making the Kururugi boy breath a sigh of relief that he could go home and do as he pleased. Once he had gathered his school books and backpack, Michiru walked to the bus stop where he would wait for is ride home and on the way there; his cell phone suddenly started ringing. As he pulled it out of his pocket to see who could possibly be calling him at a time like this, the Japanese student's eyes widened with excitement; it was Kagome's house number.

This could only mean one possible explanation, Kagome was back again and this time; he would finally be able to see her after almost four and a half months.

About ten minutes later, a bus pulled around the corner of the school and came to a halt in front of Michiru who by now was ready and waiting patiently for its arrival. Once the bus came to a halt and the doors opened up, the high school student got on board and took a seat right by exit. Unfortunately he would first have to go home and drop off his school books and gather up his belongings that he had during his adventures in the Feudal era, he was so looking forward to catching up on lost time; and he was positive that she would be happy to see him considering that she had nothing to do but piles of homework due to her repeated long term absence from school again. After a while, the bus arrived at Kururugi Shrine and Michiru pressed the bell to signal the driver that he wanted to get off of the bus. The teenager raced home and quickly opened the door with his house keys before getting indoors where he took off his shoes so he could dart straight upstairs to his bedroom without dirtying the floor with mud and snow; he then placed his school materials on his desk and made sure he had all of his belongings including his new map, his log journal and some other items such as both pairs of old fashioned pants (Hakama) that he was given during his time in the Feudal Era. Now that he had everything, he left a note on the kitchen table to let his parents know he was out visiting a friend and that he'd be back at or shortly after supper time; and then he locked up the house before heading outside where a bus was just pulling up to take on and let off passengers.

The Shikigami user hadn't felt this excited before since the he attended the annual drum festival in Tsuzumi village with Inuyasha and the others during his travels in feudal Japan, he finally had the opportunity to meet up with at least one of his friends from the feudal period. Taking a bus ride to Higurashi Shrine made the teenager feel like he was taking a private means of transportation to place where he call his own vacation spot to get away from the everyday troubles of reality. It had been very difficult, trying to get all his schoolwork done and never knowing when Kagome would ever come back. But that phone call helped Michiru put all those stressful memories behind him, and he felt even better as Kagome's house came into view through the window. After the bus pulled in to the stop, the Kururugi boy stepped outside and on to the ground where his destination was. He had everything he needed inside his backpack that he was wearing and after taking a deep breath to ready himself for the reunion he had been waiting for, the young man walked through the gate and eventually found his way to the front door of the house. The Shikigami user made a fist with his right hand and lightly knocked on the door to let everyone know he was here, after a minute had passed he knocked on the door again; this time a little harder in case no one heard him. Something wasn't right, surely it wouldn't take more than a minute to answer the door.

"Just a second, I'll be right there," said a kind voice as the door swung open, revealing Kagome's mom. "Hello Michiru, I was afraid that you missed the phone call a short while ago. Please come inside and make yourself comfortable."

"Sorry, I didn't answer my cell phone in time when I pulled it out of my pocket." Michiru admitted in embarrassment as he gave Mrs. Higurashi an apologetic look, as he walked inside and followed her down the hall to the kitchen. "I was so excited when I found out Kagome called, so I came over as quick as I could."

"I'm sorry to say that Kagome wasn't the one who called you Michiru, she still hasn't returned yet from the feudal era." Mrs. Higurashi said with a small hint of worry in her voice as she turned around to look at the young man.

Any excitement Michiru had felt now drained away when he saw the look on Mrs. Higurashi's face after hearing those words. "I…I don't understand, if Kagome hasn't returned yet then why did you call me today?" the Kururugi boy asked with concern.

Before either of them could say anything else, Kagome's little brother Sota came inside the house and running passed the two of them in a hurry to get to the kitchen. "There's a monster outside, everybody run and hide!" cried Sota who was looking through the kitchen drawers to find any sharp knifes he could use as a weapon. Sota's grandpa who had been sitting at the kitchen table sipping a cup of tea, looked over at his grandson with a curious grin.

"Sota what an earth are you panicking about, don't tell me Buyo's grown into a giant demonic cat." the old man asked in disbelief before turning around to look down the hall as the front door flew open with a thud against the wall.

Mrs. Higurashi's eyes widened as she looked behind Michiru at what ever it was that had given Sota a good fright. The kururugi boy could tell by her expression and that of her son and father that there must be some sort of demon that had entered into their home. Michiru gave a signal that he was going to use his Shikigami powers to ward off the intruder or at least move it back outside where he could fight it without causing any damage to the house, but Mrs. Higurashi had shaken her head in an effort to warn him to stay still so as not to alarm the being. Suddenly the young man heard a hissing sound from behind him, he began to fear that the creature was some kind of demonic snake. As the hissing grew louder, he new that the monster was getting closer and the closer it got, the more nervous Michiru became. The Kururugi boy expected the creature to strike him first, so he took a few deep breaths to calm himself before reacting to the serpent's bite once it struck him. A moment later the trembling teenager felt five sharp claws lightly poking against each of his shoulders, "Fresh blood!" said a voice as Mrs. Higurashi took a photo with her camera to distract the beast with the camera's flash.

Suddenly, the Shikigami user acted instinctively without any rational thinking to control his own body. The young boy clenched his hands into fists, crouched down driving his left elbow hard into the stomach of the person who was behind him. As he spun around counter clockwise with his other arm raised up, Michiru drove his right fist into the intruder's left cheek, causing the person to stumble one or two steps back while holding the side of their face. As the Kururugi boy examined the intruder in front of him, Michiru's eyes widened with shock and disbelief. He wasn't a monster at all, he was in fact one of Michiru's traveling companions or to be more precise; the very first travelling companion that he had met upon his arrival in the Feudal Era.

"You sure know how to throw a punch Michiru, it looks like your training with Sango paid off," Inuyasha said with a grin. "But your still not strong enough to take someone like me on, maybe in ten years from now you might have a chance."

"Cat got your tongue?" Mrs. Higurashi asked as Michiru looked at her for a moment before glancing at everyone else. After a few more seconds, everyone except for Michiru started laughing and the poor Shikigami user realized this had all been just a prank.

"Don't ever do that to me again Inuyasha, because it wasn't funny." Michiru stated after giving everyone a minute to laugh.

"Oh yes it was, you were trembling with fear," Inuyasha countered, still grinning. "Not that I blame you since you had your back turned and you couldn't see it was just me as I snuck up behind you."

"Yeah and you really thought that there was a giant demonic snake behind you, but instead it was Inuyasha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!" Sota said, laughing all over again with his Grandpa.

"Alright now, that's enough; I think we've all had more than enough laughter at Michiru's expense." Mrs. Higurashi, giving everyone in house a look before going into the kitchen. "Now that that's over and done, we can finally sit down and enjoy a tasty hot supper."

"I gave over unexpectedly Mrs. Higurashi, won't there only be enough food for…" Michiru politely protested but was interrupted by Inuyasha as the half demon leaned across from the opposite side of the table and poked him in the arm with a pair of chop sticks.

"You don't expect to grow more muscle with just training alone do you, you have to eat up to build up so start shovelling it in," Inuyasha said, staring at a large pot of instant noodles that Kagome's mom was had just finished cooking. "If you don't, you'll stay scrawny for the rest of your life. And if that were to happen, then you'd never be able to take me on in a fight."

"Don't be shy Michiru, everyone's eating and I can assure you there is plenty of food to go around," Mrs. Higurashi pointed out as she placed the large pot on top of a breadboard that lay in front of Inuyasha, afterwards she passed around bowls of left over stew mixed with rice that she had heated up in the microwave while she made a large plate of sandwiched that she set in the middle of the table before sitting down herself.

"Inuyasha, why hasn't Kagome come back yet?" Michiru asked, knowing that everyone else wanted to know too.

"Well, she wasn't in the mood to go searching for jewel shards, and she wanted to stay in Kaede's village to help Sango take care of her brother Kohaku; at least that was the excuse she said anyway." Inuyasha answered between mouthfuls, causing Michiru's heart to skip a beat at the mention of Sango's name. "I was bored after a full day, the only entertaining moments in the village were seeing Miroku getting chewed out by Kagome after being slapped in the face by Sango a moment before on more than one occasion; she'll never give up trying to pair the two of them together no matter how much trouble Miroku causes."

After hearing Inuyasha's words, Michiru began to wonder about Kagome's reaction if she suddenly became aware of his hidden feelings towards Sango; whether it would make her happy or angry because of her match making schemes. He was well aware that she always envisioned Sango to be with Miroku even though the monk's lecherous behaviour ruined the possibility for a romantic relationship to blossom between them, at least that was the way it looked from Michiru's perspective during his time in Feudal Japan. The Shikigami user still remembered telling the demon slayer that he loved her, but he didn't know how she had taken it since he vanished before her eyes and returned home to the modern era; which led him to wonder whether the others were aware of what had passed between them given that it was now four and a half months later. Of course, Michiru knew that time in the Modern era wouldn't be the same in the Feudal era because he had gone back and forth without losing any time in his own world; and yet in Kagome's case it was an entirely different story. Unfortunately for Michiru, the matter with how Sango felt towards him would have to wait a while longer since he couldn't return to the Feudal era and see her again until he figured out more about his Shikigami magic, but at least the young boy could spent time with his good friend Inuyasha which was an unexpected surprise given that he thought only Kagome had come home today for a visit.

"Why didn't you ask Kagome if she wanted to come home for a visit?" Sota asked before grinning, "Or were you too scared that she'd use her "Sit" commands on you?"

"I'm not scared of Kagome, its just her angry temper that drives me nuts." Inuyasha declared with a hint of anger in his voice. Sota had obviously hit the nail on the head with that last question. "She can be so bossy, and she's even more angry when she doesn't get her way. She even denies it when she's mad about something else and then takes it out on me by saying sit when I ask her about it."

"That sounds like Kagome alright, especially when she finds out about the excuses I have to use to cover up the fact that she's in the Feudal Era." Sota's Grandpa added as he finished his bowl of rice and stew.

"Don't say that too loud Inuyasha, because you never know when the person you're talking about can sneak up behind you and scare you in a flash." Michiru said in a loud voice as he tried to hold back his laughter. "I for one would be very angry if I found out someone was talking about me like that behind my back, and in front of my family no less."

"Ha! Not to worry, Kagome's still in the Feudal Era right now." Inuyasha replied, still stuffing his face. As he continued to talk, everyone around the kitchen slowly caught on to what Michiru was hinting at when he spoke. "Besides, she's probably enjoying my absence so she can flirt with that scrawny wolf demon Koga. And she calls me a two timer, Ha! I would love to see the surprised look on her face when she sees Michiru and I eating lunch with her family talking about anything we want without having to worry about her bad mood spoiling the occasion."

Sota nervously spoke up "Uh Inuyasha?"

"Yeah what is it Sota? Oh come on, you don't expect me to fall for the same prank that we pulled a short time ago when I scared Michiru do you?" Suddenly Inuyasha's eyes widened as he slowly turned his head to glance behind him, he then muttered, "Uh, hey Kagome."

Everyone including Michiru and Mrs. Higurashi broke out laughing, Kagome just stood where she was glaring at Inuyasha. If Michiru's frightened state was funny, Inuyasha's was priceless as he sat in his chair under the watchful gaze of the reincarnated priestess. After a moment, she sat down beside Inuyasha and across from Michiru who presently sat to Sota's left. Kagome's mom sat at the head of the table to Michiru's left with her father at the other end. Everyone could only assume that Kagome didn't say sit only to avoid Inuyasha's head breaking the dinner table and catapulting all the food and dishes into the air before making a mess on the floor. Mrs. Higurashi gave her daughter a long and warm hug now that Kagome had finally taken the time to come back and visit her own family, Michiru just sat in his chair eating his food and counting all the memorable moments he had experienced since he walked inside Kagome's house.

"How long were you eavesdropping outside the kitchen Kagome, before or after Inuyasha started ranting and raving?" Michiru asked, still trying not to laugh at Inuyasha's misfortune.

"I came inside just when you asked Inuyasha why I hadn't returned yet," Kagome answered, "And I came back to make sure he wasn't causing any trouble while I wasn't home. I didn't expect to see you here Michiru, but its only been a few days since you left us; we only just returned to Kaede's village yesterday."

"Come again?" Michiru asked in shock, making Kagome and Inuyasha look at him with concern after hearing his uneasy voice. "I-I've been waiting for you to come home for four and a half months and you're telling me that you, Inuyasha and the others only just returned to Kaede's village yesterday?"

"What? That's crazy, I thought that you would have spent the same amount of time in the modern era as I had done in the feudal era after you left." Kagome replied in shock. "As far as I can remember the same amount of time that passed by here in the Modern era is the same in the Feudal era too, now matter which one I'm visiting; that's how it works for the Bone Eater's well anyway . You've been waiting for four and a half months while its only been almost a week for the two of us and the others living in the feudal era? B-But that doesn't make any sense!"

"Oh my goodness…" Michiru replied softly as the answer suddenly dawned on him. "When I was returned to my home here in the modern era, only a minute of time had passed since I had been gone; because it was the same day and the same hour as it was when I had walked into the storage shed at the Kururugi Shrine before I fell through the floor and was summoned to Feudal Japan."

"What are you trying to say Michiru?" Inuyasha asked, eagerly waiting for his human friend to share the answer he had stumbled on.

"The four and a half months that had passed by was the time that I had spent with everyone in the Feudal era, from the day I was summoned there shortly before Inuyasha found me outside of Kaede's village to the day when all of us had buried Utsugi inside the Kururugi Cemetery in Kururugi village just moments before I returned back home." Michiru explained, causing both Inuyasha's and Kagome's eyes to widen as they grasped the shocking reality of what had truly happened; imagining how lonely it must have been for their friend to wait for that huge length of time. "It would make sense since you were all helping me look for clues about Naraku and Utsugi as well as the battles that occurred along the course of all the travels we had taken from one village to another and so on, its no wonder why both of you couldn't visit until today because you only just returned to Kaede's village after beating Naraku near Kururugi village."

"Michiru…if its been four and a half months, then what exactly is today's date?" Kagome asked with a fearful tone in her voice.

"It was July 7th on the Doll Festival of Wishes that I went to and from Feudal Japan, but today's date is November 20th; so you've missed most of the first semester and about a month and a half of the second semester, as well as summer vacation." Michiru answered.

"But don't worry sis, I've still been bringing home all your assignments for you so you can catch up on everything." Sota cut in with a grin. "That gives you a month to catch up on about four months worth of homework if you want to get all of it done by Christmas, a lot more homework than what you're usually faced with when you've been gone for so long; you can handle it right?"

Poor Kagome sunk deeper into her chair as the harsh reality took hold of her unprepared mind, she crossed her arms on the table and buried her face them in a vain attempt to shield herself from the predicament she now had to face, all that schoolwork not counting the assignments she also had to do for the remainder of the term before Christmas arrived during the winter vacation. Everyone let out a sigh as Kagome's mom tried to comfort her with another motherly hug to assure her that everything would be alright. Inuyasha wisely kept his mouth closed for once to avoid setting Kagome off now that she was under more stress than he had seen her just minutes before. After another minute Mrs. Higurashi set a bowl of left over stew and rice in front of Kagome for her to eat so she could recover the strength that she needed to get through the immense pile of homework that lay cluttered all over her bedroom. Once she sat down again everyone continued eating until their appetites where satisfied and their stomachs were full.

"If the amount of homework is really that huge, I can try and help you get it all done Kagome; I'm been getting a little ahead in my own school assignments anyway so it wouldn't be a problem." Michiru suggested, trying to make his friend feel a little better as he stood up from his chair to place his dirty dishes and utensils on the kitchen counter by the sink.

"What? Oh thank you Michiru, that would be a great help. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Kagome cried with joy as she leapt out of her chair and darted around the table, wrapping her arms around Michiru and squeezing him in a tight hug to show her appreciation and relief. The poor kururugi boy could only blush at being in Kagome's arms while attracting the attention of everyone else in the room. Inuyasha found Michiru's state of embarrassment to be very funny and gave the Shikigami user a look which told him that he brought this upon himself. Caught up in the idea that Michiru's assistance would make her homework problem an easier task, Kagome failed to hear a clicking sound coming from the other side of the table where her little brother was standing after leaving his chair.

"Now you can have a happy photo to remember this moment after all your homework is done." said Sota, grinning after taking a photograph of Kagome hugging Michiru with his mother's camera which had been left on the other side of the table.

"Huh? Sota! You little sneak! Give me that camera, now!" Kagome shouted angrily, letting go of Michiru and racing out of the kitchen to chase after her little brother who had captured a now embarrassing moment of her and her friend on film. Mrs. Higurashi momentarily giggled in amusement, but got up to follow her children and stop the confrontation before her camera might be damaged by the two siblings. Kagome's Grandpa started to laugh when his two grandchildren had raced out of the kitchen and was joined by Inuyasha who also found the event to be equally hilarious and entertaining. Michiru could only give Inuyasha a brief glare for getting another laugh at his expense for the second time but broke out laughing as well after seeing his friend in such a good mood now that the half demon was laughing at Kagome's embarrassment thanks to the little photo Sota had taken just a moment ago.

Now that supper was over and her children had stopped fighting, Mrs. Higurashi returned to the kitchen to clean up the dirty dishes and left over food on the table before going upstairs to help her daughter sort through all the homework that had accumulated during Kagome's absence. Inuyasha and everyone else sat in the living room to play with the cat Buyo and relax for a bit. After talking about the short wrestling match over the camera which Sota had with Kagome, everyone had one final moment of laughter before Sota turned on the television and began flipping through the channels. Michiru stood up from the couch and was about to go to the kitchen to call his parents and let them know that he where he was so they could drive over and take him home when a weird commercial came on.

"Are you troubled by strange noises in the night?"

"Do you ever experience feelings of dread in your basement or attic?

"Have you or your family actually seen a spook, spectre or ghost?'

"If the answer is yes than don't wait another minute, just pick up the phone and call the professionals."

"Call the Ghostbusters, we're ready to believe you!"

"Franchises available soon, call for details."

"Hey Gramps, you don't have to turn it off. Some of us are still watching, or didn't you notice?" Sota protested as his Grandpa turned off the television.

"I need your assistance for a short while, you'll have plenty time to watch TV later. We're going to clean and relocate an ancient sword that was discovered in the ancient well at our shrine. The sooner we get done, the sooner you can go back and watch TV."

"I'll help you out, that way we can get it done much faster with the three of us." Michiru offered, following the two of them to get the sword; leaving Inuyasha with Buyo. With any luck, the task would be completed by the time Kagome had organized her assignments.

"The sword of Murakumo also known as the sword of Kusanagi is the magical sword that Susano-Oh discovered inside the body of the eight headed serpent Yamata no Orochi after slaying it in battle."

"Susano-Oh must have been very powerful to fight a creature of that size and strength," Michiru said glancing at the sword once they were inside a storage shed as he moved some other materials on a nearby shelf to make room for the sword.

"Once in a while I take it outside to clean and restore the sword, so that its still in good condition." the old man continued. "But unfortunately there's so much rust on the blade, I can't remove it from its sheath."

"I can try using my Shikigami power to try and break up the rust fragments inside, that might loosen it even so we can remove it."

Michiru replied, jumping down from a small stool to examine the sword up close before summoning his powers. "Hey Sota, there's something written on the sheath here."

"That's weird, this character means "fang" instead of "sword" which means the inscription means "Sounga" not "Murakumo." Sota remarked. "That means that this old sword of yours is just a fake Gramps, I thought something was sketchy when you claimed it was a sacred national treasure."

"Impossible! That sword was discovered by our forefathers forefather generations ago!" Sota's grandpa replied with disbelief as he searched for any records that could prove the authenticity of the sword.

As Michiru shook his head in amusement while the two family relatives were arguing with one another, he brushed his fingertips over the inscription on the sword's sheath. Suddenly what looked like a ghost's head emerged from the sheath and snapped its jaws at Michiru who moved his hand quickly to avoid being bitten. After a pause to check that he wasn't hallucinated, the Kururugi boy darted away quickly to grab his backpack just in case he needed any of his feudal era possessions to protect himself and everyone else from the sword which he summarized must contain a great deal of supernatural power. Once he returned, an orb of white light appeared above the sheath capturing the attention of everyone presently inside the storage shed.

"A spirit's head came out of the sheath and tried to bite me, the sword must have some kind of magical entity." Michiru stated, keeping his mind focussed on the sword if things got out of hand.

"Hey, look at your fingers, I didn't bite you." a loud voice spoke.

"Look Gramps, the sword just talked." Sota said, tugging at his Grandpa's sleeve in a panic.

"I am the one speaking, not Sounga." the voice replied as the sword began to shaken violently. "Oh no, the 700 year old seal is about to break. Sounga will free himself from my control, is there a strong demon nearby who can help by taking hold of the sword?"

"Sota go get Inuyasha quickly, I'll stay here if things go bad." Michiru ordered, as the young boy ran off to find Inuyasha and the others.

"What happens if there isn't a demon to take hold of the sword? Michiru asked, already afraid where this trouble was going.

"Then Sounga will escape and great destruction shall befall the people of these lands." The orb of light answered.

Michiru didn't like it, but he would have to grab the sword if Inuyasha didn't arrive in time, regardless of how dangerous it was. Inuyasha was only a half demon, which led Michiru to believe that the sword was too powerful for him to control. But what of his Shikigami magic, would that be enough to prevent a disaster from happening, and if not would the Kururugi boy be protected by his magic from the evil aura that was coursing through the sword? There wasn't much of a choice, the sword levitated by itself and made a dash to escape out into the open. Michiru grabbed on to it with both hands, but this action wasn't enough to keep the sword from getting away. The sword was still flying through the air, dragging Michiru in the process and forcing the boy to wrap his legs around the post holding up the roof which stretched over the wooden walkway that stood three feet above the ground which acted as a bridge between the storage shed and the house. The evil demonic sword clearly possessed more power than Michiru had dared to guess, it was pulling him like a rope in order to break free of his grip. His legs were no match for the unlimited strength of the levitating weapon, they eventually lost grip around the post until only Michiru's feet remained locked in place. After a few more moments, the kururugi boy had to let go of the post. It was either that or let the sword get away and place everyone in the Modern Era in danger, which Michiru couldn't let happen; even though his arms felt like they were being pulled out of their sockets.

"Hold on Michiru, I'm coming!" Inuyasha shouted, running down the hallway, followed by Kagome and her mother.

It was no use, the Shikigami user had spent all the strength his human body could generate and he had no more energy left to even let go of the sword which was causing him so much pain already. The boy's feet unlocked from the post, allowing the sword and Michiru to soar into the sky to late for Inuyasha to catch them at ground level. Everyone watched in horror as their friend was carried farther and farther away, leaving their property all behind. As they both passed through the gate of the Higurashi shrine before flying into the city, Michiru tried to adjust himself using the sword which was travelling with the sword handle in the front and the tip of the sheath behind. This made it difficult for his hands to move farther up the sheath towards the sword handle, the two of them were flying so fast; he had to loosen his grip with one hand in order to slide the sheath closer too him without loosing hold with the other. After a minute of discomfort and moving around in mid air high above Tokyo, the teenager finally had a better grip on the sheath. He was clutching the hilt of the sheath just below the sword handle with his hands while his legs and feet locked tightly together around the centre of it to stay balanced. To the people who saw him, the poor teenager must have looked like a wizard flying around on a magical sword instead of a broomstick. Needless to say, it was far from an awesome sight in the eyes and mind of the kururugi boy; for it was late November and the wind and air both felt extremely cold given how fast he was flying in the air against it.

Looking around at the surroundings around him, Michiru heart was beating like mad. He was presently flying through the streets of Tokyo only about five feet off the ground, and to make matters worse, he had no control of the direction he and the sword were flying as they shot passed cars and other vehicles on the road during that busy afternoon. The sword was slowly gaining altitude as the two of them shot through the sky, and it was heading in the direction of Tokyo bay. The last place Michiru wanted to be if anything went wrong was over the ocean and far from land. It was now evening and the sky was dark which meant he had no means to accurately navigate except for lit up buildings of Tokyo, he had to act fast before the cold made his body too weak to cope with the dangerous position he was in. To make matters worse the sword Sounga was slowly drawing itself from the sheath which the tired boy was struggling to hold on too. If it broke free of the rust, it would successfully escape and poor Michiru would find himself falling to his death with the sheath in his hands. It was a cold evening and the freezing wind made the sheath more difficult for his numb cold hands to keep a grip on. Time was running out, if he didn't grab the sword handle now, it would all be over. He was now twenty feet above the ground, and he had no idea where it was the sword was flying too. After taking a few deep breaths to prepare himself, the kururugi boy releases his right hand from the sheath and wiped the frozen sweat off on his brown pants before taking a firm grip of the sword handle.

"No! Don't do that! A mere human being doesn't have the strength or the willpower to overcome Sounga's control!" The voice shouted in a panic, as searing pain shot through the young man's hand.

Surprised by the orb of light where the voice had originated was nothing compared to the burning agony which was now spreading all over Michiru's right arm. Numerous purple plant like veins appeared out of nowhere and began to inject themselves in and out of Michiru hand until they wove themselves around the boy's right arm from the wrist to the shoulder. As this was happening, a circular orb built at the end Sounga's handle began to glow bright pink and emitted what looked like static electricity all over the sheath. The pain was unbearable and the kururugi boy could only wonder why or how he was able to endure it without losing his life. Suddenly a different and deeper voice began to speak, a voice that reminded Michiru of Naraku. Even though it didn't sound the same, it still sent a frightening feeling up and down the spine of the suffering young man.

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! I'm surprised you didn't let go of me when you had the chance, you foolish boy." Sounga said with in a deep loud voice. "We are now above the ocean and we'll soon be beyond these lands once we leave the bay behind us. Your only alternative to avoid your death is to obey me as my host and slave, if you do so willingly; I will make you the supreme ruler of these lands. However, if you should refuse, then I will cause you extreme agony and force you under my control. If you don't die from the pain, then you'll die in battle as I use your body to slay and kill every living soul on this earth."

"AHH! I…won't be- your host. Or…your slave." Michiru replied defiantly, using any ounce of strength he could spare to get the words out as he continued to endure the ever increasing pain that shot everywhere in his body; but his right arm most of all. "Shikigami! Please Help!"

Michiru had called on his powers to try and turn the tide against Sounga which presently had the upper hand in this battle of endurance. The Shikigami user was in so much pain and in such disparate need of help that he didn't even think of a spell when he summoned his magic. A large red star shaped pentagram appeared horizontally in front of them with the centre right in line with Sounga's sword handle. The pentagram of light began to spin faster and faster with every turn in a clockwise direction.

"What! How could a mere mortal possess such powerful magic as this!" Sounga angrily shouted in surprise, unable to counter what ever spell that the Shikigami user had just cast. "NOOOOOO! AHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Michiru managed a quick smile to celebrate the miraculous turn of events which had just saved his life, at least from being controlled by Sounga. The triumph was short, for even now the Shikigami user's remaining strength was draining from him in an effort to stay balanced and keep hold over the sheath. As Sounga's cries and curses continued, the speed of the spinning pentagram was starting to open what looked like a vortex of bright red and orange light with blue and white lightning bolts striking everywhere inside. Unable to avoid or change the current obstacle that he was about to tackle, Michiru readied himself for what ever he would encounter after entering the vortex in front of him. As he slowly passed into the void, the pentagram began to bend itself and became to envelop Michiru from in front. It was as if the pentagram was stretching around him as he pushed on the centre with the tip of Sounga's handle and the magical symbol was wrapping Michiru up in a cocoon of supernatural energy which was protecting him as he continued to fly through the sky. After he was completely surrounded and protected by the shikigami magic, the kururugi boy discovered that he was still flying over the pacific ocean. He could still see clearly through the cocoon of shikigami magic which was nothing more than a protective barrier of light all around him. As the speed he was travelling at increased exponentially, the Shikigami user's vision became more blurred and translucent. Unable to stay conscious any longer, he finally passed out from sheer exhaustion and lack of oxygen.

When Michiru opened his eyes, he was lying on his back. The Sword Sounga was still in his clutches, but was inactive and silent. He was laying down in the same position as he had been in during his flight through the sky above Tokyo city and Tokyo bay. After concluding that everything was okay for the moment, the Kururugi boy slowly untangled Sounga from his stiff legs. The time on his wristwatch told Michiru that he had only been asleep for two hours or so, yet he was now fully awake and refreshed; especially after the events he had just experienced. A sudden realization came over the Shikigami user as he looked at his current surroundings, he wasn't at home or at Kagome's house. He was inside of a large bedroom that looked like the inside of a military barracks, there were five beds inside the room; one of which he had awoken on. Two of them were located to the left of the bed he was presently sitting on, and the remaining two beds were located against the other side of the bedroom. The other four beds were slightly larger than the one he had been resting on and directly in line between the end of the bed and the wall right in the open space in between was a large pole with a manhole around it for people to slide down. There was a washroom and shower area built behind the wall where the three beds rested against, and there were nine lockers against the wall to the right of the main door on the opposite side of the room from where Michiru was sitting.

Now that he was well rested and recovered, it was high time to find out just where he was; who had taken him in for the night and for what reasons. After recovering his backpack which had been place at the foot of the bed and strapping it on himself, the kururugi boy cautiously walked towards the bedroom's exit to discover the his whereabouts and his hosts. After stepping into a slightly larger room which looked like an arcade gallery, the young man quickly scanned the area in front of him with his light greyish blue eyes. To his left against the wall in the corner were several pinball machines and another manhole with a pole going for people to slide down. To his right was a kitchen counter with a stove, two sinks each with a water tap and a dishwasher built underneath. Cabinet above for dishes and a fridge to the left of the kitchen area located in the far corner against the wall. A small round table with four matching chairs surrounding it were set near the kitchen area in the open area of the room. At the other end of the large room on the left hand side was a railing to prevent anyone from falling down the stairs which were built leading up to the end of far left hand corner of the room. Nearby was a pool table and to the right of that was a small laboratory space with shelves against the wall for equipment and tools to be stored, with two or three computers located in different sections of the area. There were also several small movable tables on wheels so they could be moved around anywhere in the room for any necessary work that needed to be done.

Three men and a woman were currently in the office space talking amongst themselves as the nervous teenager approached them. "Pardon me, sorry to interrupt but could you please tell me how I came to be here?"

"Holy smokes, I thought you wouldn't wake up until at least lunch time given that you've been asleep in bed for only two hours." said a man who looked a bit chubby in the face and stomach but not too much. "We heard a sudden thud like something had fallen on top of this building's roof and when we climbed that ladder over there to investigate, that's when we found you laying unconscious while clutching a sword, we brought you inside so you wouldn't freeze to death out there. Are you feeling any better? What's your name kid?"

"Yes, I'm feeling alright; thank you for looking after me." Michiru responded, shaking the older man's hand. "I'm Michiru Kururugi, its nice to meet you. And you are?"

"Dr. Raymond Stantz, everyone just calls me Ray." The man answered as he shook the young boy's hand.

"Dr. Egon Spengler, calling me by my first or last name is fine." The taller man answered as he straightened his glasses before shaking hands with the teenager. Egon was slightly taller and thinner than everyone else in the room, his pointy noise and glasses made him look very intellectual.

"I am Dr. Peter Venkman, you will address me as Dr. Peter Venkman at all times and especially out in public without any mispronunciations." said the man who was about the same height as Ray but not as big. "Otherwise…"

"Egon calls him Peter, Ray calls him Venkman; you can call him what ever you want as long as you don't grow up to be like him."

The red haired woman with glasses interrupted, taking Michiru's attention away from Venkman. "I'm Janine Melnitz, nice to meet you and welcome to the Ghostbustas."

"Janine, you are ruining my fun." Venkman complained as everyone else chucked quietly.

"I remember seeing one of your commercials on television, could you tell me where I am please?" Michiru asked, turning to Ray.

"You are presently inside the Ghostbusters building located at Hook and Ladder 8, 14 N. Moore Street, Manhattan in New York city." Ray answered as he lit himself a cigarette.

"You mean New York city in the United States of America?" Michiru responded in shock. "What time is it right now?"

"Fifteen minutes passed four in the morning on November 19th, why is something wrong?" Egon asked curiously after checking his watch. "Hold on, let me ask a different question. How is it that you and that sword came to arrive on our roof top?"

"What I have to say may sound to crazy to make any kind of sense to all of you." Michiru warned with a little hesitation in his voice.

"Kid, we're the Ghostbusters." Venkman countered. "We get nothing but unusual stories day in and day out. If you've seen anything supernatural, then we're ready to believe you; so spill it all out."

And so with great reluctance, the young kururugi boy explained his predicament with going to the feudal era and discovering his Shikigami powers which he learned too use with the help from his great ancestor Grandma Kakuju. After getting that story explained and out of the way, the Shikigami user told the Ghostbusters about his encounter with the sword Sounga and how he thought he was transported from Tokyo Japan all across the Pacific ocean over to New York city in the U.S.A. The weird part was that Michiru had to tell the Ghostbusters everything while being hooked up to Egon's scanning machinery, which made the young teenager even more uncomfortable during his paranormal interrogation and evaluation. In case the Ghostbusters had any doubts, Michiru showed them the sword and all his belongings including some gold pieces which he accidentally left in his backpack. He even gave them a brief demonstration of his powers by healing the numerous puncture wounds on his right arm which had been left after Sounga had tried to possess him earlier during his out of control flight back in Japan, they weren't bleeding at all; but they did look very nasty and painful which is why Michiru used his magic to accelerate the healing process in order to make the wounds vanish so that his arm looked as good as new again. By the time the Kururugi boy had finally convinced the Ghostbusters that he was telling the truth, it was now 8:57a.m. in the morning and high time for breakfast for these people who had taken him in.

"What an amazing and adventurous experience for you, absolutely fantastic!" Ray exclaimed, thinking of what other events might lay in store for the young Japanese high school student. "Time travelling, using magic and flying half way around the world on a sword; WOW!"

"And I thought I'd seen and heard everything, you must be the luckiest kid on the planet." Egon added. "To experience all those events and still live to tell about it with your own supernatural powers to make any disbelievers eat their words. That would be something to see, in any city of the U.S.A."

"Okay let's not encourage our newly found time travelling magician to show off his supernatural powers." said Venkman. "The last thing we need is another visit from Walter Peckerwood, the Dickhead of the Environmental Protection Agency."

"Egon, do you have any ghost busting equipment that can be used for containing a demonic entity like this sword Sounga?" Michiru asked with concern. "It was nothing short of a miracle that saved my life when I used my magic on it, and I don't want this getting loose out in the city and putting people's lives in danger."

"The equipment we use is for catching and containing spiritual vapours and entities, I've never once had to construct a storage facility to contain an entity with an actual physical form before." Egon answered, as he drank a cup of coffee. "But I could put something together using some primary component parts from the traps and proton packs we have, I'll need you to bring the sword over here to this work table so I can measure its dimensions before we start designing a containment unit which we have to build from scratch."

"Do you have a phone that I can use to call my parents and let them know where I am and that I'm okay?" Michiru asked "I won't take long, please?"

"Mitch, do you have any idea what time it is right now? Venkman complained. "In case your watch is wrong, its 8:57 in the morning."

"There's nothing to worry about Dr. Venkman, Tokyo is fourteen hours ahead of us which puts the time at three minutes to midnight." Janine pointed out. "There's a phone right over here, just give me the number and the area code and I'll take of the rest while you help Egon examine that sword of yours."

"I knew that Janine, I was just testing you to see if you knew." Venkman replied. "Mitch, if you know any hot Japanese chicks who are single; just give them our business number and tell them to ask for Dr. Peter Venkman if they need a Ghost buster."

"Peter, enough jokes for one morning." Egon spoke up. "Make yourself useful and go downstairs to fetch three spare proton packs and traps, Janine see that he does it please…thank you."

"Go on Dr. Venkman, you heard what Egon said so get moving. I'll be down to help you in a minute or two after I've finished helping Michiru. I've called the number, you just have to wait for someone to answer." Janine said as she handed the phone to Michiru before going to other end of the room to unplug the kettle which was whistling once the water inside was boiled. "Does anyone want some more coffee?"

Needless to say, Michiru didn't have the guts to call his parents right away. He needed a few more minutes to think of the right words to use, so in the mean time he was presently waiting for someone to pick up the phone at Kagome's home. Janine returned with a tray and set five hot cups of coffee down on the table before heading downstairs to help Venkman gather the equipment. Since Michiru was stuck on the phone, Ray was helping Egon to design and construct a brand new containment unit from scratch made specifically for the sword Sounga. Meanwhile on the other side of the globe, Inuyasha was still at Kagome's house keeping everyone company. There wasn't much else to do, and he couldn't leave the Modern Era until he knew that his friend was alive and well. The phone started ringing and Kagome walked over to answer it since her mother was busy putting away all the clean dishes from the dishwasher. She would be in for one heck of a surprise when she heard Michiru's voice over the phone since it had been six hours since the boy had disappeared all because of the sword Sounga.

"Higurashi residence, Kagome speaking? MICHIRU?" Kagome shrieked, causing everyone in the room to turn and look at her. "Where are you? Are you alright? Oh you've had us worried and scared to death ever since you and that sword disappeared together."

"Yes I'm fine Kagome, I'm staying with some very friendly people who have kindly taken me in for the night." Michiru answered, exchanging glances with Egon and Ray as he continued talking. "I'm busy right now so I can't stay on the phone for very long, you understand right?"

"Yes I understand, do you have a plan of how to get back home?" Kagome asked, "Just how far away are you?"

After glancing at Ray and Egon momentarily, the Shikigami user answered back. "I'm in the United States of America, and I'm staying in New York city at the Ghostbusters' residence. Don't worry, every is okay for now so stop asking. I have to call my parents now Kagome, so I'll try calling you some other time. Okay? Okay, goodbye."

As Michiru began dialling his parents home number, using the instructions Janine had written down for him; Ray and Egon began to discuss a rather touchy and difficult problem that the Ghostbusters would be forced to tackle. Venkman finally returned with all three proton packs, one strapped to his back and the other two in each of his hands while Janine held all the traps in her arms and set them on the table where Egon and Ray would soon be working in order to disassemble the equipment so they could salvage the components for the new machine that would hopefully contain Sounga. The four adults were currently sitting down to eat breakfast while they talked about how they should go about constructing this new containment unit which was going to be a challenging task, for it was going to hold an evil spiritual entity which had a physical body in the form of a deadly sword; quite a different menace from the ones they were used to handling on a daily basis. After a long talk with his parents which had lasted an hour, Michiru could finally breath a sigh of relief. All things considered, they took it pretty well. Both of them now knew of his magic powers and of his adventure in the feudal era as well as unexpected trip to the U.S. The kururugi boy could rest a great deal easier now that that heavy burden was off of his shoulders, but unfortunately he was now stuck in a foreign country without a way to get home and his parents would have to fib to his school teachers and say that he's come down with a serious cold or some sort of legitimate reason to explain his absence for a few days.

The Shikigami user returned to the table to assist Egon and Ray on their latest experiment now that they had finished eating their meal for the morning and were ready to begin working on this project.

"Janine, you could have helped me a little more if you would have taken one of the proton packs." Venkman said, complaining about the laborious job of lifting and moving the awkward and heavy proton packs up a flight of stairs.

"Stop complaining, you're a man aren't you?" Janine countered, while sipping a cup of coffee. "As a Ghostbuster, that line of work is part of your job description. You should be thankful that I offered to carry the traps up here and save you a second trip down and up the stairs."

"Michiru, Egon and I have had a little talk about your predicament." Ray explained, "Unfortunately, you can't return the way you came without putting your life in danger again and risking the sword escaping and possessing another human host. Now you can't fly back to Japan on a commercial aircraft because you have no passport or documents which can help you get a flight other than your school ID and your citizenship card. And to make matters worse, you would have to explain how you ended up in this country without a record of conventionally entering its borders to the authorities. So until we can find out how to send you back to Japan without causing a scam or risking your life, you can live and work with us here. All the money you will make can be saved up for your travelling expenses, and if you do a great job busting ghosts than you might even get all the documented forms that you need from the city to get a flight from our country to yours. As another bonus, we can help you search for clues about your Shikigami magic when we aren't working. There's no guarantee that we'll be successful right away, but its better than turning yourself in and getting arrested for being an illegal alien. Is it a deal?"

"Time out, are you out of your mind Ray?" Venkman protested. "We have just recovered an illegal foreigner who entered our country without permission while possessing a dangerous demonic sword that can go on a killing spree, not to mention he also has supernatural powers of his own which he hasn't fully mastered yet. And as a result, he flew from Tokyo all the way to New York city, we could all go to jail and you are asking him if he wants to become a member of the Ghostbusters?"

"Yeah that pretty much sums everything up, but think of the possibilities that are available to us now." Ray answered. "This is the first time we have ever encountered a human being with supernatural powers, not to mention the sword Sounga which proves that paranormal events are taking place in the present day and in another country other than the United States. We could expand our sphere of operations around the globe and make even more money than what we're making just in New York city. Michiru here could use his magic if we ever get in a really tight spot during any paranormal investigations or eliminations that we undertake, We can't pass this up."

"Besides Peter, we are officially the only paranormal investigators operating on the face of the earth." Egon added. "Michiru did inform us that he saw one of our advertisements on TV, it was only natural that Michiru used his magic as a last resort to transport himself and the sword to our location so we could provide some assistance. He had no one else to turn to under those circumstances, and we are obligated to help any client in need of our services regardless of their age or nationality."

"Ray, this is a very risky situation we've gotten ourselves into." Janine spoke up, "Now I suggest that we keep this whole incident under wraps so we don't attract any unwanted attention that could send us all to prison. That means Michiru has to keep a low profile while he's working with us and he can't use any of his supernatural abilities unless its absolutely necessary. Preferably when no one else except us is around to see anything while you're all inside this building or outside catching ghosts."

"Yes we understand, good safety suggestion; thanks Janine." Venkman replied as everyone else, including Michiru nodded in agreement. "Okay, that makes it official Michiru. I reluctantly approve of Ray's decision to employ you as our newest member of the Ghostbusters, we'll have to give you an alias for your work suit ID patch so you don't give away your real identity. I think ROOKIE sounds appropriate for you, we can still call you by your real name when no one else is around if that puts you at ease."

"Thanks, that's perfectly fine; I understand the need for it." Michiru said as he shook hands with his new coworkers and employers a second time. "I would be glad to except your proposal and work for you, until I can find the means to return home without causing any injuries or incidents that might put all of us in jeopardy."

"Since you have to keep a low profile, we'll just pay you in cash directly as each job is completed so you don't have to go to a bank." Janine explained. "Your record of employment will have to be kept off the books and you'll receive proper training with all the equipment that you will be using to catch ghosts. I will be downstairs most of the time at the reception desk answering phone calls and text messages from local customers here in the city, and if your parents or friends call from Tokyo; you'll be the first to know about it."

This was definitely an unexpected surprise for Michiru, being flown half way around the world by a demonic sword belonging to Kagome's Grandpa, and then getting a job offer as a new employee from the Ghostbusters. The kururugi boy had spent so many battles in Japan's feudal era fighting monsters and demons with his Shikigami powers, who would have thought he would be fighting ghosts and demonic entities with modern technological weapons during the present day and in another country. Things had definitely gone out of control for the Shikigami user. Michiru had accepted Ray's proposal and joined the Ghostbusters, he had been given a brand new grey suit to wear, complete with the boots, pads; proton pack and trap. After Janine finished sowing his ROOKIE ID patch above the left breast pocket on Michiru's new work outfit, Michiru could finally get suited up and ready for training. Once he was fully dressed and ready to go back upstairs, the Kururugi boy walked over to thank Janine for doing a great job of hemming the new outfit so it would fit him perfectly. Unfortunately Janine was preoccupied on the phone so Michiru had to wait until she was done talking before he could properly thank her. As he waited patiently at her desk, his attention was drawn to the right where he could see a large bright green ghost playing "Can you guess the next flash card game?" by himself inside of a glass prison cell which didn't look strong enough to contain him.

"Ghostbustas. Is your haunting an apparition, poltergeist, phantasm, wraith, banshee, demon, spectre, tortured soul or…What, No, we do not summon dead family members then catch them so you can ask the combination to the safe...Yeah, well, same to you pal." Janine said as she hung up the phone. "The Ghostbustas are waiting for you upstairs, you better be on your way."

"Thanks for hemming my work clothes for me, they fit great now." Michiru said as Janine gave him a wink and pointed at the stairs.

Michiru went up the stairs to the lab where he saw Ray and Egon working together and so came over to offer his assistance to the two of them who were just beginning to disassemble the pieces of equipment and organize all the necessary component parts everywhere on the long rectangular work table. As they began to examine certain pieces of the equipment, Egon took out a large clean sheet of white drafting paper and started to carefully draw out a rough sketch of what the containment unit might look like; the drawing would naturally have to be altered or modified if it was necessary as the construction project went under way. Once they had finished brainstorming, the three of them began construction using a few innovations that would make the task more challenging and exciting. Michiru was using socket wrenches and other hand tools to take apart various components while Egon and Ray both worked on the examined the types of wiring from the traps and proton packs so that they would be able to safely remove it all before any cutting could take place with electric grinders and welding equipment.

By the time Michiru and Ray both disassembled all the numerous paranormal tools, Egon had finished his final draft of the design for the new containment unit and now the three of them could finally begin constructing it together; each of the various component parts and other necessary pieces were carefully and neatly organized on the table with a piece of tape attached to it so that it could be accurately labelled for identification and later to be used when it was needed. Although Michiru had never before done any kind of work like this in his life, he was willing to learn how since the Ghostbusters were generous enough to take him in and look after him until he could safely return home without incident; so this was his way of paying a debt at least in his own mind anyway. The three employees worked continuously without a stop, there was no telling when Sounga would awaken itself and try to escape by flying away again and no one wanted that to happen. Finally after four long hours of welding, bolting and rewiring; the new machine was finished construction and the three creators looked at their newly constructed invention with pride and satisfaction. Of course, they still had to test it to ensure that the device functioned properly without any problems or defects.

Although the machine was constructed quite differently with extra devices needed to perform additional functions, it was put together using the same basic functions of an ordinary containment unit even though its size was reduced significantly. Basically, it looked like an ordinary ghost trap which was twice as high and that had been stretched to a length of forty-five inches to allow Sounga to fit inside of it. Technically however, this rectangular case was built using all the electrical parts from three traps in addition to the extra metal pieces which made up the outer structure to seal all gaps and holes except for the opening in the top. Two doors with the same black and yellow paint job were attached and could open and close in order to keep the demonic sword sealed inside with no way of escaping. The three outstanding features were the two positron colliders, two heating ventilators and two nuclear accelerator units, all of which had been attached to the container. One of the two nuclear accelerators was attached to each end of the machine, this was done because of their bulky shapes and the need to have them exposed for easy access because of maintenance. The heating ventilators were built inside the center of the lower area underneath the resting place of Sounga so they were protected along with all the wiring of every component used in the new container.

The positron colliders along with all the other smaller component parts from the two proton packs were rearranged so they could be fitted inside the case without exposing any wiring or pieces that could become damaged; one unit between each heating ventilator at the center and the nuclear accelerators attached at each end. The challenging of modifying the positron colliders was the most difficult task the Ghostbusters had to face. The short thin barrel of each positron collider had been positioned at each end of the container and was modified so it could bend upward at a ninety degree angle which allowed the barrel to protrude through a small opening above the nuclear accelerators. This allowed the very end of the barrel from each device to turn, point and aim upwards and slightly inwards so that the proton stream fired from each barrel would catch and capture Sounga in a crossfire if the sword tried to resist being imprisoned before the trap's two doors could close in time. As another precaution, it was decided that the three workers would attempt to imprison Sounga inside the new container after each of them had a proton pack strapped to his back in case things got out of control.

"This piece of equipment is one of a kind, it will certainly stand out among all the tools that we use." Ray said, sipping a cup of coffee.

"Yes I think it's all the component parts put together in the form of a metallic case that makes it easy to recognize." Egon commented. "Now that we've built a container, we need to place Sounga inside and see if it will hold."

"Wait, don't lock me inside with Sounga." a voice cried out as a small orb of white light appeared on the sheath.

"That's the same orb of light which spoke to me before and while I was flying on Sounga, I had forgotten all about it." Michiru recalled as the tiny orb of light transformed into the floating spiritual entity of an old man no bigger than a facecloth with an aged face and a white beard. "I think that this orb of light is some sort of spirit used to keep Sounga sealed inside the sheath."

"Yes, you are correct young man." the spirit replied. "My name is Saya, I have suppressed the evil power of Sounga for nearly seven-hundred years. When you and your friends took us out into the open, Sounga tried to break free from my control since my power was nearly worn out. That's when you grabbed the sword to prevent it from escaping out into the open, and found yourself pulled into the sky by Sounga's immense power."

"What the blazes is going on over here Egon? Venkman asked, walking over after playing on the pinball machine at the other end of the room. "Holy smokes, what did you guys do to that sword?""They have done nothing, I have always been with this sword Sounga." Saya answered. "Do not be alarmed, I mean no harm to any of you. I only want to ask you to explain how you intend to seal Sounga inside this uh, this unusual contraption you have just finished building."

"I think it would be better to test it in order to see that it works the way we built it to work, that would be much easier than trying to explain it to you Saya." Michiru answered. "Besides, the sooner Sounga is locked up; the sooner all of us can rest our heads without having to worry about it flying away and causing harm to others.

"Alright then Michiru, if you'd please do the honours." said Ray, waiting for Michiru to pick up the sword and place it inside the container.

"I might be locked inside as well, so I must separate from the sheath before you place Sounga inside." Saya warned.

"Alright then Saya, pay attention." Michiru instructed. "When I count to three, you flee from that sheath so I can pick up the sword lay in inside the containment case. Ray, Egon. If Sounga tries to escape, you two know what to do."

"Ray, just what the heck are all of you trying to do here?" asked Venkman who could see the nervousness of everyone surrounding the table which the container and Sounga lay on top of.

"Here we go Saya, get ready." said Michiru, holding his hands just above the demonic sword still inside the sheath. "One…two…three."

Saya fled from the Sounga, thus allowing Sounga to be free from his control even though it was still inside of the sheath. The demonic sword started vibrating as Michiru picked it up and placed it inside the giant trap that had been constructed for the sole purpose of containing Sounga. Egon hit the switch and shut the doors, containing the evil aura as well as the sword itself. After a few moments of carefully examining the containment case, everyone was momentarily at ease now that Sounga was imprisoned. Michiru finally took the time to properly introduce Saya to Ray, Egon; Venkman and Janine so that everyone knew he was a friend and companion even though he was a ghost. Now that everything was under control, Michiru decided to go have a nap while everyone else continued with their own work. Although he had been awake for a very long while since he had gotten up early to go to school back in Japan, the two hour nap he had taken after his arrival had been discovered wasn't enough sleep which made him realize that he needed a much longer rest since he also wasn't used to the time change over here in New York. Seven hours later, the Kururugi boy awoke and felt much better so he could find out what his hosts were up to and how they were doing. After leaving the bedroom and arriving at the small laboratory space, Michiru found Egon doing some checkups and adjustments on a proton back currently strapped on Ray's back.

"Hey it's our new recruit, welcome aboard." Ray called, waving at the Shikigami user to come and join them. "Have a good nap?

"Pretty good, considering all that's happened in the passed twenty-fours." Michiru answered with a chuckle.

"This might be a little dangerous Ray." Egon warned, still working on the adjustments to the proton pack that Ray had strapped on his back. "But we can cope by starting at fifty percent capacity, that should keep any burning or tissue damage too a minimum."

"Hey if you're going to burn any tissue, do it to the new kid. We can't use Ray, our mortgage is in his name." Venkman cut in as Michiru looked at him with disbelief.

"I guess he's right, what's your name again kid?" Ray asked, giving Michiru an apologetic look as he removed the equipment from his back and helped the Kururugi boy strap it on his own.

"Michiru, but you can call me Mitch if that's easier for you to remember or pronounce." Michiru answered as he pulled the proton pack on his back like a heavy back pack made of metal. "Wow, this is really heavy; must take a lot of work hours to get used to the weight."

"You may feel a little tingle when you first learn to use your proton pack, ready to begin?" Egon asked Michiru, the boy nodded for Egon to continue. "Good, we've perfected an extensive and rigorous training regime that will teach you all your equipments' basic functions."

"It takes some time to achieve master throw skill, but its definitely worth the effort." Ray commented. Suddenly a blast of bright blue light raced passed the Ghostbusters as the shock wave was felt from either a paranormal explosion or a supernatural tremor.

"Was that us?" Egon asked after the tremor had stopped and everyone regained their balance.

"I don't think so, it had to be some sort of energy pulse, substantial." Ray replied. "A significant, collected and centralized necromantic convulsion; level seven or more."

"Agreed, we need EMF measurement checks now." said Egon, pulling out his PKE Meter to check for paranormal anomaly readings.

"I know the answer, but I'm going to ask anyway. Is a level seven uh whatever, bad or very bad?" Janine asked, as she came up the stairs to discover the cause of the sudden shaking.

"On a scale of one to ten…" Egon started.

"Let me guess, it's a seven." Venkman said, stating the obvious and trying to look smart.

"Let's just say we're about to get real busy." commented, just as the sound of shattering glass broke the silence in the building.

"And that is not the fun kind of getting busy is it Ray?" Venkman added.

"Look out, Slimer's escaped again." shouted Ray as he saw the broken prison at the bottom of the stairs.

"No, wait, come back." Venkman called out in a low and sarcastic voice, not wanting to come into contact with that slimy green ghost again. Michiru looked in confusion at Venkman as he started playing with one of the pinball machines, right now of all times.

"Let's move!" Ray called out as everyone except for Venkman raced downstairs to Janine's desk and down another flight of stairs into the basement where the green ghost was gazing curiously at the machinery in front of it.

"There it is, it seems oddly drawn to the containment grid." Egon said quietly to avoid alarming the ghost.

"He's been fascinated with it ever since you added the viewer to the unit. Okay, easy now Mitch. I'll talk you through this, use the proton stream to get his attention." Ray instructed. As Michiru fired his proton stream, he lost control of the pack; and the end of the stream struck the machinery unit which sent sparks flying everywhere and scared Slimer away. "No not the containment unit, that's some highly sensitive equipment your disintegrating there kid. Oops, you let one out!"

"That's my fault, I was fine tuning the interspatial casket this afternoon." Egon explained. "I'll fix it, you two get those ghosts back."

"Sorry I accidentally shot your machine Ray, I wasn't expecting such a powerful kickback from the weapon; let alone any vibration." Michiru said apologetically, following Ray as the older man lead the way to the subbasement entrance.

"He went into the subbasement and his escapee friend went with him, hmm." Ray stated as he and Michiru followed the two ghosts into the subbasement. "Come on Mitch, we've got a job for you; you're going to catch your first ghost tonight. Taking the right precautions, Slimer's harmless; more or less. I'm not sure about the other guy though. Okay, let's go get them. Oh and don't sweat the containment unit, its easy to get excited your first time out with a proton stream; Egon will fix it in no time."

After a short trip down some stairs, the two ghost busters arrived at the subbasement where the two ghosts were flying back and forth from one side of the room to the other. The darkness helped make them more visible because of their bright entities, so hopefully Michiru's first attempt at capturing a ghost would be a success. Ray came to a halt in front of Michiru so he could gave him a quick crash course on the controls and functions of the proton pack which was strapped to the kururugi boy's back.

"Now first and foremost, before things get out of hand." Ray instructed while pointing to each device on his own proton pack to give Michiru a better view of them without having to twist about to look at his own proton pack. "You want to get to know your proton pack, it can be your best friend out there in the field. Everything you need to know is displayed on the pack itself. This bar indicates your pack's heat level, you'll want to vent the pack to keep it from shorting out and resetting. For the most part, capturing a ghost is pretty straight forward; we break it into three basic steps. Zap them, cap them and trap them. Spectral entities derive all their strength from an accumulation of PK energy, blasting them with your proton stream or other offensive equipment helps to dissipate that energy. Dissipating their PK energy also makes them easier to capture. Okay now, when ever you're ready; go and blast that ghost."

Once he was given the okay from Ray, Michiru walked forward and blasted Slimer with a proton stream. "Wow, this proton stream really lights up a dark environment doesn't It?" Michiru commented.

"Do it again, see that overlay on the ghost? It indicates the current accumulation of a ghost's PKE. The more you disperse, the weaker it becomes." Ray continued, as the two coworkers attempted to blast the smiley green entity still levitating around the room. "Always listen for that loud beeping noise when you're throwing your proton stream, that noise acts as a warning to let you know that you have to vent the pack to keep it from overheating."

Despite all the combined hits from Ray and Michiru, Slimer moved too fast for either one of them to capture and the green ghost managed to escape through the wall just as Michiru's proton stream struck another blow. "Oh no, we lost Slimer." said the kururugi boy after sighing with disappointment.

"There it is!" Ray shouted. "Ugh! And I thought Slimer was disgusting; that fat old tub looks like he could use some exercise."

Michiru turned around and looked in disbelief at what he thought was Slimer floating thirty feet away at the opposite side of the subbasement, it was actually the other ghost which had escaped from the containment unit which the Shikigami user had accidentally damaged earlier with his proton stream. This Sloth ghost was coloured white like any ghost of someone's ordinary imagination, and luckily was much larger and therefore slower. Compared to Slimer, the Sloth ghost looked like a much easier target to tackle from the Michiru's point of view. After rushing forward to get a closer look and line up for an attack, the teenager fired his proton stream and struck his target dead in the center. The seconds of accurate firing caused the Sloth ghost to vomit a giant ball of green slimy residue at both its opponents, leaving them not only disgusted but partly soaking wet in the stuff. As the two Ghostbusters continued to blast the ghost with their proton streams, the kururugi boy noticed that the spiritual entity was already weakened because it constantly levitated behind several piles of stacked wooden boxes and crates to shield itself from harm. The Shikigami user blasted all obstacles in his path to ensure that the elusive target would have nowhere in the subbasement to hide which would hopefully turn the tables and prevent a second ghost from escaping out into the city as Slimer had done just moments ago.

"Alright Michiru, you've got him good and winded. Next step, cap him! You can project the capture stream or wrangler manually using this control!" Ray yelled, pointing to a switch by the firing trigger on the proton projector in his hand. "On the other hand, the pack will detect when a ghost is sufficiently weakened; and auto select the capture stream setting. Get in there and throw a capture stream on that tub of goo!"

"Gotcha!" Michiru replied, pressing the switch as he fired his weapon again and striking the restless soul square in the chest. The Shikigami user was gradually adjusting to the vibrating proton pack caused by the discharging firepower aimed at the Sloth ghost which by now had become vulnerable and found itself trapped in the capture stream entangled around it.

"Fantastic! you got it!" Ray shouted in amazement before continuing. "As soon as your ghost is in your capture stream, the slam meter begins to slowly charge. If you want to accelerate the slam meter charge, you can wrangle or counter wangle the ghost at the end of the line. Here's how you do that, watch the ghost. When the ghost makes a dash in one direction, you pull the stream quickly in the other. Don't be afraid of your positron collider Mitch! Its built specifically for capturing ghosts and combating animated monsters so just do your best and give it a shot!"

The tables had turned in Michiru's favour and the kururugi boy now learned how to efficiently use the basic functions of his proton pack to catch a ghost by himself. Ray's simple instructions combined with his words of praise gave the Shikigami user a huge boost of confidence which in turn allowed him to overcome his new enemy with overwhelming determination. After fighting with the ghost the same way a fisherman would by pulling back and forth in the opposite direction of the entangled captive, the teenager lifted the Sloth ghost high above in the air and pulled him down; slamming him hard against the brick floor. Before the ghost could recover from the shock of the impact, the spiritual entity was being pulled to the left and right again to wear him out before prepare to slam it a second time.

"Good work Mitch!" Ray commented again with delight. "A couple of good slams will take the fight out of just about any entity, slam it! Blamo! You play rough kid, I love it. Now we can move to stage three; trap him. Throw out your trap somewhere that you can easily see it and pull the ghost into proximity!"

Michiru deactivated his capture stream and tossed his trap out in a clear space on the floor about six feet in front of him, while Ray moved forward to keep an eye on the dazed and immobile entity in case it wasn't completely worn out. After repositioning himself closer to the trap and the target, the teenager aimed his projector and fired a capture stream at the Sloth ghost which had regained consciousness just before entangling itself in an attempt to escape from the two Ghostbusters. Both Michiru and Ray each had a capture stream around the spiritual escapee and were walking backwards in an effort to pull the slimy ghost towards the trap on the floor.

"There you go, perfect!" Ray shouted. "See the beckon signal coming from the closed trap? That helps you find it when things get crazy, when a trappable ghost moves in to proximity; the trap will open automatically and project the trap cone. Just guide the ghost into the trap cone and the trap will do the rest."

"This is my first attempt at catching a ghost Ray so let me take my time." Michiru replied as the trap opened up and projected a giant cone shaped beam of ultraviolet pink light. The Sloth ghost directly above was struck by glimmering pink bolts of lightning as a powerful vacuum like force slowly pulled the helpless entity down into the void. After a blinding flash of blue light from what looked like a giant camera flash or a welder's torch, the doors closed shut and the projecting light from the trap vanished once the ghost had been recaptured. Michiru looked in awe at the device on the floor, remembering how beautiful and spectacular the projected trap cone looked with the ultraviolet pink light and the brief flash of bright blue light just before the trap closed. He had never seen any kind of equipment in the modern era that could create such an electronic light show such as this, working for the Ghostbusters certainly did have its unexpected moments of entertainment. This was only the first job in the first hour of his employment and needless to say, the excited Shikigami user was certain that there would be many more to encounter later on. His moment of pause for thought was over once the silence was broken by his instructor's voice.

"And there, ooh yes! One escapee accounted for." Ray said in triumph. "Oh, and always remember to retrieve your trap."

"Did you get them?" Egon asked, whose voice was heard from the hand radio on Ray's belt.

"We're batting five-hundred, Slimer slipped out." Ray answered, as Michiru recovered his trap from the floor. "Michiru bagged his first ghost though, a very disgusting entity. Oh, and you've got to be careful about crossing the streams. In a word, don't do it."

"Basically, it could kill you instantaneously in a flash." Egon said. "Imagine all life as you know it stopping instantaneously and every molecule in your body exploding at the speed of light; total protonic reversal is the short term we use for that outcome."

"Sounds destructive and dangerous, it's a good thing you guys are the only ones who operate using these tools." Michiru replied in shock. "It must have taken a lot of time, research and money to build and test equipment like this."

"Yes it took a lot of all that, except for the testing bit." Ray added, "Lets head back upstairs and help Egon fix the containment so we can load and lock your first captured ghost inside the storage facility."

Once Ray and Michiru were back in the basement, they helped Egon for nearly an hour to repair the containment unit until it was back to full operational status. After showing their new young employee how to safely transfer the captured Sloth ghost from the trap into the prison, the two paranormal scientists congratulated Michiru for successfully capturing his first ghost before going up to the top floor where they could change into clean and dry work uniforms. Once their dirty clothes soaked in slime were thrown in the washing machine, they put on some clean work outfits and were able to take things easy. But the time to relax was unfortunately cut short as Egon remembered that Slimer was still on the lose and had to be recaptured. Ray decided that a few more minutes of fun wouldn't hurt and so he decided to playback all the phone messages that had been sent during the day which they failed to answer because of their busy work as well as the fact that all of the messages were left by people who weren't really in need of any immediate services.

"You have seven new messages." the answering machine voice said followed by a beep.

"Emergency! Please call me back now! Outside my window, I see multiple ghosts in my garbage! They look like Hobos!" Beep!

"Well he sounded scared." Janine stated.

"You have six new messages." Beep!

"Ghostbusters, this is Manny Rapidowitz so you guys sell ghosts right? So how much for a dozen, can you give them to me wholesale? Call me, lets talk business." Beep.

"I think he's got the wrong idea, you guys don't sell ghosts, you only catch them right?" Michiru asked humorously, making the others chuckle.

"You have five new messages." Beep.

"H-Hi Janine, this is Mark. We met the other night at "I have a crush on my boss, but I'm afraid to tell him seminar? Ha. Ha. I was wondering if you would be interested in a job as my personal assistant? Call me." Beep!

"Well Janine, I didn't know you had a crush on me; I'm really touched." Venkman said sarcastically, making everyone suppress their laughter as Janine glared back at him for his remark. "So you want to out to dinner after we recapture Slimer?"

"Oh you would just love that wouldn't you Dr. Venkman?" Janine replied back with her own sarcastic tone of voice, promptly shutting him up as the man could no longer take being glared at by Janine while Michiru and the others laughed lightly at his expense. "My answer is no and since you haven't clued in yet, the phone message clearly indicated that I'm the one who's got an admirer; not you."

"You have four new messages." Beep!

"Hi, this is Ed. I hear you're looking to hire? I'm real good at catching things, just the other day I climbed up a tree and rescued my neighbour's cat. Anyway, give me a call; you won't…you won't regret it." Beep!

"Catching ghosts is way different from catching pets and animals." Michiru commented.

"You have three new messages." Beep!

"Ghostbusters, I think there's something fishy going on with the construction workers working on the building next door. They're, they're floating around and shooting rivet guns and cackle constantly. Is that supernatural or some union thing?" Beep!

"Well that certainly sounds like paranormal activity." Egon said.

"You have two new messages." Beep!

"Peter? Peter pick up! I know you're there! This is Missy from the airport last week? And the Laundromat! And the roof of the Bake! Call me back! Peter! Are you there?" Beep!

"Well Dr. Venkman, looks like I'm not the only one who's got a phone message from an admirer; or should I say from a very ticked off lady instead?" Janine asked with a grin as everyone turned to look at Peter for an explanation.

"I'm not saying anything, case closed." Venkman declared, not wanting to discuss the matter.

"You have one new message." Beep!

"Hello? Is this Ghostbusters? Is your containment unit running? Well you better catch it! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Hurry!" Beep!

"Ha. Ha. Ha. We are all very amused." Janine said sarcastically.

"That last one was a little funny, even though it was a poor joke." Michiru commented as a short laugh escaped from his mouth.

"Alright, we've got to get ready to depart if we're to recapture Slimer before he causes too much chaos; the last thing we want is for someone to accuse us of setting him free on purpose even though he actually escaped." Egon stated, getting everyone back in business so they could prepare for the task at hand.

Ray, Egon and Venkman reluctantly went downstairs to load up the car and track down the green slimy ghoul, even though it was now 10:20p.m. in New York city. Janine followed them so she could return to her desk and answer any emergency phone calls that might arise, leaving Michiru and Saya upstairs by themselves to keep an eye on Sounga's containment unit until it was time to leave. The Kururugi boy was thinking of how long it would be until he could find a way to return home to Japan and finally; to the Feudal era so he could see Inuyasha and the others again. Michiru secretly wanted to see Sango more than anyone else, and he especially wanted to know if she felt the same feelings for him as he did for her; even tough he could be met with rejection which was something he was truly afraid of. It was true that he had only known her for four and a half months, and there was no denying the fact that he had fallen in love with her over the course of his travels with her; she was very beautiful and her beauty was hard to ignore or overlook so it wasn't a surprise that she had also caught the eye of Miroku. The young Shikigami user sighed, for all of Miroku's inappropriate actions and mannerisms; the monk still had several advantages which Michiru couldn't ignore or overlook. First of all, Miroku had spent a longer amount of time with the Demon Slayer and secondly; he also lived in the Feudal era so that he could see her everyday unlike Michiru who's origins resided in Modern day Japan. Thirdly and finally, Miroku still held a place in Sango's heart even though the lecherous monk constantly flirted with any and every pretty girl he laid eyes on when ever the company of friends travelled from one village to another; which Michiru had seen with his own eyes especially during the events that took place in Oboro's Mansion as well as in Minamo village.

"I'm so relieved I don't have to keep Sounga sealed again, seven-hundred years really took its toll on my strength and power." Saya stated. "By the way Michiru, I've been thinking about how you could have protected yourself from Sounga's deadly control."

"Really?" Michiru asked with curiosity after putting aside his thoughts of Sango when Saya spoke. "Do you know how I survived?"

"Well I can't say for certain, but there are a few reasons which may have been the cause of your survival." Saya answered, trying to make the kururugi boy understand that this was just theory and not certainty. "When you took hold of Sounga by the handle while it was trying to loosen itself, you still had enough strength and willpower to resist Sounga's overwhelming evil. You accomplished something that is impossible for any human being to do regardless of whether or not they possess magic powers, my only conclusion is that Sounga was still partly sealed by my power because it was still inside of the sheath which possesses some magic of its own even if I am not near it. As a result, Sounga could not use his full demonic power to enslave your mind and body; thereby allowing you the will to resist and the ability to use your own magic even while you were under tremendous agony. An ordinary human mortal would never have the ability to resist Sounga's evil control, only a great demon with immense strength and incredible willpower could resist and subdue the evil power of that sword. Inuyasha's father was such a demon who had the power to subdue Sounga's evil so that he could wield the sword as easily as a mortal human wields an ordinary sword. To him, the sword is nothing more that a tool to be used as a weapon. But to Sounga, a mortal human is a tool which is used as a slave. The slave may wield the sword, but it is the sword who rules as the slave's master. If Sounga should possess a human, it could kill every living soul on the entire earth until no one remains and that is why Sounga is so dangerous."

"I see, but that still doesn't explain how I summoned the power to travel half way around the world in less than a minute or two." Michiru replied in confusion. "Or why I recovered just as fast after being exhausted and injured by Sounga. As far as I can remember, all I thought about while summoning my magic was to break free of Sounga's control and wishing I had a way to travel to the Ghostbusters so they could hopefully stop Sounga from causing anymore harm before I fell under its control. I can't explain the reason why I had the power at that moment, but I do know that I don't have the knowledge of any spells used for travelling through time or travelling at great speeds over vast distances. If I did have all those powers, then I would know far more about my Shikigami magic than I do right now and I would also use it to travel back in time to the feudal era where I could see all the friends I was forced to leave behind."

"Hmm. Then perhaps you unintentionally harnessed Sounga's power to use for your spell since your own power wasn't strong enough." Saya answered. "Its possible that you did it accidentally out of desperation, which is understandable given the terrifying predicament you were in while flying on Sounga high above the ocean. It seems to me that as long as you had a basic idea of what you wanted to accomplish, even if you only knew subconsciously; you knew the necessary spell to cast and all you were missing was the power needed to perform the spell. Because Sounga was still connected with you and its evil ability to overpower you was severely limited because of the sheath, it is safe to assume that your subconscious mind turned the tide against Sounga the moment you invoked your Shikigami powers to help save your life by any means necessary. The result was successfully casting that spell which brought us here, and that must have also drained Sounga's power even more which would explain why it has been so quiet and inactive since your battle of endurance. In addition, the speed you were flying at could have accelerated your body's healing process since your arm had scabs from all of the puncture wounds you got when Sounga tried to take control of you."

"Well, I won't know for sure until I can learn more spells for find a way to travel back in time to the feudal era so I can investigate." Michiru responded. "And in the mean time, I have to catch ghosts before I can even find a way to return home to my own country. So it looks as though the two of us will be here for a while, along with Sounga. I'd better head downstairs and get ready to leave with the others, you should stay up here and watch over the containment unit. If Sounga starts acting up and tried to escape from inside, float downstairs and warn Janine so she can call us while we're out tracking down Slimer. Goodbye Saya, we'll see you when we get back."

"Goodbye Michiru, good luck." said Saya, weaving goodbye while sitting comfortably on the table beside Sounga's container. "And while you're capturing ghosts, try not to be so reckless like you were when you grabbed a hold of Sounga while flying high above the ocean."

Michiru decided to remove the wet work suites which were now clean from the washer and toss them into the dyer before shutting the door. Once the time was set and the button was pushed, the machine began to do its work. At least these uniforms would be dry when they all returned just in case the clean ones they were currently wearing became soaked in slime from battling Slimer. After Michiru had strapped on his proton pack, he carefully walked down the stairs to the main floor. Janine sat at a desk in the middle of the open area at the back of the room, three filing cabinets were located directly behind her which stood between two wooden railings that ran from either side of the cabinets and stretched outwards towards the walls and the back of the room. The railings were about waist high and blocked off most of the small office space, except for two openings; one on either side to allow entry for workers and clients. Two chairs sat in front of the empty desk for clients, another one was located for Venkman to sit in while a fourth sat in the corner of his tiny office. The beautifully crafted wooden wall behind the desk was covered by work orders and newspaper cuttings which were pinned all over the surface, Venkman must have been to lazy to buy a bulletin board for his office.

Unlike Venkman's empty desk, Janine's desk had a computer, phone, and writing materials. In fact, Janine had a another desk to her left which was turned to face the wall so she could easily access it just by swinging her chair, and this desk was covered with printing paper, fax sheets and other paperwork that was separated and organized in a small loose leave box with several spaces in it. To Janine's right and left were two glass ghost containment units, the left one against the wall(which Slimer had broken out of) and the right one against the staircase which led to the top floor above. At the other end of the main floor sat the Ghostbusters car, where everyone else was currently working at. To the left against the wall were metal shelves which held various parts and pieces of different types of tools and equipment, along with comfy chairs with thick cushions that must have been used for just resting after a hard day of work. To the right was another desk that was covered in paperwork as well as four large change lockers for each employee who worked for the Ghostbusters. The kururugi boy joined the other men by the car and began reading the names on the doors, the Shikigami user was surprised to find that one of the names belonged to a person who he had never heard of or even meet before.

"Ray, whose change room is that one there? Michiru asked. "There's a name on the door I don't recognize, do you have another worker in your employment?"

"Oh yeah, that's Winston Zeddemore's change locker." Ray answered. "He's a Ghostbuster as well, but he booked today off so he could go see an opera concert. You should probably take off your proton pack and load it in the car, or else you'll never be able to sit inside."

"Yeah that's obvious, and we don't want any of our valuable equipment to get damaged before we go hunting Slimer." Venkman added.

"Relax Venkman, Michiru's proton pack is fully functional and brand new." Ray replied. "That's why Egon had to adjust the pack's power output to fifty percent capacity to keep any burning or tissue damage to a minimum just to be on the safe side."

"Hey, how come Michiru gets all the new stuff?" Venkman asked after glancing left and right at Ray and Egon with an envious tone.

"He's our new Experimental Equipment Technician." Egon answered. "Michiru is the youngest of us and has the most stamina, so he's the best candidate for the position. And if anything unexpected should occur, he can use his Shikigami magic to regain the initiative."

"He gets a cool title too?" Venkman said, obviously envious of Michiru's quick promotion.

"It means he gets to carry around a bunch of untested, extremely dangerous hardware that if not handled correctly; could blow him somewhere into New Jersey." Ray explained. "He also gets extra pay for carrying and using the stuff in the field while catching ghosts."

"Oh, this new recruit lugs around our very dangerous prototype hardware that could potentially blow us to Kingdom Com? Great, just great." replied Venkman, walking back upstairs to go use the washroom before everyone had to leave in the next few minutes.

"Huh Ray, I get the feeling that Venkman doesn't like me very much." Michiru said, sounding a little uneasy.

"Don't mind him, he's always cranky when he gets jealous." Ray answered, trying to assure the kururugi boy that everything was fine.

"He's not jealous that you've appointed me as your equipment technician after being employed for only a day is he?" Michiru asked.

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! That's a good one! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!" Ray responded as he broke out laughing. Egon let out a quick laugh as well before calming himself.

"He's just jealous because of how many adventurous experiences you've had, not to mention your magic." Egon answered. "Its perfectly logical that any normal person would be envious of someone else who possessed something they did not or could not have."

"Egon's right Michiru, just take a minute and look at yourself from Venkman's point of view." Ray explained. "You are an extraordinary teenager who got to travel back in time where you soon discovered your Shikigami powers which had been dormant inside you. After having an amazing adventure in feudal Japan where you learned how to use your magic, you returned home without losing any time in the modern era. Then four and a half months later, you came across that demonic sword Sounga and flew half way around the world to us where you became a member of the Ghostbusters. Everyone your age and even Venkman's age would love to be in your shoes and experience everything that you had, there's nothing more mind rattling than hearing or reading about a person whose life has been filled with so many memorable events and wishing that you could have what they had when you already know in your mind that its not going to happen."

"I think I can understand what you're getting at, everyone I know at high school would also be jealous and a little depressed if they found out about everything I've experienced in the passed four and a half months." Michiru replied, feeling a little sorry for Venkman. "At least working for the Ghostbusters has its moments of adventure and fun, I imagine that's why all of you do this kind of work."

"Oh yes, and the pay is enormous because we're the only paranormal investigators and eliminators in the country and the entire world as far as we know." Ray said as Venkman returned to the car.

"Okay, everyone get in the car so we can hunt Slimer." Venkman ordered before glancing at Michiru. "This'll be your first big city job."

"Where to Ray?" Egon asked as he opened the front passenger door on the right hand side of the car.

"The Sedgewick Hotel, it's the first place that little spud will go." Ray answered.

"Right, back to its initial manifestation point." Egon added, before getting inside the car.

"They've got a real good buffet." Ray commented as he sat in the back seat facing the opposite direction so he could keep an eye on all the equipment stored in the back of the vehicle. "Maybe we should grab a late night snack while we're there, it could hurt."

"It is a great one, with great food; pity that you have to be filthy rich to afford it everyday." said Venkman as he weaved goodbye to Janine before opening the door to the driver's side of the car. "When Winston returns from the opera, extend an invitation to join us at our table at the Sedgewick. Get in the car Mitch, we're going to perform paranormal investigations out in public. Training will be on the job tonight, try not to cause too much destruction inside of the Sedgewick Hotel or else the manager will nag and complain at us none stop."

Michiru sat in the front passenger seat on the right while Egon sat between him and Venkman who was going to drive. After starting the engine and hitting the gas peddle, the Ghostbusters raced out of the building and turned sharply to the left in the direction of the Sedgewick Hotel. For the kururugi boy, this would be his first time working as a Ghostbuster outside in the big apple of New York city. Now the Shikigami user had to be extra careful and avoid using his magic at all costs in a big public building with so many people. This would be a test of caution and courage for Michiru, especially since he was fighting without the help of Inuyasha and his friends.

Author's Note: I had hoped to finish writing this first chapter and upload it before Christmas, but some of my relatives arrived much earlier than I expected so all my writing had to be put on hold. I'm sorry but, the idea of Michiru joining the Ghostbusters was too good to pass up, especially after I started playing the Xbox 360 game. Just so everyone is aware, Michiru Kururugi is going to be working with the Ghostbusters in the United States for a few days before he flies back to Japan in order to return to the feudal era. Because of this, I plan to include some moments in each chapter where Kagome and Inuyasha get to talk with Michiru on the phone and travel through the bone eater's well to visit Sango, Shippo and Miroku in the feudal era while the Shikigami master is presently in the U.S. working with the Ghostbusters. I am a beginner when it comes to writing and fantasizing so please try to go easy on me when you review each chapter.


	2. On the job Training

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, Ghostbusters, or anything associated with either of them. This story is being written just for fun and enjoyment.

Chapter #2: On the job Training

At Kagome's house, everyone was still shocked about Michiru's sudden phone call when they had found out that he was transported to New York City in the United States. Although he said he was alright and that he had found a place to stay, they couldn't believe the fact that he was with the Ghostbusters. Mrs. Higurashi had been dreading that she would have to inform Michiru's parents of their son's current whereabouts and then explain how he was flown half way around the world in less than an hour by a magic sword. Fortunately for Mrs. Higurashi, Kagome had said that Michiru would call his parents himself after he finished his brief talk with Kagome when he had first contacted her house which would save her the trouble. It was now 12:40p.m. on November 21st and everyone was sitting at the kitchen table eating lunch. The reincarnated priestess had come down for a breather after she had properly organized all the homework assignments that Sota had left cluttered all Kagome's room and she wasn't in the best of moods, her long absence had created a mountain of homework to do and she would be darn lucky if she could finish it all in time so she wouldn't fall behind a grade in school so needless to say; she wasn't very happy about it. Kagome tried calling the Ghostbusters in order to talk with Michiru just a moment ago, but regrettably; the Shikigami user had just departed about five minutes or so when she phoned and all she could do was leave a message with Janine and wait for her friend to call back once he had returned after doing a late night job at some hotel.

"Kagome, I think it best that you stay home everyday so you can do as much of your homework as possible during most of the day so it will be easier for you to work; Sota can bring home all your new assignments from school and then you can complete those ones in the late afternoon and that way you can at hand them in on time to avoid losing marks because of being late." Mrs. Higurashi suggested.

"Why did that stupid sword have to come to life and transport Michiru half way around the world anyway? Kagome complained. "He's been waiting four and a half months to see Inuyasha and I, but now we're the ones stuck here waiting for him to return home and we've only had less than an hour of time together."

"Now don't fuss over what can't be changed Kagome, at least he can still talk to you and Inuyasha over the phone when he has free time." Kagome's Mom said, trying to comfort her daughter. "Imagine how difficult it must be for him to be in another country far away from his own home, and think how worried his parents must be right now. They have to wait as well, never knowing when or even if their son will come home safely. I myself sometimes worry a great deal about you while you're in the feudal era for a long time, just as anyone would worry for someone they care about. You should be happy that he's made some friends and has found a place to stay over there while he's trying to find a way to return home. Its been almost a full day since his journey across the world, so just be patient and try not to worry."

"Thanks Mom." Kagome said as the two of them hugged one another while Inuyasha sat in a chair looking at a world map that Sota had laid over one half of the table for the half demon to look at. "Inuyasha, you might as well stop trying to follow Michiru and meet him in the United States. He's in another country that forbids people from entering without permission; things are a lot more complicated in our era than in your era so just give it up already."

"I'm aware of that Kagome, but that doesn't change the fact that Michiru was flown over there by that sword." Inuyasha countered, trying to control his temper as he studied the map intently after Kagome's Mom had pointed out where Tokyo and New York City were both located. "If he can survive in another country, than I should have no problem either. And I for one, am not comfortable just sitting here waiting for a friend who might never return all because of that sword which carried him away."

"None of us like waiting anymore than you do Inuyasha, but we can't do anything else." Mrs. Higurashi said, trying to put Inuyasha's mind at ease as she continued. "Even though you could dress yourself in modern day clothes, you just can't leave our country and go to another without getting caught. If you did that, it would only make things worse for yourself and for Michiru. I may not know him as well as you and Kagome do, but I know he would say the same thing. If waiting bothers you so much, perhaps you should spend a day in the feudal era for a break; maybe that would help you to pass the time while you wait for Michiru to call us."

"No, I'll tough it out and stay here if it's alright with you and Kagome." Inuyasha replied in a calmer voice. "I won't return to the feudal era until after I've had the chance to have a long talk with Michiru when he calls back on that phone of yours. Once I know how he's doing and how things are in that far away country, then I'll take a break and go relax in Kaede's village for a bit."

"Good, I'll get you a pillow and a blanket so you can sleep on the couch in the living room if you decide to stay the night." Kagome said, feeling better now that Inuyasha had calmed down. "I asked Janine, who works for the Ghostbusters to tell Michiru that I called so we shouldn't have to wait that long for him to call us back once he returns from a job."

Even as Kagome tried to cheer up Inuyasha, her words didn't exactly have the desired effect; for the half demon didn't change his mood or facial expression. For once, Inuyasha was forced to abandon a choice he would have gladly made; but he now knew that it was both dangerous and impossible to even attempt travelling over to the far away country just to try and find his Kururugi friend. The map laid out on the kitchen table was proof enough that the world was much larger place than he had dared to imagine even after all the travels he had done in his life time throughout Feudal Japan, but one look at it showed that the half demon had only travelled within a tiny spec of what was known as the city of Tokyo to all those who lived in the modern world. As much as he would have liked to go help his friend, he was now forced to give up and admit defeat; he would reluctantly have to wait it out along with Kagome's family until Michiru could somehow find a way to return home on his own. Inuyasha had great faith in his human friend so he knew that Michiru would soon return, but the circumstances of the Kururugi boy's new predicament were different than those he had found himself in during his arrival to the Feudal era for the first time; so that meant it wouldn't be easy to return home alive. Inuyasha now remembered Michiru saying that he had spent a duration of four and a half months in the Feudal era so how long would it be until he could find a way to return home?

But while that was the number one question on everyone else's mind as well, there was another matter of even greater importance which was also occupying Inuyasha's troubled mind, one he strongly hoped that no one else was presently aware of until the problem of returning Michiru safely back home had been solved first; otherwise some serious consequences might befall the group of friends who were now faced with the task of recovering themselves after all the terrible experiences they had to endure over the months and years because of Naraku. The matter which weighed heavily on the half demon's mind was both delicate and serious; one which had to be dealt with eventually. But Inuyasha knew he wasn't the one who would have to deal with it, someone else would be the one forced to make a dramatic decision which could lead to unpleasant events; that someone was Sango and the decision would be choosing who she wished to pursue a romantic relationship with. This had all been caused by Michiru Kururugi because he had fallen in love with Sango, he had told her face to face and word for word that he loved her a mere moment before he was translated into the mysterious light which had magically returned him to his own home back in his own world; this was the action that now created the love triangle between two young men whose hearts both yearned for the same beautiful woman they had each become so attracted too.

There was no doubt in Inuyasha's mind that his Shikigami friend must have been suffering on the inside due to being separated from Sango and his other friends for four and a half months; and Michiru's suffering would unfortunately get worse because of his inability to return to the Feudal era and also because of this new predicament of being trapped inside of a foreign domain far away from his own home and family. All these factors would have an enormous effect on Sango's decision, it had only been a few days since Michiru departed from the Feudal era and Sango was probably suffering on the inside just as Michiru was; though it was a different kind of suffering altogether which she undoubtedly kept hidden to herself so that no one would question her if they suspected that she was in some sort of pain. Regrettably, Inuyasha knew that he would have to question Sango sooner or later because otherwise she wouldn't be mentally prepared if others already knew about the Kururugi boy's feelings towards her; something Inuyasha especially knew Kagome would be unwilling to ignore due to her interest in matching Sango and Miroku up together as a couple which could lead to violent verbal arguments that would include her sit commands if she ever became cross with any of Inuyasha's remarks that she found offensive.

Inuyasha sighed quietly, taking a deep breath as he thought to himself; for now his only option was to wait for Michiru's return and carefully observe the actions of his companions so that he could at least confirm that he had been the only person to hear the Kururugi boy's last words before his unwanted departure. That would postpone the troubling matter that lay ahead in the future and give Sango time to figure out her own feelings while Michiru could search for a means to find his way back home again and finally to the Feudal era as well where he could be reunited with her; that sounded like the best course of action to take which would avoid any unpleasant confrontations until Sango was finally ready to choose between Michiru and Miroku and save everyone as well as herself the emotional pain of making such a difficult decision that would affect the three of them for the rest of their lives.

In New York City, it was 10:50 in the evening on November 20th and the Ghostbusters's car known as Ecto-1 sped down road heading for the Sedgewick Hotel; Venkman's driving caused the passengers to move side to side as the vehicle made sudden turns to change direction at nearly every intersection. Regardless of being shaken about, the Kururugi boy's mind was deep in thought and almost unaware of the velocity that Ecto-1 was moving at. He couldn't get Sounga out of his mind, and the fact that he had survived being possessed by its evil power. As Michiru began to ponder the possible theories that Saya had come up with to help explain the miraculous survival from his encounter with Sounga as well as travelling at light speed half way around the world, his mind began to explode with other questions. Although he had theoretical answers to explain those two events, he still didn't have any information about how Naraku or Utsugi had summoned him back to the feudal era. In addition to this, he felt even more far away from Sango and the others than he did when he first returned home to modern Japan just over two weeks ago. He had told Sango just before he left that he did love her, but when would he ever see her again? And even if he could find a way to return to the feudal era, would she feel the same way about him? The troubled young teenager's thoughts were interrupted by Janine's voice coming in on the radio located on the dashboard in front of the forward passengers located at the front of Ecto-1's interior.

"Michiru? Janine asked. "Are you there?"

"Huh, um. Yeah Janine, go ahead." Michiru responded, grabbing the radio com and holding it in front of his mouth as he talked.

"A girl called for you a few minutes ago and said her name was Kagome Higurashi, I told her that you were out doing a job with the Ghostbustas." Janine answered. "She asked me to inform you that she called so you would call her back as soon as you can once you return from work, I just thought I should let you know."

"Okay Janine, thanks very much." Michiru said. "See you when we get back, over and out."

"Who's that girl Kagome that Janine was talking about?" Ray asked. "Is she one of your friends from feudal Japan?"

"Yeah…sort of, she's one of the two girls I met in the feudal era." Michiru answered. "But she was originally born in modern Japan and also lives in Tokyo just like I do. I'm so envious of her, even though I've never told her. Kagome can travel back and forth from modern day Japan to feudal Japan in the blink of an eye when ever she pleases using an ancient well built on her family's shrine that connects both time periods with one another. She inherited just one of many powerful abilities that she can use from a priestess named Kikyo who comes from the feudal era, since she is the reincarnation of Kikyo; she naturally possess almost or all of the same magical powers."

"Can't you use your own magic on the well at her shrine so you could travel to the feudal era as she does?" Egon asked.

"I've tried jumping down the well once already, only I was in the feudal era trying to return to the present day." Michiru answered regrettably. "It didn't work for me, and it probably wouldn't work even with my own magic because I don't know any spells I could to try to use for travelling through time. Besides, Kagome's magic powers are far different than my Shikigami powers not to mention the fact that I was summoned back in time to Japan's feudal era by an ancestor of mine named Utsugi who needed to combine his own powers with those of an evil demon named Naraku in order to summon me back successfully. My friends and I defeated managed to defeat Naraku in battle, but Utsugi died shortly afterwards. I was teleported back home to modern day Japan at the exact moment I had left before hand, shortly after my friends and I buried Utsugi at the Kururugi Cemetery. I never did discover how the two of them managed to summon me back to the feudal era, that's one unanswered question which will bother me for the rest of my life."

"Well, you did travel half way around the world at the speed of light even though you had no idea you were remotely capable of using your magic for that." Ray commented. "Even though you don't know the full potential of your magical powers yet, you have to remember that you being here in this country is proof enough that you're still discovering new abilities. So always remember the positive experiences of your life no matter how small or how few in number they are compared to the bad ones, because you never know when you'll be hit with a golden opportunity that will change the course of your life forever. Once that happens and you change everything for the better, you'll look back and say how glad you were when you took that chance. That's what life is all about, whether you have magic or not. You're still so young Michiru, so try not to let the advantages or abilities of someone else degrade you."

"Thanks Ray, I'll try and remember that." Michiru replied, feeling a little better after hearing those words.

"Now Mitch, getting back to this girl Kagome you know from Tokyo."Venkman cut in, slightly turning the steering wheel as he drove.

"What about her?" Michiru asked in confusion, wondering what Venkman was getting at.

"Is she hot?" Venkman asked, catching the teenager completely by surprise with the question.

"Wh-What? Michiru cried out in shock as his face started blushing.

"Is she single? Have you seen her in one of those short skirts like all the high school girls wear in Japan?"

Egon and Ray could only listen in silence as Venkman was causing the poor Kururugi boy to feel very uncomfortable at being interrogated on the subject of girls, the two of them thought silently in vain for the proper words to shut up their colleague behind the wheel before he caused Michiru a great deal of stress. Although they wanted Peter to stop, the last thing they wanted was to start an argument which could lead to a car accident just because he wasn't keeping his full attention on the road in front of him as he drove.

"What about the other girl you met from the feudal era, is she hot too? Venkman continued, glancing at Michiru's face every few seconds to see his reaction even though the poor boy was too embarrassed to speak properly. "Have you also seen her in a short skirt? Is she just as hot as Kagome? No wait, is she hotter than Kagome? Is she single as well? Come on you tell us, we're your friends."

"Y-Yes, N-no! Yes….yes, no; I mean….!" Michiru mumbled uncontrollably with a loud panic stricken voice as he tried to survive the embarrassing situation he reluctantly found himself in.

Of course, his mind was flooding with memories of being with Kagome and Sango which only made the Shikigami user more uneasy. Although Kagome was just a friend, he couldn't deny that she was attractive and pretty; the memory of her hugging him tightly caused Michiru to feel nervous. He had never been in such close contact with a girl before, except on one small occasion on Asagiri island in the feudal era where he had picked up Sango in his arms just for a minute so he could prevent her from worsening her injuries after she had been hurt and unable to move or stand up from an explosion that separated the two of them from the rest of their comrades. The most resent event however, which involved Kagome was somewhat different than the one from the feudal era; this was when she had thrown her arms around him in a warm hug to express her gratitude for him offering to help her complete all the schoolwork she missed while she was in the feudal era. Michiru had never been hugged or held by a girl his age until that moment, not even during his adventure in the feudal era. And if that event wasn't troubling enough for the Kururugi boy's mind during his interrogation inside Ecto-1, the next few minutes would be the worst to come.

"What? I didn't catch that Mitch; you have to speak more quickly." Venkman responded, getting a good laugh from Michiru reactions. "Do you mean, Yes the other girl you met is hot as well? Did you also see her in short skirt or not? Which is it, yes or no?"

"Yes! She's just as hot as Kagome!" Michiru angrily shouted, hoping to shut Peter up without thinking of the right words to use in his sentence first. "No! I didn't see her in a short skirt because she wasn't even wearing one!"

"Really? So what you're trying to say is that you've seen her naked?" Venkman asked as he turned to look Michiru in the face, causing the boy's eyes to widen and making him regret shouting out loud. "Oh man, I didn't think you had gotten that kind of view. Mitch, you are one lucky dude if you got to see a hot teenage girl in the nude at your age. You have no idea how lucky you are man, how the devil did you stumble into an opportunity like that? No wait, let me guess; you snapped your figures and made all her clothes disappear. Am I right? Come on, answer the question."

Michiru's face began to turn a deep shade of red; one would think that the boy's head was going to explode from too much internal pressure trapped within. The Shikigami user rolled down the right hand window in the front of Ecto-1 to get some fresh air as they drove by, hopefully to keep himself from passing out from sheer humiliation. The night breeze blowing by was luckily enough to cool down the young man's head which felt as though it would explode in a minute or two as the bombardment of questions continued. Remembering the incident of accidentally catching a glimpse of Sango naked while she bathed in the river caused the boy's face to blush redder and redder as Venkman's questions continued to impact on Michiru's already troubled mind. Even though he could have told Venkman that Sango wears clothing from Japan's feudal era and nothing like Kagome's modern day clothes or school uniform for that matter, the Kururugi boy decided to keep his mouth shut for fearing that he would make his present situation a lot worse by encouraging Venkman even more.

Before anyone could utter another word, the car turned sharply to the left shaking everyone violently. "We've got all night to drive around until you answer all the questions, this can all end if you just say a little yes or no to everything I've asked." Venkman commented, spinning the wheel and making another sudden turn. "Oh no, we've run out of time folks. The Sedgewick Hotel is coming up on our left, please hang on and brace for parking. And….here we are. Thank you for traveling Ghostbusters Shuttle Service, all passengers please remember to take all your belongings before exiting the vehicle. Please put on your proton packs and proceed through the entrance of the Sedgewick Hotel to await further instructions, we hope you've enjoyed the ride and look forward to seeing you again soon. Thank you and have a nice day. Hey, don't die on us now big shot, you still have to help us catch Slimer."

"Very funny Venkman, you would make an entertaining commercial pilot and as a bonus you could flirt with all the pretty young flight attendants when they aren't busy with the passengers." Ray responded. "But before you fantasize on that, get our proton packs out of the back for us while Spengler and I check and see how Mitch is after your interrogation."

"Congratulations Peter, you've successfully immobilized our irreplaceable employee thanks to your physiological warfare." Egon stated, after scanning Michiru's face and forehead with some sort of mental stress reading device similar to a PKE meter. "Luckily for us, he'll recover after a minute or two of relaxation."

"I was only trying to strike up a good conversation, I didn't mean any harm." Venkman countered, getting a look from both Ray and Egon. "Fine, I'm sorry. If it makes you feel any better, the new kid can avenge himself when ever he wants; where ever he wants as long as he doesn't use any of his magic. Deal?"

"We'll hold you to that Peter, so just remember that you gave him permission." Ray replied. "You hear that Mitch? Peter Venkman is letting you have a free shot at getting even with him. If I were you, I wouldn't pass it up."

"How do you feel now Mitch?" Egon asked. "Are you recovered enough to come inside with us and help capture Slimer?"

"Yeah, I'm much better now." Michiru answered.

"That's good to hear, I didn't think you'd recover at all after the stress level readings I took just a minute ago." Egon commented. "But now that Peter's verbal onslaught is over, I guess it's easier for your mind to calm down and return to its normal condition."

"Egon, could you please show me how to adjust the power output on my proton pack in case I have to increase or decrease it while I'm using it in the field? Michiru asked with concern. "Slimer was nearly impossible to catch even with Ray and me trying to ensnare him with both of our proton streams together, so I just wanted to ask in order to prevent him from escaping again."

"Sure, not a problem." Egon answered.

As Venkman brought over the proton packs and everyone began to strap them on, Michiru was calm again after taking a few deep breaths to steady his nerves. Once his head was clear thanks to the cool night air, he watched as Egon showed him the output controls on his proton pack and told him how to adjust the power capacity. After everyone was fully equipped with their packs, traps and tools; the Ghostbusters strolled through the main entrance and into the lobby of the Sedgewick Hotel. The four of them were met almost immediately as they entered by a man dressed in a black suit, white dress shirt and a light blue tie, Michiru could only assume that the person was the manager of the Sedgewick Hotel. It was now ten minutes after midnight on July 22nd and time to hunt a ghost.

"That disgusting green blob is up on the twelfth floor again reeking havoc, I demand a refund right now." The man fumed, waving his arm and clenching his fist in anger.

"Sir, if you check the fine print on our invoice..." Venkman replied. "Invoices" Ray cut in to correct him.

"Right, invoices." Venkman continued. "You'll see that your warranty on re-haunting expired some time ago, you should have taken the extended service agreement. "Don't worry though; we'll bag that slimy spook before he tries to eat all the food in your hotel."

With that, Ray jogged forward into the immense lobby of the Sedgewick Hotel followed swiftly by Venkman; Michiru and Egon. The lobby itself was so large that it was divided into two separate areas by a wall with many open doorways leading in and out of either half. The main lobby which the Hotel's main entrance led in and out of was where people would enter and exit the Sedgewick Hotel. Inside the other area was mainly where people could relax, were many luxurious pieces of furniture including stools, couches, and chairs. In addition there were also pianos and tables with lamps, pottery or both resting on them. Everything looked brand new with no sign of age or wear on any surface, such was each piece of property maintained and cared for by employees of the Sedgewick Hotel. The company strode off, cutting into the right hand section of the lobby and headed down a narrow hallway to get to the elevators. This was only the lobby, the Kururugi boy's eyes were captivated by the sight around him as he imagined how inviting and luxurious the rest of Hotel's interior must look.

"I'm getting some interesting PKE spikes here." Egon commented as he studied his PKE meter while he ran alongside Michiru's right, following Ray and Venkman towards the elevators. "Disturbances don't seem to be exclusive to the twelfth floor, I'd like the chance to look around the building a little more."

"Good, dig up what you can." Ray replied, as Egon came to a halt to look around the lobby with his PKE meter. "That little greenie shouldn't cause us too much trouble."

As Ray and Michiru headed down the hallway, the doors of the elevator Venkman was waiting at began to open. Standing inside the elevator was a very attractive young lady probably in her late twenties, wearing black boots that came up just below her knees. She also wore black stockings hidden underneath a black leather skirt which hugged her figure and came down just above her knees. Dressed in a dark red sweater underneath a white blouse and covered by black leather jacket which matched her skirt. Her light brown hair matched the color of her eyes and nearly matched the same color of Michiru's hair. She wore thin round silver earrings and was just lowering her hands and arms to her sides after holding her forehead as if she had a light fever or felt dizzy. Unable to resist the opportunity, Venkman made a move on the light brown haired beauty that stood in the elevator.

"Well hello, you're perfectly save now Miss. The Ghostbusters are here." Venkman said, hoping to reassure and impress the lady standing before him.

"Back off loser, never going to happen." she replied in disgust, waving her left arm at Venkman once as she walked out of the elevator passed Michiru and Ray in the direction of the lobby.

"That approach rarely works with me; I'll show you why later if we meet that lady again." Venkman quietly as he chuckled to himself, completely unaffected by the young woman's harsh rejection. "Hey Mitch, don't get any ideas cause that one is way out of your league buddy."

"I didn't say anything; I was just looking at her; that's all." Michiru countered, after glancing at the beauty for a moment as she left. "Besides, she's ten years older than I am at the very least. She may be pretty and good looking, but I'd rather date a girl my own age; even if it takes a while of looking for one."

"Relax, I was just joking. " Venkman countered and he stepped into the elevator, followed by Michiru and Ray before pressing the button to select the twelfth floor as their destination. "Just remember you can't just look for one, you also have to try and make a move now and than when you meet a pretty girl. Otherwise, some other stud will come by and steal her away from you before you know it and your chance will be lost. You also have to make a move quickly so that you'll know if she's interested in you or not. Because if she isn't, than you can go looking for another girl. And the more you try the more confident and experienced you will become when it comes to interacting with the ladies. Do you understand what I'm trying to tell you Mitch?"

"Yes, I understand." Michiru answered, thinking about his last words to Sango as the elevator rose up. "But all that is easier said than done, not even my Shikigami magic can help me with getting over that challenging obstacle. Anyway, I can't think about that now while I'm here thousands of miles from home in a foreign country. While I'm still here, I should be focussing on catching ghosts and researching any clues about my magic so I can return home and… t-to the feudal era where my friends live if I ever find a way."

"Don't you worry Mitch, I'm sure you'll get yourself a girlfriend eventually. Try not to think about it now though, because we've got a ghost to catch." Ray commented. "That Slimer is an elusive little spud, but at least he's easy to spot in a crowd of people or other ghosts. Alright tough guy, get ready because we're almost at the top floor."

"Ray, I just realized that we're going to be hunting for a ghost inside lots of hallways and hotel rooms." Michiru stated. Unlike in the subbasement back at HQ, we aren't going to have very much room to move or fire our positron colliders. Isn't that going to affect our performance while we try and catch Slimer with our proton streams before we slam and trap him? I for one do not want to get sued or in trouble for causing internal damage this hotel just for the sake of recapturing one ghost."

"Yes, our performance is always affected by the environment in which we combat all spiritual entities." Ray replied. "You don't have to worry about causing any damage though, because the city pays us for capturing ghosts and covers the damages with insurance money. But if you're uneasy about fighting a ghost in a crammed hallway, I'm afraid that there's nothing we can do about it so there's no sense in worrying."

"Why worry?" Venkman said sarcastically. "Each of us could accidentally hit each other with friendly fire and cause the nuclear accelerators on our backs to explode if we don't get killed crossing our proton streams first while we fight Slimer."

"These proton packs are nuclear powered!" Michiru suddenly replied in shock as his eyes widened with fear. "Why aren't we wearing any protective suites? We could get radiation exposure!"

"Relax Mitch, this equipment is safe." Ray countered in an effort to calm down the frightened teenager. "Peter, shut your yap about getting killed on the job would you. Otherwise, I'll give Michiru permission to use his magic on you if you don't put a sock it."

As the elevator halted and the doors automatically opened, Michiru strode out casually with Ray and Venkman as they both told Michiru the rule about keeping their proton packs turned off in public areas in order to minimize city liabilities. This was brought about because of the incident many years ago when the Egon, Ray and Venkman first came to the Sedgewick Hotel during their first official paranormal investigation. This incident occurred when they accidentally fired proton streams at a cleaning maid, who they mistook for a spiritual entity, causing minor damage around her in the hallway. Although she was unharmed and they apologized for their error, she filed a restraining order on the Ghostbusters which brought about the rule that they now had to follow. As they continued walking, Ray shouted in alarm, causing Venkman to fire his proton stream prematurely at the corner of the hallway without checking what or who he was shooting at. A baggage cart which had rolled into view was blasted as its contents scattered around violently, the stream from Venkman's positron collider struck the ceiling causing sparks and leaving burned black scorch marks on the surface. A man cried out, running passed the open space of the hallway in an effort to escape being hit by the proton stream as Venkman shut it off after realizing his error.

"Nice, now we've got another sue happy person from the Sedgewick Hotel." Venkman said. "Let that be a lesson Mitch, not to shoot a proton stream at anyone other than a ghost. And don't even think about shooting me from behind with one either, cause you'll be in a lot of trouble if you do."

"I may not have figured an appropriate way to get even with you yet Peter, but I'm not low enough to shoot you from behind with my proton pack at point blank range like some backstabber from an old action movie seeking vengeance." Michiru countered. "It never even crossed my mind, let's put that matter aside for the time being and concentrate on catching Slimer while we're inside this Hotel."

"Well said Mitch, you have a good conscience." Venkman commented. "If it makes you feel any better, you have the qualities of a well mannered young man with a good sense of morals. Girls like that in a man they wish to date or marry, remember that."

The Shikigami user thought silently to himself as the two of them followed Ray down the hall, it's true that girls did look for boyfriends who were well mannered and acted morally; but regrettably those weren't the only qualities that most girls look for in a young man. Even though he had seen Sango slap Miroku on more than one occasion for rudely groping her lecherously, he knew that she still had feelings for the perverted monk. He had also seen and listened as Kagome scolded Inuyasha for multiple reasons whether he was at fault or not as they argued, and he knew that she still cared very deeply about the half demon even though she would never admit it publicly to everyone. The Kururugi boy's mind was brought back to reality as he turned around a corner and caught a glimpse of pale green light shot passed and dropped down the staircase to the left of them as they approached.

"Watch it! Contact!" Ray shouted as multiple objects such as chairs and vases flew up from the bottom of the staircase where the mysterious green light had fled; nearly striking each of the Ghostbusters who were standing by the railing. "Argh! Yeow! Geez!

"We're being targeted Ray, can we hurry along so we can bag the green slime bucket and go home?" asked Venkman as the three of them scurried down the hall now that the sudden barrage had ended. As they darted around the right hand corner to exit the hallway by the staircase, Ray came to a halt and motioned for the others to come up quietly. About ten feet beyond the left hand corner of the hallway where Ray had stopped, was Slimer floating above a room service cart loaded with bottled drinks and plates of food. Michiru watched quietly as the green spiritual entity was stuffing his face and making load grunts and gulps not even caring about his lack of table manners or the filthy mess of broken plates and chunks of half eaten food that laid on the floor beneath him.

"Alright, show time." Ray whispered. "We wear him out, and then capture him; that's what your proton stream is for."

Michiru didn't want Slimer escaping a second time, so he rushed around the corner and towards his opponent before firing his positron collider. Although the spiritual escapee was almost immobile and unaware of the danger he was in, he screamed in a panic as the Kururugi boy's proton stream struck the wall right beside him in a violent flash of sparks and smoke. Slimer darted down the hall and vanished as he went through the wall ahead of his pursuing attackers, leaving a large green stain of stinky wet slime behind on the surface. The Shikigami user was getting annoyed at how easily the green monstrosity had escaped, and darted through a nearby door entrance to track down the sneaky spirit.

"We've got him on the ropes! Come on! Peter! Ray shouted with excitement, following Michiru as his young friend chased after the slimy spud who had managed to get a way again.

"Nah, I've had it with recapturing that little spud over and over again. You follow Slimer and teach Mitch the basic skills he needs for tracking down ghosts before you try recapturing him." Venkman replied with a hint of sarcasm. "I'll cover the elevators and escort any ladies to their rooms and downstairs where they'll be safe."

"What?" Michiru asked with disbelief, reminded of Miroku by Venkman's words. "You're not going to help us catch Slimer, or even try to stop him from escaping again?"

"As a Ghost buster, I'm doing some good here." Venkman countered, trying to think of a good excuse. "I can clear the floor of any people that are still up here so that they will head downstairs where it's safe. I for one want to avoid as many friendly fire incidents and restraining orders as possible, so that's another reason why I'll stay close to the elevators. If all the people are cleared, then it'll be easier for you and Ray to find that little spud without having to worry about shooting someone by accident."

"Yeah okay, this is a good opportunity to teach Mitch how to use a PKE meter." Ray said as he pulled down his head goggles and started scanning with his PKE meter.

Michiru on the other hand, followed Venkman in an effort to change his course of action so that the three of them would stay together. They had already left Egon downstairs and were short handed, the last thing that they needed was to split up and give Slimer the opportunity of attacking the Ghostbusters while they were divided and separated from one another throughout the Hotel. After a quick walk, the Kururugi boy caught up with Venkman who was walking through the wreckage on the floor by the staircase where the objects had flown up and hit them earlier. Although Venkman was a member of the Ghostbusters, it seemed to Michiru that the man didn't like to get involved when there was work to be done. But there could also be another reason that the Shikigami user was unaware of, whether it was a good reason or not.

"Come on Peter, we need your help if we want to catch Slimer successfully." Michiru asked. "The sooner we catch him, the sooner we can go home and rest if lack of sleep is what's bothering you."

"I said I would guard the elevators and that's just what I'm going to do; besides you don't have the seniority to give me orders since you've only been employed for over an hour or two." Venkman replied, not wishing to change his mind.

"Since you're not in the mood for catching ghosts than I might as well accompany you since you're obviously in the mood for catching ladies." Michiru countered as he grinned, knowing that he had caught Venkman in a similar situation that he himself had experienced in the car on the way here just a short time ago. "I might be able to learn how to interact with girls if I watch your actions, as long as you don't make the wrong kinds of moves like you did on that beautiful lady we met leaving the elevator when its doors opened."

"You can't make me change my mind Mitch, not even with that smart aleck attitude of yours." Venkman boasted, turning once to glance at the teenager as they continued walking. "That's it, end of story. And stop grinning at me; you're creepier than that ghost. You've had your moment of fun; go down with Ray so he can show you more training."

The young man reluctantly gave up and retraced his footsteps so he could rejoin Ray who was presently looking for the elusive ghost which had for the moment, escaped captivity. After dashing down the hallway and turning right and then left, the Kururugi boy found Ray scanning a door to a Hotel room with a PKE meter as the antennas on the little instrument moves up and down making little noises.

"He won't change his mind; it looks like we'll have to hunt Slimer down ourselves." Michiru asked. "How does this PKE meter help to catch ghosts anyway Ray?"

"Put your goggles on and turn on your PKE meter using this switch here." Ray answered, without taking his eyes off the device in his hand. "Your meter will flash and buzz when it detects a potential signal; a pair of goggles is connected to your active PKE meter. This allows you to see otherwise undetectable phenomenon while you track it, ghost trails; object auras and all kinds of cool events. Now when your center bar peaks, you're headed in the right direction. When it's flat, you're following a cold trail. Line the target up inside the smallest circle for the best scan. Oh no, I'm losing the signal."

"What about here?" Michiru asked as he scanned the large stain of slime left on the wall where Slimer had escaped through.

"Okay you got it, now just take a scan." Ray instructed, running up to see where the young man was looking.

"Like this?" Michiru asked as he pressed a button on his PKE meter, and seeing what looked like a camera snapshot through the goggles over his eyes.

"Way to go!" Ray answered with delight. "If you look at the flashing coloured lights on your PKE meter, you'll notice they change colour from time to time when you scan for different things. Red signifies a hidden ghost, green indicates an environmental paranormal anomaly and blue means an active sample."

"The lights have changed from green to red Ray." Michiru replied, looking around with his PKE meter as he walked down the hallway with Ray close by.

"Don't be alarmed, that just means Slimer is hiding nearby and we're getting closer to locating him." Ray replied, trying to assure Michiru that everything was under control. "Just use your PKE, watch the lights; the antennas and listen for the buzzing to confirm that you're getting closer and closer to your target."

"Ray, aren't you coming with me to help find this ghost of yours?" Michiru asked, turning around to look at Ray who was still standing by the T intersection at the start of the hallway.

"Sorry Michiru, but this is part of your training; I'm testing you to see if you can locate the slimy spud by yourself without my help." Ray answered back. "You have to learn how to properly use every piece of equipment that's given to you, there may come a time when you'll be searching and catching ghosts on your own. Besides that, if you do locate Slimer; I want to guard the doors to my left and the other hallway on my right in case the green slime bucket tries to escape again. Don't worry, you'll do just fine. We can still talk with our hand radios attached to each of our left shoulder straps in front of us, if you're stuck or have any questions. I'm standing only thirty feet away from you so I'll be close enough to help you out if things get out of hand."

"O-Okay, I'll see if I can find him." Michiru said, continuing onward ever more cautiously.

The Kururugi boy understood that he needed training in order to sharpen his skills as a new member of the Ghostbusters, but he didn't like the feeling of catching Slimer by himself and getting covered in the ghost's regurgitated slime and possibly food. Walking and turning slowly to avoid losing the signal he was trying to trace, the Shikigami user glanced back and forth from his PKE meter to directly in front of him as he moved further down the hallway in an effort to find his target without alarming him as he did before.

"Getting warmer." Ray hinted, trying to help out his friend overcome the training as best as he could without leaving his position. "Warmer."

Unfortunately, the Kururugi boy was having a difficult time locating Slimer. There was a room on the other side of the wall and he thought that the ghost had taken refuge inside of there rather than somewhere in the open hallway where he was looking. The slightest turn in the wrong direction would cause Michiru to loose the signal and force him to start over after taking a few steps back.

"You're red hot!" Ray shouted excitedly, startling Michiru ; and making him turn quickly left and right before slowing down again to pick up the signal and home in on the target. "Woops, sorry for startling you Mitch. Your red hot, just take it slow and easy. You'll find it eventually, so take your time."

As the Shikigami user came to a halt, he was scanning one different object after another on his right hand side against the wall. First a stool on the floor, then a lamp on the wall and finally a table with a vase resting on top of it. After a few seconds of standing still, the PKE meter indicated that the vase was the hiding place of the ghost they were looking for. Suddenly, Slimer emerged from the vase; evidently startled or stunned by the close range scan Michiru had just taken.

"Careful!" Ray warned, as Slimer fled down the hall in Ray's direction where he had been found earlier stuffing his face. "Getting a good scan is sort of like taking a good snap shot, be sure not to get too close to a ghost's hiding place when you find them. Otherwise, the snap snot effect of your PKE meter will cause them to panic and either escape or run to attack you."

As the eager paranormal eliminator darted back to pursue the ghost and join Ray, Slimer levitated away through the closed doors where Ray was standing with his PKE meter in hand. Ray opened the doors and walked casually down the other hallway where the elusive target had gone, Michiru rushed up to join him and was beginning to get frustrated by the repeating cycle that he felt the two of them were presently stuck in.

"Ray, why didn't you try and ensnare Slimer with your proton stream when he flew passed you?" Michiru asked, puzzled by Ray's inaction. "I thought we we're getting paid for every ghost we catch, not for every hour we work. If this continues over and over again, we're going to be playing hide and seek in this Hotel until breakfast time."

"I understand your concern Mitch, but I couldn't catch him because I was using my PKE meter when he floated passed me." Ray answered as they continued walking down the hall. "I didn't have enough time to pull out my positron collider, and I couldn't fire it even if I was holding it at the time. Otherwise I could have struck you accidentally with my proton stream since you were racing up behind Slimer in an effort to catch him from escaping again. I wouldn't risk harming a fellow co worker or anyone else just for the sake of catching one little ghost, neither should any member of the Ghostbusters."

"Sorry Ray, I just got fed up with Slimer getting away." Michiru apologized, feeling a little bad for criticizing his teacher.

"That's alright, don't worry about it. Wooah! Look at this filthy mess; he's definitely been feeding in here." Ray replied, looking to the left inside a small room with two vending machines in it as he activated his PKE meter.

"What's this here Ray?" Michiru asked as he crouched down to examine an object on the floor with his own PKE meter which was buzzing at as the object was scanned.

"Oh, that's an active sample." Ray answered before explaining in detail. "If you check your PKE meter, you'll notice its buzzing and its lights are flashing blue. And when you get a great scan, your PKE will identify the object you're scanning as well. An active sample is something you can collect like a cursed artefact, we get paid extra for everything we scan and collect. Then we roll it back into research and development, the extra funds let us experiment with new equipment and offensive technology. Which in turn, you get to wear on your back to test."

"Hey, it just vanished into thin air after I scanned." Michiru stated with a shocked look on his face. "How is that even possibly?"

"Remember I said that taking a good scan is the same as taking a snapshot?" Ray replied, getting a nod from Michiru before he continued with his explanation. "Ghosts can be startled when they are scanned just as you saw how Slimer reacted a few moments ago, they'll either attack you or make a run for it before you have the chance to capture them which is why we have to be so careful when we track and hunt any spiritual entities. Cursed artefacts on the other hand are just plain physical objects with no consciousness of their own, but they still possess a high amount of PK energy which is why we're able to detect them; this is due to the artefacts' origins which revolved around some sort of paranormal activity that occurred some time in the past. Because of the PK energy that these cursed artefacts are giving off, we're allowed under our contract with the city to relocate each of them back to our Firehouse for observation and safe keeping to prevent any paranormal occurrences which could cause harm to people or property. Egon discovered a convenient way to transport them from the place that they are found back to our Firehouse where they can relocate themselves, so we can avoid wasting time; energy and manpower to move them and fall behind schedule or risk damaging ourselves or the artefacts. Basically, once a cursed artefact is scanned; the paranormal reaction of the PK energy around the object causes it to instantaneously cross over into another dimensional plane of existence so it can travel to our Firehouse and return back to our world without causing damage to itself or our environment. In a way, it almost sounds like the way you might have travelled back and forth through time from our Modern era to Feudal Japan; theoretically speaking of course."

"So the frequency of the scanning waves coming from my PKE meter are specifically and automatically set to cause that kind of paranormal reaction when ever I scan a cursed artefact, thereby teleporting it back to the Firehouse in an instant; I think I understand it now. It must have taken Egon a long time to figure out how to accomplish such a task, I wouldn't be surprised if he was awarded a prize for making such a scientific discovery" Michiru stated. "But I don't think it would be the same for either myself or for a ghost because we both have a soul and I don't think you could cause the same paranormal reaction due to the fact that a spiritual entity or a living person wouldn't survive such a teleportation like that, besides; the PKE meter has a different colour code for scanning each different thing whether it's a ghost, a cursed artefact or a paranormal anamoly. Pity I can't use this PKE meter to teleport myself back home, you guys are risking an awful lot just to keep my presence a secret Ray and I appreciate it; but I really hope I can leave soon so none of us get into trouble."

"Don't worry Mitch, you've learned and accomplished so much over the passed four and a half months; I think I can speak for the others when I say we're all positive that you'll eventually find the answers you're looking for to solve all your problems and return home again safe and sound." Ray said encouragingly. "By the way, now that you've scanned that cursed artefact; your goggles should show you a briefing history lesson from your Tobin's Spirit Guide.

"According to my scan, the object is a very old silver, smoke-stained room service tray. Wow, I can read the data info through my goggles; this PKE meter is so cool! I guess collecting active samples as well as building and testing new equipment is also part of my job that I'll get to enjoy, since you've dubbed me as your Experimental Equipment Technician." Michiru said excitedly as he and Ray walked back the way they came to try and find Slimer once again. "I flew half way around the world on Sounga which I would label as a very dangerous cursed artefact, captured that Sloth ghost with a proton pack that you and Egon had only finished tuning up and adjusting. And on top of that, the three of us built that new containment unit which Sounga is now imprisoned inside of. I never thought I would be in a foreign country capturing ghosts, none of my classmates would never believe that | was working in the U.S. with the Ghostbusters. This unexpected trip of mine to New York is really turning into one memorable and paranormal adventure wouldn't you say so Ray?"

"Ha! Ha! Ha! It certainly is Michiru, it certainly is." Ray laughed quickly before responding. "Remember, you can always review techniques; tutorials and equipment in your online Ghostbusters' field manual. It's all accessible from your PKE meter; make sure you wear your goggles over your eyes so you can read everything you might need to know when you're in the field."

"Ray! AAH! AH! I'm being ATTACKED HERE!" Venkman cried uncontrollably in a panicked tone, bringing the conversation of the two friendly coworkers to an end as they put away their PKE meters and pulled out their positron colliders.

"Peter? Come in, you okay? Ray asked with concern before taking the initiative. "Uh Oh! Man down, we've got a man down! Let's go Mitch!"

As Michiru rushed back in the direction of where he had last seen Venkman, Ray kicked open the doors to the other hallway which led to the elevators on the floor they were on. Although it was an emergency, the speed and mobility of the two paranormal eliminators was limited by the weight of the proton packs strapped to their backs as they tried to hurry and find their fellow employee.

"Come on, shake a leg! You can move faster than that can't you? Double time Mitch!" Ray urged as they sprinted as fast as they were able without losing balance or any of their tools. Coming into the room where the elevators were located, they found Venkman lying down on the floor with his proton pack venting smoke and sparks.

"He's been slimed! Again! Ray added in astonishment, which told Michiru that this wasn't the first time Venkman had been slimed either. "Hustle over here and help him up will you Mitch? When one of us goes down, we always help each other out; it's all about teamwork."

"How did this even happen?" Venkman complained with disbelief and disgust as the Kururugi boy helped to lift the green slime covered casualty to his feet. "I was busy covering the elevators! That mutant Stromboli snuck up on me, yuck, covered in slime again."

"Well Peter, perhaps I should have stayed with you instead; it looks like you got a handful of big wet kisses from some of the lovely ladies you were referring too when you said you would escort them safely to their rooms." Michiru stated sarcastically, trying not to burst out laughing at Venkman's current predicament or that he had discovered Venkman's motive for wanting to avoid contact with Slimer. "Or did you suddenly take a liking to Slimer after being rejected by that leather clad beauty we met downstairs earlier? Don't try to deny it because we can see the slimy green evidence all over the front of your clothes. What an unexpected turn of events, vengeance is mine, and you're soaked in slime."

"Shut your yap Mitch, because this means war. And in this war, that ghost's going down." Venkman countered, wiping the slime off his face as he spoke. "No ghost pukes on Peter Venkman and lives to get away with it. That little green gas bucket already has two strikes on his record, and I intend to bag his slimy hide before he gets a third."

"You guys need to get down here immediately, our elusive escapee is tearing apart the lobby and he's not alone." Egon said over each radio belonging to the three Ghostbusters.

"More ghosts? Ray asked in surprise. "But we gave this Hotel a clean bill of health five years ago. How could there suddenly be more ghosts now Egon?"

"New people die everyday Ray." Egon replied, trying to give a logical explanation to answer Ray's question. "But the number of ghosts that emerge over the course of time doesn't solely depend on the number of people dying. The cause of death and the circumstances of death can greatly impact the spiritual entity of a person which therefore determines whether or not they rest in peace or roam the world of the living for all of eternity."

After hearing Egon's explanation, the Kururugi boy was having another memory from his adventure in the feudal era. When he was inside a ruined castle, he and his friends were attacked by walking corpses that were under Naraku's control, including a samurai named Yukimura. Tragically, Yukimura was killed while he bought them time to escape during a deadly battle against Naraku that occurred much earlier before the castle and the town around it decayed into ruin. During their second visit to the castle, Naraku was controlling all the corpses by using Yukimura's body and spirit so he could pit them against Michiru and his companions. With no other choice left available, the Shikigami user and his friends were forced to fight against their friend in order to set his soul as well as all the others free. It was a painful experience, being forced to fight against a friend whether they were alive or dead. Not wanting to think about it any longer, Michiru decided to block it out of his mind so he could concentrate on the more important matter of catching Slimer and the other ghost which Egon reported were downstairs in the lobby causing a lot of trouble and destruction.

Ray, Michiru and Venkman entered the elevator and began to descend until it shook with a sudden stop. It was thought that the elevator had either malfunctioned or that Slimer had sabotaged it so they would remain trapped inside without a way of escaping. After a minute or so of bickering and humorous talk, they thought Slimer was going to attack them since they couldn't run or use their positron colliders in such a confined space. Venkman had no desire no be slimed by Slimer twice on the same morning and shouted at Ray to fire a proton stream as the elevator doors opened. Instead of seeing Slimer on the other side, Egon appeared to have opened the doorway once they arrived down on the main floor. Venkman made a sarcastic comment about Ray's failure to take action in a tight spot yet again, which gave them all a good moment of humour before they had to exit and tackle all of the ghosts that Egon had reported inside the lobby.

As the three Ghostbusters walked out of the elevator and followed Egon back into the lobby, the chaos before them was unbelievable. At least half a dozen ghosts, including Slimer were floating around and causing chaos. People were fleeing for their lives to get away from these restless souls who were attacking like a swarm of angry wasps darting back and forth as they took turns targeting one different person after another. This wouldn't be an easy clean up job like the single Sloth ghost in the basement back at Headquarters was, and the arena was also much more vast and wide not to mention the numerous escape routes that the ghosts had available to them both around and above the main floor of the Sedgewick Hotel.

"Never mind the onion head for now, the ghost with the red cap is fighting hard to hold stasis." Ray commanded, firing his proton stream at a nearby ghost. "Let's catch every other ghost in here first, check your aim when you shoot at these ghosts so you don't hit each other. Watch carefully so you don't cross the streams, otherwise its game over for all of us."

"Come on, he's a New York Bellhop; just tip him." Venkman said, trying to add a tidbit of humour to the destructive situation that the Ghostbusters now found themselves in. Not only were these Bellhop ghosts nearly as manoeuvrable as Slimer, but they were just as well organized as the Ghostbusters themselves. They darted in and out with hit and run attacks and they even hurled themselves and pieces of furniture at each of the four paranormal eliminators as the conflict intensified, spreading throughout the two sections of the main lobby. Michiru and his fellow combatants had to work together and help each other out frequently just to stay in action during the battle.

Each of the Ghostbusters including Michiru was knocked to the floor as many as two or three times in this brief conflict alone. Everyone had to keep their eyes and ears open for one another so that anyone who needed help getting to their feet again could be assisted while they were protected by their friends in the thick of the fighting.

Michiru was no stranger when it came to fighting a hard battle; he had learned this from his experiences in the feudal era. Although he was now in the modern age fighting against ghosts instead of live demons, the basic lessons of combat remained the same. He had to beat the enemy force one foe at a time and simultaneously keep an eye on his team members to prevent them from being injured and unavailable for more important battles later on. The present situation wasn't a good one in the eyes of the Shikigami user, it could have been a lot worse if there were more ghosts or if the ghosts they were fighting were better organized. Each Bellhop ghost possessed impressive strength even after it had been slammed and could still move enough to escape from being drawn into an activated trap. This advantage prolonged the conflict and prevented the Ghostbusters from having a quick battle as they would have preferred. As long as the ghosts could avoid captivity, they could wear out the four paranormal eliminators until their strength depleted; leaving them vulnerable to the spiritual entities.

"Everyone listen up, we don't have the strength to face these ghosts one on one." Michiru said into his radio attached to his left shoulder strap as he fired a capture stream at a Bellhop ghost currently entangled in Egon's stream high in the air. "Its going to take at least two of us working together to capture and hold each ghost long enough to be pulled into the trap so they can't get away. Egon, let's put this guy in prison so we can help turn the tables in this fight. Venkman and Ray, you guys keep the other ghosts occupied so we can even the odds here."

Egon and Michiru guided the ghost into position and pulled their streams in different directions to restrain their struggling opponent whose high pitched cry echoed throughout the lobby as it was sucked inside of the trap in a brilliant flash of light. Finally after a long minute and a half, one Bellhop ghost was bagged and trapped.

"Great thinking Michiru, well done." Egon commented as the two of them redeployed themselves to confront the other remaining ghosts still in action throughout the lobby. The tactic worked again, as the Kururugi boy fired a capture stream at another ghost that was fighting to escape from Ray's captivity. After a tug of war, a second Bellhop ghost was imprisoned and accounted for.

"That convulsion PK shock wave really stirred the nest, man this lobby is so wrecked." Ray said as Michiru recovered the trap from the floor.

"Can we please call Winston and tell him that his night off as officially ended?" Venkman asked, hoping that the work would end sooner with all of five Ghostbusters working together to tackle any and all ghosts that would be encountered during the early morning.

"More of them!" Ray warned, after hearing laughter from the centre of the lobby. "They've split up and fled."

"Ray, follow me; the others are floating back upstairs." Egon instructed. "Venkman, you two pull our friend Slimer into a trap as fast as you can. There's a massive bulge in these spikes indicating this isn't just some routine clearing job."

"He gets so bossy when he hasn't had his nap." Venkman whispered to Michiru as Egon and Ray chased after the retreating Bellhop ghosts. "Hey Mitch, where are you going? We're supposed to go after Slimer."

"I know Peter, its just that I'm picking something up on my PKE meter and it isn't a ghost." Michiru replied, walking toward the section of the lobby which lead to the elevators as Venkman followed.

The Shikigami user adjusted his movements in order to home in on the signal and arrived at the reception desk where customers would book their hotel rooms and so on, as he leaned over the desk; his instrument confirmed that the cause of the paranormal signal was coming from an antique service bell which was resting on the surface of the desk counter. In a split second, the cursed artefact vanished as Michiru took a scan of the object; causing the supernatural reaction which was triggered by the PK energy's response. Venkman watched in astonishment and blinked his eyes several times to make sure he wasn't hallucinating, but Michiru was able to tell him what he had witnessed by explaining everything that Ray had told him earlier when the teenager had scanned the silver tray upstairs which was shortly before both of them had been alerted of Slimer's attack. Once that was over and done with, the Kururugi boy followed Venkman back to the main lobby, heading for the main entrance before turning right and walking into a hallway which was leading to a private ballroom which was where Slimer had gone to.

"Hey now? Is that honey glazed ham and prime rib I smell? Mm, tasty." Venkman said to him as the two of them rounded the corner and were surprised to see the hotel manager locking the doors leading inside the room where the delicious aroma of freshly made food was coming from. "There, the Alhambra Ballroom, no way he could pass that up. Now that I smell the food, I'm getting hungry too."

"Absolutely not!" the man said, turning around and blocking the closed doors. "You can't go in; the Rodriguez Bar Mitzvah is set to start in half an hour."

"I'll bet the Beef brisket is today's special." Venkman commented with a smile.

"And you've done quite enough damage already, I'm sure the…thing will just go away." the manager protested as Slimer's laughter could be heard from behind the locked doors. "I-I'm willing to risk it, you're not going in there."

"That's all we needed to hear, alright we're out. Coffee time everyone, service has been declined beyond this point." Venkman replied, turning around and walking back to the main lobby. "Let's go Mitch; I'll get each of us a cup of coffee until Mr. Whiney changes his mind."

"Sounds like the Alhambra Ballroom is off limits, so do we just leave Slimer in there and let him eat to his hearts content?" Michiru asked with an annoyed tone of voice as he walked beside Venkman.

"This isn't the end of it Mitch, not by a long shot. No one slimes Peter Venkman twice and gets away with it." Venkman answered, as the two Ghostbusters sprinted to the far left end of the main lobby and went down a short hallway before stopping at a small door on the right hand side. "We're going to take a short cut through the kitchen. If that Slimy green blob is still hungry once all the food in the Ballroom is gone, he'll probably scavenge in here for more until his gut his full. The Alhambra Ballroom should be right through here."

As they entered, they wondered down a short narrow hall and after taking two left turns, they came inside the first room of the kitchen where there were pots and pans hung from an overhanging rack attached to the ceiling. Below the rack on the floor was a giant counter table for service trays and cooking utensils. There were also tall tray shelves and service carts all with wheels built on them so they could be moved anywhere in the room or elsewhere if need be.

"Okay Mitch, you take point for a while." Venkman said, just as all the objects in the room levitated straight up above the floor by a foot and crashed down again; making a mess and causing the two Ghostbusters to pause with caution. Michiru pulled down his goggles and activated his PKE meter to scan for any abnormalities that might have been responsible for that little event and came across a large stain of black slime spread out on the wall on the way to the other section of the kitchen. "Alright, don't touch the slime. It's slimy and it's extremely dangerous."

"I wasn't going to touch it." Michiru countered, taking a scan as they moved on into the next room.

"Yikes!" A startled Venkman cried out as a metal shelf to the left against the wall began to fall forward, lightly striking Michiru in his left side before landing on the floor. "You'd think I'd be used to that stuff by now. You alright Mitch?"

"Yeah I'm fine, but I can hear voices. And Wooah!" Mitch said as a small explosion erupted about six feet ahead of him, which knocked a fridge over and set the burners of a nearby stove alight after shaking the oven lid off of the appliance.

"Nothing to worry about, most kitchens have self starting fires." Venkman said, trying to calm down the young boy.

"I'm worrying about what ever it is that my PKE meter is detecting." Michiru replied walking around the room. "Even with my goggles on, I can't see anything abnormal except for a few small flashes of red and orange light up near the ceiling."

"Heads up, the door's open." Venkman said, causing Michiru to turn around and look with disbelief at the two doors at the far left corner of the room which had been locked shut moments ago. "Come on Mitch, let's hurry and get to the Ballroom."

The Kururugi boy followed Venkman into the other room which was larger than the other two rooms they had seen, not to mention that every rack and counter was located against the walls around them which left a vast empty space in the middle of the room. As Michiru walked ahead hoping to get to the other room, a giant storage container mysteriously slid in place from outside and blocked the entranceway. This made the Shikigami user more cautious and uneasy, as he turned around just in time to see the back doors close shut; trapping him and Venkman inside this section of the massive kitchen. Suddenly, Venkman fired his positron collider at the counter just below the open tray slit cut into the wall between this room and the next. Unable to see what he was targeting, Michiru held up his PKE meter in the hope of getting a scan to identify the dangerous entity or entities in the room.

"Okay you spooks, this turf is ours." Venkman said to made fun of his enemies as Michiru finished getting a scan and pulling out his positron collider to join his associate in the fight. The two of them blasted what appeared to be dead fish fliers that swam through the air just as ordinary fish would underwater, their light blue appearance made them easy to see when they became visible and they burst into nothingness after a direct hit with a discharged proton stream. The quick skirmish was over after about thirty seconds, but now the two Ghostbusters had to find a way of removing the massive obstruction in the doorway in front of them.

"Alright Mitch, check this out." Venkman said, showing the teenager the controls on his positron collider. "You can capture and move an object the same way you would with a ghost before you prepare to trap it. All you have to due is shoot a capture stream at the object you desire and pull in the direction you want to move it, its very simple so go ahead and try it out."

"I don't know, this is a much bigger and heavier object than a ghost." Michiru responded hesitantly as he fired a capture stream at the obstacle and enveloping it after a few seconds. "Like this?"

"That's all there is to it, you just throw the junk anywhere." Venkman answered as the container and shifted back about four feet before it fell backwards on its own once the doorway was cleared. "Mitch, have you picked up another cursed artefact? If you scan anymore of those, we're going to fall behind; Slimer's going to get away if you don't hurry."

"Just give me a minute please Peter, Ray said that we get paid extra for everything we scan and collect; I have to do this in order to make money for you guys as long as I'm living at your residence so I'm just trying to earn my keep that's all." Michiru replied, turning right and walking down the hallway which lead in the opposite direction of the ballroom as he followed the trail around another turn to the right where he found the cursed artefact. "Hey Peter, you may want to come and look at this thing; it looks more like a fat doll rather than an artefact."

"Well I'll be a…" Venkman commented as he came around and saw the small white coloured toy which was humanoid shaped toy standing on a metal table, unbeknownst to Michiru; the adult instantly recognized who it was modelled after. "Mitch, take a scan of the artefact; but don't mention it to Ray or Egon okay. It could give them a scare so it's a secret we have to keep to ourselves okay?"

"Okay, if its really that serious; then I understand." Michiru replied as he took a scan and watched the cursed artefact disappear, leaving the table with only a few service trays on top of it.

"Good man, okay then; lets go after Slimer." Venkman ordered as the two coworkers retraced their steps and returned to the kitchen entryway where they had been before. After walking around the giant storage container which laid on the floor, Michiru followed Venkman and turned left and right as they made their way through some wide hallway leading to other areas until they finally arrived at the Alhambra Ballroom.

What a magnificent sight it was for the Shikigami user, his imagination ran momentarily wild at seeing the interior of the walls, floor and ceiling. The floor was beautifully carpeted and the walls were decorated with deep red curtains and well crafted posts coloured differently than the walls but made the room look more colourful and inviting. A huge chandelier hung from the centre of the ceiling below a massive rectangle of electric lights shining through about two dozen translucent square shaped pieces of glass built into the ceiling. On the far side of the Ballroom was the long buffet table where various dishes of luxurious food would sit waiting to be served along with many bottles of various alcoholic beverages that were always served at occasions like this. To the end of the Ballroom, opposite from the service entrance that they had entered from was the main entrance for the guests to come and go as they pleased. This was evident because of the clear open space at that corner of the Ballroom which made it for roomy for a crowd of people.

There were about six to eight round tables neatly spread around the rest of the room, each with a white tablecloth, eating utensils with five napkins and flowers in the centre of the table. Each table had about eight chairs, which meant that there would be about fifty to seventy guests attending. Michiru imagined how fun it would be to have all his friends from the feudal era dining together at their own table in a Ballroom like this; they could also dance together during the evening after diner, if such a thing was permitting during the occasion. No doubt Miroku would introduce himself to as many young ladies as he possibly could, and Inuyasha would stuff his face full of all the food his stomach could contain. But Michiru felt quite sure that Kagome, Sango, Kirara and Shippo would enjoy a get together like this where they could relax and not have to worry about the everyday troubles that they constantly had to deal with in the feudal era. The only time all of them did get together was during the annual drum competition in the feudal era at Tsuzumi Village, which was definitely an exciting and memorable experience for all of them. Unfortunately, the moment of fantasizing was brought to an end as Slimer emerged from behind the long buffet table and was throwing handfuls of cake into his mouth from a beautifully baked but tall white cake with what looked like red apples around and on top of it. The Shikigami user felt a sense of pity for the hard working bakers, whose colossal dessert was being devoured and ruined by the green slimy ghost whose appetite seemed to have no end.

"Would it kill him to eat a green salad once in a while?" Venkman asked sarcastically. "I'm going to take back up position, you blast him until he's dazed; than use your capture stream on him so he can't get away again."

"After all that talk about payback, you're throwing it all away now?" Michiru asked in disbelief, glancing at his partner. "I know its disgusting to get slimed, but now you're chickening out when you finally have the chance to trap Slimer?"

"You need the training, so get in there and show that spud what you're made of." Venkman countered as he fired his positron collider at Slimer, causing the beautiful cake to burst in a violent explosion. "I can't waste my precious energy trying to wear out that green blob, not when there might be more ghosts to fight later on tonight. You're the young one; you've got plenty of stamina so you shouldn't have any trouble putting this guy in the box."

The two Ghostbusters fired their weapons at the ghost and struck the ceiling when ever the elusive entity managed to dodge any direct hits from both proton streams. What really ticked off Michiru was that Slimer disappeared again after just thirty seconds of combat; it was time to pull out the PKE meter and locate the troublesome sneak before it could leave the Ballroom. After a few seconds, the Shikigami user had quite enough of playing hide and seek for one morning with the same spook time and time again. In an effort to take out his anger, the Kururugi boy discharged a proton stream at one of the round dinner tables; completely scorching the wooden surface after burning the white tablecloth. Luckily for Michiru, he figured out it was Slimer's hiding place because of the noise and movement from underneath. Once the table broke in half, Slimer emerged from the wreckage and floated up in the air again to face his opponents; now it was payback time for the paranormal eliminators. The proton streams caused burning scorch marks all over the Ballroom's interior and destroyed anything too weak to withstand a blast as the battle continued.

"Good, good. That's it buddy, you've got the floating blob nearly exhausted." Venkman stated, letting Michiru know that Slimer was losing energy and would quickly be vulnerable. Suddenly the green ghost darted downwards to strike the Shikigami user before making a run for the guest entrance, Michiru dodged just in time and fired a well aimed shot as he turned around directly into the path of the fleeing monster. A moment later, the ghost was finally caught in a capture stream and unable to get away.

"Great shot Mitch!" Venkman stated, as he ensnared Slimer with his own capture stream in order to help Michiru restrain the ghost. "Good, now try to hold him still so we can wear him down. When he's tired, you'll be able to put this slimy critter in prison for good."

As Michiru did his best to restrain Slimer, Venkman deactivated his positron collider so he could set a trap down on the floor in front of them. Even after several hard slams to the floor, Slimer was still very persistent to break free. Perhaps he gained all the energy from the food he had eaten in the Sedgewick Hotel, but there was no proof that a ghost could reenergize himself by consuming food from the world of the living. The trap automatically activated once Slimer was guided into position and started to vacuum him inside, and this time there would be no escape for the green monster. Slimer's cries for help and mercy went on deaf hears, causing the Shikigami user to momentarily feel pity for the ghost as it was locked inside once the trap's doors had closed shut. Michiru walked forward to recover the trap from the floor and hand it back to Venkman as the two of them vented their positron colliders now that this fight was over.

"Yeah, perfect. See? That's a big wow, that'll teach that pitiful goop-sack to slime Peter Venkman. And by extension…you. Perhaps the place sitting disturbed, still ready; full go for the Rodriguez blow out." Venkman declared, feeling great now that Slimer was recaptured.

"Not just yet, my PKE meter is picking up another cursed artefact somewhere in here; I'll have to find it before we leave." Michiru responded after having checked his scanning instrument and discovering the presence of another active sample inside of the ballroom.

"The Alhambra Ballroom! The Bar Mitzvah! What have you done? The guests are arriving in fifteen minutes!" the hotel manager complained, running into the Ballroom to survey the situation after unlocking the closed doors once he heard the destructive battle coming from inside. The once lovely Ballroom was in shambles and needed a major clean up as well as interior repairs, so no one could blame the Hotel manager for being upset considering the predicament he was now faced with.

"What seems to be your problem?" Venkman asked, looking at the Hotel Manager in surprise for his ingratitude while Michiru was having trouble pinpointing the exact location of the cursed artefact which was eluding him for the time being because of where it was hidden. "Thanks to me and my new partner, the festivities can now proceed in an entirely ghost-free environment. So…you're welcome…eh?"

"NOOOO! Stop your partner from destroying that bar stand! Is he trying to ruin me?" The hotel manager asked in a furious tone, watching in dismay as the Japanese student was blasting the beverage shelf with all the alcoholic drinks to smithereens, making Michiru shut off his proton stream and turn to look back with an apologetic expression on his face since he heard the man's yelling.

"Keep your shirt on, you're insured." Venkman countered. "Its alright Mitch, carry on with what you're doing; everything's cool!"

"What do you mean everything's cool? He's wilfully destroying hotel property! This is an outrage! The guests are going to complain and my hotel is going to lose face because of all this destruction!" The man said in a panicked state, looking as though the world would end.

"Hey, relax buddy. Take a drink and calm down, we're just removing a cursed artefact so that it doesn't cause any supernatural activities that might draw more ghosts into your hotel; you'll thank us later when you finally have no more paranormal disturbances." Venkman explained, trying to calm the manager down so he wouldn't have a heart attack or go into shock from his current state.

The Shikigami user was finally able to figure out why he couldn't see the artefact even though his PKE meter could still detect its presence, it was located inside of a secret room hidden behind the wall where the bar stand stood; which is why he had to blast it apart in order to bust a hole large enough for him to pass through to the other side. After the determined teenager had done enough damage to the spot on the wall, Michiru carefully stepped through the narrow opening he had created with his proton stream and found himself standing inside of a dark room which was so small that it felt claustrophobic. Luckily, Michiru had a flashlight attached to his shoulder strap which enabled him to see in the dark; and his goggles also enhanced his visibility as he finally got a good look at what the cursed artefact was. Although it looked like a huge treasure chest at first glance, his PKE meter confirmed that the object was actually an old fashioned suitcase covered in travel stickers from around the world; much to the young boy's disappointment. After taking a scan, the piece of luggage vanished before his eyes; allowing Michiru to exit the cramped compartment in which it had been hidden. Now that this job was over and Slimer had been successfully recaptured, Michiru and Venkman could meet up with Egon and Ray. As the Kururugi boy left the remnants of the destroyed bar stand and met up with Venkman on the other side of the ballroom, he could remember hearing how panicked the hotel manager had been about all the damages that had been caused and he wondered if every customer or client was as unsatisfied with the Ghostbusters if they always left a mess as bad as what he had seen throughout the Sedgewick Hotel so far.

"Are you guys always this popular at everywhere you do business?" Michiru asked as the two Ghostbusters left the ungrateful manager to sulk inside the Ballroom. "I'm just asking out of curiosity, just so I'm prepared to take more scolding from any unsatisfied customers that we might encounter later on in the future."

"It really depends on customer's attitude and the resulting aftermath once the job is done. There are those who like us and those who hate us, its as simple as that." Venkman answered as the two of them exited the ballroom which was now in shambles.

"Nice of you guys to join us. Did you grab the little spud?" Ray asked, making a surprise appearance in the hallway as Michiru and Venkman headed towards the main lobby.

"Don't worry Ray, Mitch and I have got this one locked inside and under control." Venkman answered as proton discharging sounds echoed throughout the lobby as the three Ghostbusters entered by the main entranceway.

"Uh oh. Heads up, your initiation is over. Now give us a hand, we've got a gang of really persistent troublesome spirits here." Ray instructed, looking around at the Bellhop ghosts which had returned and were fighting Egon. "These ghosts sure want a fight!"

"Multiple contacts, those Bellhop ghosts we fought earlier have now come back to finish us off." Egon warned, firing a proton stream after selecting a target. "Look out behind you Mitch!"

The Shikigami user turned around just in time to see a Bellhop ghost fly into him, the sudden impact from the spirit's momentum knocked Michiru on to the floor and left him winded for ten seconds or so before Ray came over and helped the young boy to his feet.

"Thanks Ray, ouch." Michiru said as he stood up. "I guess I wasn't expecting a ghost's form to be just as solid as a mortal person, and I thought it would pass through me the same way Slimer did when he escaped from us on the twelfth floor a short while ago."

"No need to worry Mitch, everyone gets knocked down a few times here and there in a fight. Now that you're back on your feet, let's teach these restless souls a lesson using that tactic you came up with during our first battle with these Bellhop bozos." Ray replied, as the two of them fired proton streams at the closest ghost which had knocked Michiru on his feet just a moment ago. With the two of them working together, the troublesome target was quickly worn out and captured inside of Ray's trap on the floor.

"I'll help out Egon, you help out Venkman. With any luck, we'll wrap up this fight in a few minutes. Watch out on the right!" Ray shouted, as Michiru turned around and ensnared a worn out Bellhop ghost after firing a well aimed proton blast from his positron collider. "Nice streaming Mitch, you're getting the hang of it."

As each Ghostbusters was currently slamming a captured ghost in their streams, some of them were giving in to their success and shouting insults at the spirits and occasional words of encouragement towards each other. After several slams left and right, up and down; the remaining Bellhop ghosts were guided into proximity of the traps laid out on the floor and they all cried out with high pitched screams as they were pulled inside the small devices where they would be sealed until they were transferred into the main containment unit back at HQ once the Ghostbusters returned home after the work was completed. Now that the commotion was over and it was safe for the time being, the hotel manager returned from the Ballroom to complain about the destruction of the lobby.

"Well that wasn't such a chore now was it?" Ray commented, as Michiru looked around at the rubble that lay cluttered all over the floor of the once clean and tidy hotel lobby.

"Who is going to pay for all of this?" the angry man asked in a worried tone of voice as he looked at all the burn marks everywhere. "I for one refuse to pay you a cent, you've caused more interior damage than all of those ghosts did!"

"We bill the city directly to pay for all captures and eliminations, any damages are covered by insurance with every job we do as are all of our other clients who require our services. But if you're not satisfied, then perhaps we should just leave the ghosts here if that's what you would prefer sir?" Venkman replied, already knowing the man's reaction and causing Michiru to laugh momentarily at his words.

"No! no." The manager cried out before calming down. "But please, be more careful from now on when you catch ghost in this hotel."

"We'll try our best sir…" Ray replied before being interrupted by the loud laughter of a huge white ghost with a fishing rod darting out of the hallway from the kitchen at the left hand corner of the lobby and flying passed the Ghostbusters while they were crowded together. The massive spirit tried striking them as he flew passed above their heads twice before disappearing once his grand entrance was made. "Wooah! Where did he come from?"

"I suppose we should go after him, unless you'd rather discuss it first?" Egon said, turning to look at the manager who had fled and was already racing back to the Rodriguez Ballroom where he thought he would be safe from this new ghost that had just emerged.

"Mitch, go with Dr. Spengler; check out the angry fisherman." Ray ordered. "Venkman and I will remain here for a bit and deal with anymore new spooks that might arise, good luck to you both."

"Thanks Ray, we'll need all the luck we can get this morning on a job like this." Michiru replied before taking out his PKE meter and following Egon to track down the huge fisherman ghost. After making their way down the hallway where the elevators were located, Michiru and Egon arrived in what looked like a small lounge area and turned to the right, heading for a doorway which lead to the stairway of the Sedgewick Hotel.

"This way, it looks like he's drifting upstairs." Egon stated, checking his PKE meter as the two of them pushed open the doors to look up the long dark red carpeted staircase leading up to the twelfth floor. "Shh."

Michiru turned to look at Egon after hearing the signal to keep silent, the Doctor used his left hand to point at the Kururugi and then at the stairway. The Shikigami user nodded quietly to show that he had understood Egon's instructions to move up the stairs as cautiously as possible without making any noise in the hopes that they could get the jump on the fishermen ghost before he escaped. The fisherman ghost was located on either the fourth or the fifth floor as Michiru and Egon were making their way up the stairs to get to the third floor. Michiru was taking point as he walked up the stairs while Egon followed some distance behind so that each of them could view the staircase above and below from different locations as they slowly ascended, leaving no blind spots except when they weren't looking in a certain direction. The fisherman cast his fishing rod and locked the hook at the end of the line around the railing of the section of stairs built into the wall directly above where Michiru was walking; a sudden tug ripped the structure and the stairs from the wall and caused them to fall as they came apart.

"Look out!" Egon shouted after glancing up to see the danger his young friend was in. Michiru looked up and sprinted up the stairs, arriving at the third floor just in time to avoid being crushed to death by the falling debris landing where he was a moment ago. Although Michiru had escaped getting killed, he was now trapped on the third floor and Egon was unable to join him because of the fallen wreckage that blocked the stairway. "I can't get across there, move. You'll have to take the lead from here, catch this trap once I throw it to you, I'll get Ray and Venkman so we can find a way to join you later. Try and track down the spiritual entity on your own until we locate you, just contact us using your radio if you have any questions. Get going Mitch, and don't let that ghost get away."

Egon left down the stairs to rejoin the other Ghostbusters, leaving the Shikigami user by himself before he could say anything as he caught the trap. Not wanting to waste any valuable time, the Kururugi boy pulled out his PKE meter to scan for info as he walked ahead; but is instrument picked up the signal of another cursed artefact instead of the ghost he had been told to track down. It wasn't going to hurt if he took a minute or two to find the object; and each new active sample that was collected would undoubtedly provide useful data for Egon's work on developing new offensive technology so it was worthwhile to investigate. Michiru carefully ascended up the winding staircase, listening closely for any noises in case it would suddenly fall apart and collapse like the other section of stairs had moments ago; keeping his eyes on the PKE meter as he moved along until his eyes caught sight of an old painting which he now knew was the artefact in question. It was beyond doubt that this painting was what he had been looking for, because it changed its appearance slightly if Michiru adjusted his position to glance at it from a different angle; the surface of it looked like it had changed into a TV screen as the picture began to mysteriously catch fire without causing any damage or heat to itself or the wall on which it was hung.

This was indeed creepy for the Japanese student, so he quickly took a scan; making the cursed artefact vanish so that he could resume his mission of tracking down the ghost as Egon had instructed him too. Once he had retraced his path back down the stairs, Michiru decided to follow the hallway and then take a left in order to get to the elevators. Just before arriving at the turn to make a left, a bright purple light shown from around the corner of the other hallway. As Michiru dashed around to prepare himself for an expected ghost attack, a giant wave of water crashed from another hallway to the left just before the elevator room; washing away furniture and everything in its path as it made contact. The lone paranormal eliminator had just enough time to take a scan of the Pappi Sargassi fisherman ghost as he flew passed before the water's momentum washed Michiru away back to the stairs where he had been before. The water flowed down the stairs and through the railing built on the floor until most of it drained away at the bottom of the main floor of the Sedgewick Hotel, leaving a soaking wet teenager surrounded by debris, water and what looked like seabed soil with ocean vegetation all over the floor. As the shivering young man got to his feet and continued to go down the hallway where the water flood had originated, the voices of his fellow Ghostbusters were heard over his radio.

"Is there a bathtub overflowing up there?" Ray asked.

"More specifically, a seven thousand cubic meter bathtub filled with protonically charged seawater. And um…sea cumbers" Egon answered.

"Egon, I'm soaked in this freezing cold water. There aren't any negative or paranormal effects that might affect me are there?" Michiru asked worriedly as he walked with his PKE meter in hand.

"I shouldn't think so, you can always decontaminate yourself and your clothes by taking an ion shower when we return home to HQ just to be safe if that makes you feel better." Egon answered. "We're making our way to the elevators, so we should get to the third floor in five minutes or so. Try and locate that angry fisherman ghost until we arrive, good luck and don't get lost up there."

"Okay thanks Egon, see you guys in a bit." Michiru replied just before his PKE meter was detecting something to the left. Although he wanted to head for the elevators which were ahead and to the right, the young teen turned left in the hopes that he could find the fisherman ghost. As he came to a T intersection in the hallway, Pappi Sargasso (the name of the fisherman ghost identified from the PKE meter) appeared instantaneously in front of the boy; laughing as if he was high and mighty. The Kururugi boy fired his proton stream at the spiritual entity, striking it as it flew passed him and out of sight. As Michiru ran back and to the right to quickly check the elevator room before searching the maze of hallways on the third floor, his radio echoed again with the voices of his coworkers.

"Ray, did you tell Mitch about semi-dimensional rift entities? Egon asked. "This type of highly agitated environment is a likely manifestation point."

While the Shikigami user wondered what Egon was talking about, he found his way into the elevator room. His PKE meter started beeping, causing the boy to stop in his tracks to scan the room's interior for any hidden abnormalities. Even though he could have sworn that the bright blue and white round spook went to the right, Michiru begun to sense that the angry fisherman ghost wasn't the only adversary he had to worry about. He held up his tool trying to locate the source of the unknown presence and scanned a small brass lamp with four limbs each holding a fake candle with a small light bulb protruding from the top. After the Kururugi boy identified the abnormality as a candelabrum crawler, the lamp suddenly detached itself from the wall and landed upside down on the floor and charged forward like a four legged animal. The shocked teenager grabbed his positron collider just in time and fired a proton stream at the metallic menace, destroying it with an explosion after a few seconds and scattering the pieces of the device on the floor in front of him.

As a small orb of green light which must have been the spiritual entity floating away, the teenager realized that there would be a lot more of these new opponents to deal with. There were about two to four of these lamps in the hallways he had walked through, it seemed logical that these would come to life and attack him just as the first one had. Michiru was alone against all of these enemies and that numerical superiority was a serious advantage inside a hotel room with hallways that were cross connected and that he could easily be attacked from in front and behind at the same time. To make matters worse, his proton pack needed to be vented if he overheated it during a battle; giving his opponents an opportune moment to strike when his weapon wasn't operable. However, he did possess his Shikigami magic; something his enemies would not expect. Although he had be warned not to use it for fear of drawing unwanted attention, he was all alone and surrounded by just spiritual entities which gave him the option since no people were around to see him using his magic.

"Oh great, more creepy crawlies. Shikigami attack!" Michiru shouted as more of the candelabrum crawlers swarmed from the hallway where Pappi Sargassi had fled. These agile adversaries were scurrying towards the Kururugi boy on the floor, both walls and even the ceiling; making it even more difficult to target them as they charged the lone teenager. As Michiru fired his proton stream at the crawlers on the floor, he used his Shikigami magic to throw small fireballs at those on the ceiling. The ones that weren't destroyed were forced to come down on the floor with the rest, allowing the Shikigami user could concentrate his firepower on each of them as they attacked.

"Oh flame burning bright! Turn into a sword of wrath! Raging Flame!" Michiru shouted, summoning his Shikigami magic and cast a raging flame to roast the remaining candelabrum crawlers as his proton pack began to overheat. Once the bright orange fire extinguished itself and his proton pack was vented and ready again, the Shikigami user finished off the last two attackers with a proton stream. Eight candelabrum crawlers accounted for including the one he had scanned before this battle and so far things weren't going too badly. The Kururugi boy walked down the hallway to return to the stairway where the fisherman ghost must have gone, but caught sight of another metallic quadruped crawling on the ceiling where Pappi Sargassi had been before he fled. His curiosity got the better of him and the Shikigami user walked back to the T section to follow the spiritual entity which had gone left and down another hallway to the right a few steps ahead.

As the cautious young man walked down the hallway keeping his eyes and hears open, he came to a cross section in the middle of the hallway with three different directions available to him. After standing still and scanning in each direction with his PKE meter, the Kururugi boy chose the right hand hallway leading towards a small room where a soda machine and a vending machine stood. Before venturing into the hallway, Michiru fired his positron collider at each of the three lambs attached to the left wall in order to destroy them so they couldn't be used by any spiritual entities lurking about. Once he was sure that it was safe enough to approach the room, the Shikigami user The vending machine had been raided and smashed by Slimer who had emptied the contents of snacks inside earlier when Michiru and Ray were both hunting him earlier. But the soda machine was still intact, until it fell forwards as Pappi Sargassi emerged from his hiding place and darted down another hallway to the right that was impassable to humans because of the debris and solidified seabed soil coated all over the floor and partially the walls and ceiling.

This left Michiru in a bad situation, he would have to find a longer route to get to that area just to try and catch up to the elusive fisherman ghost who had the advantage of speed and mobility; not to mention a head start. This adversary was much more dangerous and difficult to find and fight than Slimer had been, and he had the candelabrum crawlers on his side as well which could lead Michiru in the wrong direction or attack and defeat him before he caught up with Pappi Sargassi. As Michiru arrived back at the cross section of the hallway and looked to the left and right, his PKE meter suddenly beeped and flashed blue on the screen; there was another cursed artefact down to the right of where the hallways intersected. As he cautiously followed the trail, he could easily identify that the object was a toaster; which was conveniently resting on a pile of seabed soil just a few feet in front of him. The teenager quickly scanned it so it would teleport itself through a dimensional plane and arrive back at the Firehouse where it could be kept safe and sound, now he had to carry on with his primary task of finding that ghost who had gotten away again; and he was getting frustrated at having to search through this maze which was flooded with seawater that had made him soaking wet and cold.

Michiru retraced his steps to where he was standing at the cross section of the hallway before he had detected the cursed artefact with his PKE meter and as he looked to the left and right, more of the metallic monsters coming from two different directions in an effort to trap him in a pincer movement; which wasn't good for the lone warrior. They had however, unintentionally given away the best route to catch up to the angry fisherman who had escaped just moments ago. Although this helped out Michiru, this new advantage would be of little use if he didn't survive battling with the horde of possessed objects first. There was nothing else for it, the Kururugi boy ran to the left as he fired his proton stream at the menacing attackers until he was forced to stop in his tracks and engage in a two front battle against these deadly enemies that were now surrounding him.

"Oh brightly burning light! Turn into a sword of wrath! Raging flame!" Michiru shouted as he cast his magic once again to launch a fire attack with its flamethrower like effect, hoping to blind and damage the enemies behind him for a few seconds so that he could deal with the ones in front with his proton stream. After about ten seconds, the magic assault was over as all of the remaining candelabrum crawlers encircled the Kururugi boy in an effort to overpower him using their advantage in numbers. Although his energy and strength were being pushed to the limit in this intense close quarter's conflict, the Shikigami user wasn't going to give up or give in. Michiru used his magic to throw small balls of fire at his enemies; he even used his positron collider as a tool to block and strike his opponents as he waited for it to reset itself before he could discharge a proton stream again. After what seemed like a long battle, all fourteen of the abnormal adversaries had been destroyed; allowing the temporarily tired teenager to resume his pursuit of the angry fisherman.

After turning left and walking down to the end of the hallway, the Kururugi boy made another left and found himself walking through a hallway that looked more like an underwater cave tunnel because of the solidified sea soil and vegetation all over the walls, floor and ceiling. But there was a light source up ahead at the end of the hallway and upon arrival, Michiru realized he was at a completely different elevator room located somewhere else in the Sedgewick Hotel. It was beautifully lit up and absolutely clean, which was a nice change of scenery after walking back and forth in a maze of flooded hallways with dangerous critters lurking about. As he followed the pathway, he stopped at entrance to what looked like a private Pub with a huge sign posted outside labelled: Sargassi. The Kururugi boy was relieved now that he had come to the right place to track down Pappi Sargassi, and he could finally fight him without the candelabrum crawlers or the seawater causing him trouble.

Once he stepped inside, he could see tables and chairs all over the floor for guests and an elevated stage at the end of the Pub with more tables and chairs for people to sit and enjoy themselves. In the centre of the room was an elevated stage, very small and round to hold a piano on top so a performer could play music and entertain everyone all around the room. The Bar stand was to Michiru's left with a long counter table with racks behind holding various bottles of spirits and other alcoholic beverages as well as clean empty glasses to serve them in. To the right was the wall with large glass windows looking out of the Hotel which gave an excellent view of the outside considering that the Bar was located on the third floor of the Sedgewick Hotel. Unfortunately, Michiru's survey of what he had deduced to be the Fisherman's Pub was cut short as Pappi Sargassi made an appearance with his long fishing rod as he floated about near the ceiling which made it difficult for the Kururugi boy to strike him continuously with a proton stream. In order to get a better vantage point from which to look and shoot around the Pub, Michiru raced passed the Bar stand and up one of two small sets of stairs leading to the elevated stage at the end of the room. Now that he was in a better position, the Shikigami user fired another proton stream at the angry fisherman as it disappeared just before the other three Ghostbusters burst through the door entrance with their positron colliders out and ready.

"Good work. Are you alright?" Egon asked, as the three paranormal eliminators walked forward to rejoin their friend at the other end of the Pub.

"My clothes are still wet and my feet are ice cold, but other than that; I'm doing alright." Michiru answered with a hint of frustration. "Oh by the way, I found six cursed artefacts here inside the hotel; I scanned each of them and they're probably back at the Firehouse right about now."

"That's great! Nice going Michiru. You might really be the right person for this job as the experimental equipment technician." Ray said as he congratulated the teenager for surviving on his own and successfully tracking down the angry fisherman ghost through a flooded maze of hallways filled with other spiritual entities.

"Yes you have destroyed a significant section of a five star New York hotel, in under three hours." Venkman replied sarcastically.

"Has it really been close to three hours? Michiru asked in surprise. "I had no idea that we've been here for that long."

"I've got something on my PKE meter, let's track it down." Egon replied, completely ignoring Venkman's comment as he tried locating the spiritual entity in order to capture it and get the job done.

As Michiru used his PKE meter and walked down the stairs to head for the Bar stand, the closed entranceway to the kitchen burst in pieces in a violent explosion. Out of the kitchen walked a colossal humanoid shaped giant, made up of a cook oven, a small furnace; and various other cooking and eating utensils that were gathered together to create the body of this spiritual entity. This opponent identified as a Kitchen Golem by Michiru's PKE meter, stood eight feet tall at the very least and was using brute force as its main weapon, making it very dangerous for anyone who was too close to this new menace, whose body was solid as a rock in the eyes of the comparatively small Ghostbusters.

"Holy smokes! What kind of a ghost is that?" Venkman replied, backing up in fear as the enormous metal monster stomped forward to attack the Ghostbusters.

"Some type of highly focused anthropomorphic animator, an entity that attracts familiar objects to itself so it can materially manifest it's rage." Ray answered as everyone redeployed throughout the Pub in order to distance themselves from the dangerous being before they could engage it. "Unfortunately, it looks as though it wants to take out it's rage by pummelling us."

"It's generating a field of attraction so strong that it's able to reassemble it's component parts." Egon added, firing a proton stream at the enemy as it roared like a wild angry beast. It'll take all four of us to wear it down so we can defeat it; everyone spread out and be extremely careful."

As the battle raged out of control and completely trashed the interior of the Sargassi Pub, Michiru was unfortunately selected as the Kitchen Golem's first target. Although this powerful opponent could be attacked by one of the teenager's more powerful magic attacks, the Shikigami user didn't want to risk using his magic in against an opponent whose body could explode and possibly injure the Ghostbusters with shrapnel like effect from all the metal devices. In addition to that, the ceiling above them could collapse on top of them if it was damaged by the sheer force of the magic spell which could mean the death of everyone in the room. The Kururugi boy positioned himself behind the piano stage in the centre of the room so as to keep the metal monster from approaching him in a frontal assault as he fired his proton stream. This would force the giant to walk around, allowing Michiru to simply move left or right around the stage to stay shielded from the Kitchen Golem as it walked about the room.

After continually blasting the armoured adversary, the tide slowly began to turn in favour of the Ghostbusters. The round metal object perched at the top of the body began to glow bright red, obviously being the head of the monster and possibly the vulnerable Achilles heel of the spiritual entity's body. All of the Ghostbusters entangled the red object with their capture streams and pulled as hard as they could, but were unable to separate it from the rest of the body. Michiru finally decided to use the Slam meter to gain additional momentum and strength to accomplish the task, tearing the head clean from the body of metal objects in one swift motion as it slammed against the wall on the other side of the Pub. As the body collapsed to the floor and scattered the remaining metal devices all over the floor, Pappi Sargassi emerged from the wreckage as the spiritual entity from inside the Kitchen Golem. Now that he had been weakened from the battle and his assembled outer body of metal armour was gone, he would be an easier opponent to take on. Just a minute or so later, the four paranormal eliminators had the round ghost ensnared in their capture streams and Michiru was slamming the angry fisherman up and down against the floor continuously in an effort to wear him out.

"Ha! Nicely done Michiru." Egon congratulated.

"That's the stuff, teach that ghost a lesson." Venkman said. "Oww! Painful."

"Ohhh! You owned that creep!" Ray commented, watching the Kururugi boy slam the spiritual entity against the floor with a painful impact. "They felt that one in Pittsburgh."

"If you don't mind, would you guys knock it off with the spectator comments and through out a trap so we can bag this ghost before my proton pack overheats?" Michiru replied with a hint of annoyance in his voice. "I've had enough of chasing this particular entity around a maze of seawater filled hallways infested with candelabrum crawlers thank you very much."

All three paranormal eliminators shut their mouths and looked at each other in surprise after hearing the Kururugi boy's words. Ray tossed a trap out on the floor while Egon and Venkman helped the Shikigami user guide the worn out fisherman into proximity so it would be imprisoned. Pappi Sargassi realized too late what was happening and had no strength or energy left to escape from the powerful vacuum effect of the device underneath him, his screams died out as he was pulled inside of the trap until the doors closed shut.

"I thought I didn't like knives and forks flying at me, but having knives and forks form together to become an angry giant is a lot worse." Venkman commented as he looked at the mess of eating utensils and cooking equipment scattered around the room.

"Happens everyday right? Anybody hear from Zeddemore yet?" Ray asked, picking up his trap as the entire floor shook from what sounded like a giant impact close by the Sedgewick Hotel.

"Uh guys? I'm right outside, and so is something else." Winston answered over Venkman's hand radio. "You need to get out here fast."

"Glad you could make it here Winston, but first…how was Aida?" Venkman asked humorously, turning to look at Michiru as the floor mysteriously shook again and again. "We've had to catch ghosts with this new employee and train him properly while on the job too."

"I've been trying to get here for over FOUR HOURS Peter! Traffic is a little BLOCKED right now!" Winston answered in a frustrated tone of voice, not liking Peter's humour at all. "And what's this about a new employee? Did you hire a new guy while I booked today off?"

"Wait…I know that thud…" Ray said worriedly as his face paled.

"Winston, what's going on down there?" Egon asked seriously after grabbing the hand radio from Venkman. "What do you see outside?"

"Its big, its fat, and none of you are going to like it." Winston answered, making Michiru wonder if the Ghostbusters had encountered what ever it was that Wintson was referring too. "I suggest you warn your new guy not to panic or flee in fear once it comes into view."

"No, this is not possible. Not here, not now, not again!" Ray responded as everyone turned to look out the windows at a giant while being walking outside by the wall of the Sedgwick Hotel. Michiru's eyes widened as he stared through the window. In all his adventures, the Shikigami user had never encountered an enemy being of this colossal size before; nor had he ever fought against one.

Author's Note: I plan to have the scenes with the Inuyasha characters in the next few chapters to be a little longer than the brief one at the start of this chapter so please don't worry about not seeing them while Michiru is in the states with the Ghostbusters. Once Michiru has assured everyone that everything is okay for the time being, than Inuyasha will travel to the feudal era so some of the other Inuyasha cast members can appear every now and then as the story progresses.

Jetty1, I regret to inform you that I haven't seen any of the Lethal Weapon movies so I won't be writing a Cursed Mask cross over with them. However, I do plan on having Michiru travel to Los Angeles during his later adventures in the U.S. after this cross over is finished. I've already chosen at least a dozen or more different shows for cross over stories, and every one of them has been chosen for a specific reason. My main problem is arranging them in the proper order so I can accurately tie them all together without causing any problems. As for interactions, you'll be seeing some funny moments involving Michiru, Illysa, and Peck in next chapter.

Orionpax09, I hope that this second chapter is somewhat of an improvement compared with the first one. As you already guessed, Michiru will be using his Shikigami magic in certain stages of the game when the need forces him to do so as long as he doesn't get caught by people who might rat him out. And you're right about Illysa taking an interest in him thanks to his magical abilities, I figured she can help him research for clues about his Shikigami powers and his paranormal experience travel from Japan to the states. I'm pleased that you're enjoying the friendship moments and interactions between all of the characters; I'll try and keep that going as I continue the story.


	3. Making new Friends and facing new Fears

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, Ghostbusters, or anything associated with either of them. This story is being written just for fun and enjoyment.

Chapter #3: Making new Friends and facing new Fears

"Everyone get downstairs now!" Egon ordered in a commanding voice, bringing everyone in the room back to their senses after staring for a few moments at the new monstrosity passing by outside. "No time for any questions or concerns until we're outside of the building."

The four Ghostbusters scurried out of the Pub and used one of the nearby elevators that were thankfully, still in working order. As the elevator lowered them down, Egon took the brief opportunity to inform Winston Zeddemore about Michiru, who had been recruited twenty-two hours ago. Once they had descended to the main floor, they scurried as quickly as they could to get to the main lobby and finally, the front entrance of the Sedgewick Hotel. After exiting the doors, they surveyed the mayhem occurring outside before them. Massive traffic jams were located all over the roads stretching for yards in all directions, dozens and dozens of abandoned vehicles both wrecked and undamaged were cluttered everywhere. Although there were no people nearby the Hotel, Michiru and the others could hear screams and cries of panic from far away as the object of their fear slowly came into view from around the corner about half a block or so away from where the Ghostbusters were presently gathered together. Ecto-1 pulled up to meet them at the front of the Hotel, the fourth member of the Ghostbusters' team who had been employed before Michiru; stepped out of the vehicle to properly introduce himself to young boy.

"The name's Winston, Winston Zeddemore, nice to meet you kid." The black haired African American said as he shook hands with the Kururugi boy. Winston Zeddemore was about the same build as Egon even though he looked stronger. He was about the same height as Ray and had a small black moustache; his black hair was so short it looked as though he had a buzz cut.

"Michiru Kururugi, nice to meet you as well Winston." Michiru replied as another stomping noise shook the ground beneath everybody's feet. "So that giant, tall spiritual entity is the one responsible for the traffic jams out here."

Standing in the middle of the intersection was a one hundred foot tall giant, dressed up to look like a sailor with a sailor's hat; it had the exact same appearance as that one cursed artefact which Michiru and Venkman had found in the kitchen during their hunt for Slimer which told Michiru why he was asked to keep it a secret so as not to alarm Egon and Ray. According to Egon and the others; his name was Stay Puft or Mr. Stay Puft, a.k.a. the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. And not just an ordinary spiritual entity, but the minion of an evil demigod named Gozer. His entire body was nothing but a giant humanoid shaped marshmallow, something that seemed even more abnormal to Michiru. Although he'd only been employed for a day a night so far, he'd seen many different kinds of ghosts and other paranormal entities inside of the Sedgewick Hotel. This new giant was the biggest opponent he had ever encountered compared to all the enemies he had faced and fought in both the Modern era and Japan's Feudal period, even though Naraku was by far the most evil and dangerous adversary that the Kururugi boy remembered fighting against. As the Marshmallow Monster stomped around scaring the city's inhabitants, he struck the sides of buildings and sent giant chunks of metal and concrete flying everywhere, some of which nearly landed on top of the Ghostbusters and on Ecto-1.

"It wasn't me that conjured up Mr. Stay Puft, not this time." Ray said with his eyes transfixed on the monster some distance ahead.

"You don't need to remind us Ray, we already know; and we didn't say anything." Venkman responded, causing Michiru to wonder how the devil Ray could possibly be responsible for summoning such a dangerous and colossal monster capable of destruction.

"Egon, tell it to me straight. How do we fight and defeat a giant monster like that?" Michiru asked in a serious tone of voice, hoping that he wouldn't have to use his magic out in the open like this unless he had no other choice.

"I don't know Mitch; the circumstances of this encounter are somewhat different than the first time we've had to fight him." Egon answered, as he got into the front passenger side of Ecto-1 while Ray sat in the driver seat and slowly drove the vehicle down the road to follow Stay Puft.

"You mean that this isn't the first time you guys have fought against that giant thing?" Michiru asked, a little shocked and surprised that mere human beings could even stand up to a towering monster like Mr. Stay Puft with nothing but proton packs to fight with; let alone defeat it.

"To keep the long story short, I'll give you a simple rundown of what happened; so listen up Mitch." Venkman explained. "Many years ago, all four of us were fighting an evil Sumerian shape-shifting god named Gozer the Gozerian. Gozer was summoned into our world through a dimensional portal which opened through a gate built at the top of an apartment building located at 55 Central Park West. We found out that he manifests into the pre chosen physical form of any other being whether they are real or imagined just before he appears and destroys his intended victims. On that same occasion, we tried making our minds blank to avoid summoning him completely so we could save New York City from certain destruction. But unfortunately someone couldn't make their head empty could they Ray?

"I couldn't help it, it just popped in there." Ray countered, looking out the window at Venkman and Michiru as they walked along side Ecto-1. "I was just trying to think of something that could never ever possibly destroy us, that's all. The Mr. Stay Puft I was thinking of would never want to cause harm or destruction. How was I supposed to know that the form Gozer would take would be a one-hundred foot tall Stay Puft Marshmallow Man?"

"Relax Ray, I'm just filling Mitch in so zip it." Venkman said. "Anyway, our positron colliders weren't powerful enough to destroy the manifestation of Gozer so that's when Egon came up with the idea of firing our proton streams at the dimensional portal to reverse the particle flow through the gate. Although the idea was good, we had to risk our lives by deliberately crossing our proton streams as we all fired simultaneously. We miraculously survived after reversing the particle flow which closed the dimensional portal and destroyed both the gateway and Gozer who manifested as the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. The massive explosion which occurred also destroyed the top of the building where the gateway was built, sending chunks of concrete falling everywhere. Once that was over, we all became heroes for a short while and that pretty much sums up our first encounter with Stay Puft."

"But this time, there isn't a dimensional portal or gateway to blast at." Winston warned. "So we're going to have to find some other way of defeating that giant Marshmallow dude, and fast before he destroys the city. That reminds me, hey Egon? Weren't you going to finish installing the new Super Slammer trap that you told me about yesterday?"

"The Super Slammer? Venkman replied as Winston and Michiru followed him on foot about five feet behind Ecto-1 as it moved forward. "Sounds like a brand new untested piece of equipment, I'm excited to try it out. We couldn't ask for a better opportunity to use it in the field, but can it work properly and actually imprison a one-hundred foot tall marshmallow man?"

"Against the manifestation of a god? That was never the intent when I designed and built it, but in theory, I suppose the device could work under the right combat conditions." Egon answered. "But a muoun trap of this capacity has never been used or even tried before. It'll work against ordinary spiritual entities, but I can't guarantee its success against an opponent of that size or one with an actual physical body. We'll have to clear a path through this wreckage all over the road first." Egon said once Ecto-1 came to a halt just before Stay Puft stomped his right foot down on the road and shook the ground everywhere around him. "Get moving; his residue is animating."

"Lord help us, Stay Puft is somehow hatching these mini-minions from himself." Ray deduced as everyone watched about a dozen or so partly roasted marshmallow creatures that barked and fought like wild angry wolfs, ran forward through the wreckage and attacked Winston, Michiru and Venkman. "Well there's a useful new trick that Stay Puft learned; he's created his own army of marshmallow mutts to sic on us. Look out everybody! We've got Fire breathing hellhounds on the loose! Blast them to oblivion and don't get burned!"

"Yeah Ray, we know and we're trying." Michiru replied as he blew up his third marshmallow minion once his proton stream entered the beast's mouth and struck the flaming centre like a lit match does to a keg of gunpowder. Each creature that didn't try biting him tried launching a small ball of fire from its mouth, forcing the teenager to counter in such a manner to ignite the monster's body so the slimy explosion would douse the fireball before it could strike him. The Shikigami user found it very disgusting when each beast exploded like a giant water balloon filled with slime residue similar to the same substance that Venkman had been covered in during his encounter with Slimer at the elevators.

"Hey, look out! More trouble!" Winston shouted, making Michiru and Venkman turn to look ahead as Stay Puft picked up an abandoned flaming car by his foot and hurled it at the Ghostbusters. Although it feel short and landed about forty or fifty feet ahead of them, the sudden impact from the projectile's momentum smashed several other abandoned cars parked on the road. A loud and devastating explosion occurred as all of the vehicles burst in pieces, sending multiple chunks of metal and shrapnel flying everywhere which nearly hit Ecto-1 and the three paranormal eliminators currently around it. After the dangerous explosion, the Kururugi boy pulled out his PKE Meter to identify several ghosts floating towards them from were Stay Puft was standing.

"Heads up guys! Multiple class 5 FRV's inbound and closing fast." Winston warned, seeing the approaching entities as well.

"They're Hobo ghosts, coming in at twelve o'clock high." Michiru replied after his scan was completed so he could switch back to his positron collider before the new enemies came within striking range of his proton stream.

"Ray, prepare the Muoun trap." Egon instructed. "Listen up everyone. All the ghosts you capture can be guided and trapped inside the Super Slammer so you don't have to worry about using your own small traps in a battle of this magnitude with so many entities."

"Switching on the Muoun trap." Ray replied as the trap activated on top of Ecto-1's roof and was ready for action.

"Blamo! Nice slam kid." Winston commented as Michiru slammed a captured ghost directly into the mouth of the Muoun trap, the light show was even bigger and better than using a hand held unit. "Oh Yeah! I like the Super Slammer."

"So do I Winston." Michiru added. "Great job on building the new trap Egon, it works perfectly in a battle like this."

As the three Ghostbusters continued capturing the Hobo ghosts, more marshmallow minions attacked as well. For a moment, Michiru thought that Stay Puft was a lot smarter than he first appeared. He was throwing two different enemies to attack the paranormal eliminators at once from the ground and from the air, but they weren't coordinated or organized like military forces and were eventually beaten by the three Ghostbusters on foot as they followed Ecto-1's slow advance through the panic stricken streets of New York City. After a brief pause of silence following the close quarters combat so far, the five combatants took half a minute to rest their legs and catch their breath.

"Guys, I'm detecting something coming from behind us so keep a sharp lookout around yourselves." Egon warned after picking up a strange abnormality with some equipment inside of Ecto-1."

"Holy cow. Do you guys see what I see?" Winston asked as everyone looked back in the direction of the Sedgewick Hotel and saw the stone gargoyle statues come to life and fly towards them after mysteriously becoming engulfed with orange flames. "Oh boy, this battle just keeps getting bigger and bigger. Grab 'em and slam 'em guys! It might be our only chance of stopping them things!"

As the flaming winged monsters dove down to attack, more ghosts appeared from a nearby alley to the left of Ecto-1. Michiru identified them as Construction worker ghosts with his PKE meter before pulling out his positron collider to battle the two new enemies as they encircled above like hungry predatory birds. A deadly battle erupted as the three Ghostbusters captured and trapped the ghosts inside of Ecto-1's Muoun trap while they avoided being struck by the stone gargoyles which dove down and deliberately struck with their rock hard fists. After being punched once and feeling lucky that only his left shoulder was sore from absorbing the impact, the Shikigami user started to slam and smash each stone gargoyle one after the other so that none of them would be left alive to injure him again or his fellow coworkers while Winston and Venkman went about capturing all the ghosts in the air. Finally the battle was over and the ghosts were trapped while the remnants of the smashed stone gargoyles lay scattered all over the road.

"And I thought it couldn't become any harder to get around Man Manhattan. Any ideas?" Ray asked after looking at the wreckage of crushed cars, metal and marshmallow muck blocking the rest of the street ahead which made the road impassable for Ecto-1.

"Hey, cut through this alley. We might be able to intercept Stay Puft at another intersection." Winston replied. "I've had enough of being forced to fight inside traffic jammed streets full of car wrecks like rats in a maze, let's find us a short cut through this Laundromat place here. Who's up for a change of direction besides me?"

"Sounds like a good plan Winston, let's go." Michiru answered, giving his colleague a thumb up to show his approval.

The Kururugi boy followed Winston inside the building and was surprised to see about two dozen laundry machines move by themselves when ever they tried getting to the other side of the room. This made Michiru think that there was a hidden ghost messing around with them so he pulled out his PKE meter in order to find the source of the paranormal activity that was causing the laundry machines to shuffle around the place, instead of finding a ghost though; he was surprised to discover another cursed artefact instead. According to his scan, the object was a lunchbox which actually looked more like a toolbox in the eyes of the young man who had found it; but it was of little concern compared with the colossal one hundred foot tall marshmallow monster they had to track down. Once Michiru and Winston both exited the building through the back door, they found themselves on the other side of the pile of marshmallow residue which blocked the alleyway.

To they're surprise; they found a gasoline truck trapped inside the marshmallow pile which was leaking fuel all over it and on the ground. Winston made a funny comment about Walter Peck cussing about the Ghostbusters causing harm to the environment when there are clearly far more dangerous incidents caused by other people that he should be barking his big mouth off at instead of them. Egon informed them that he had modified the Neutrona wand that releases the particle stream from the end of each positron collider so that it could blast a giant ball of projected energy at any given target besides a proton or capture stream. Michiru tried firing one at the marshmallow pile and set the leaking gasoline on fire, Winston warned everyone to back up far enough away to avoid getting injured just before a violent explosion completely obliterated the fuel truck and the marshmallow pile that blocked the alleyway. Once everyone figured out they were all unharmed, Ecto-1 drove through making a right turn and they made their way down the alley; staying alert in case of danger. As a loud roar echoed throughout Times Square, a large object which may have been a small car was seen smashing into the fence in a violent crash that caused the metal and wooden structure to explode apart; sending multiple splinters flying everywhere which good have harmed anyone unfortunate to be standing to close at the time.

"Hey Mitch, what're you up too? We have to go this way if we're to intercept Stay Puft, you're going the wrong way." Ray asked as Ecto-1 was turning left to go down the path that had now been cleared after the fence had been destroyed moments ago.

"Hold on Ray, I've detected a cursed artefact somewhere close by; I'll find it and catch up in a minute." Michiru answered, walking carefully in the other direction to locate the object; followed by Winston who was interested to see what the Kururugi boy would find. "It looks like that bottle wrapped up in the brown paper bag is what I detected."

"Don't scan it yet Michiru, I want to unwrap it and see if its worth drinking; I'd guess it's a bottle of wine judging by how its wrapped up like that." Winston remarked, bending down to get a closer look at the object until it Michiru's scan caused it to disappear before the man could examine it for himself. "Hey man, what'd you do that for?"

"Sorry Winston, according to my PKE meter; that bottle was filled with cough syrup and it never runs dry or gets empty." Michiru replied.

"What?" Winston complained as he and Michiru turned around to rejoin the others with Ecto-1. "Now that's a rip off, it would have been cool if that had been a bottle of booze that never runs dry instead; Oh well that's what I call tough."

"Hey Winston, I've got another one on my PKE meter; let's to go see what it is." Michiru said excitedly, turning left after confirming the signal on his instrument. "It looks as though there's a bar up a head in the direction of where the artefact is, though I advise you not to buy a drink since we're combating ghosts; not to mention Stay Puft."

"Good call Mitch, safety first; so you found it yet?" Winston asked after the two of them followed the trial of PK energy until they arrived at the back exit of bar which was named Otto's bar according to the sign which was lit up in red electric powered lettering.

"We're getting very close, oh there it is." Michiru answered stopping at the alleyway road where a set of concrete stairs went down to the main entrance of the small building, the cursed artefact which was giving off the PK energy signature was a bright orange traffic cone; not exactly a paranormal looking object."

"You found it Mitch, go ahead and scan it so we can get back to the guys and catch us some ghosts." Winston advised, not wanting to get lost or separated from the others any longer.

Once the scan was completed and the cursed artefact had been collected and relocated back at the Firehouse for safe keeping, Michiru and Winston double timed their way back and eventually caught up with Egon and the others as Ecto-1 proceeded straight down the alley road until they all came out on to a main road located at an opera theatre. The place was crowded with abandoned vehicles because of Stay Puft terrorizing the city, but the opera theatre looked like it was alright; and yet there were puddles of a strange black liquid substance which looked unusual due to its paranormal appearance. As the Ghostbusters approached the sidewalk and inspected the area more closely, their PKE meters began to buzz which meant that something paranormal was being detected nearby.

"Hindenburg, the opera. Wasn't that show shut down when the stage caught fire and killed the cast?" Ray said after reading the presentation above the buildings main entrance. "I'm picking up some unusual flux patterns here so look around for anything suspicious. Back up Mitch, don't touch or walk on that stuff."

"That slime is like acid, I'm lucky that I moved away in time." Michiru responded, checking his footwear after backing away from the pool of black substance. "Otherwise it would have eaten through the bottom of my boots; the outsides are still intact even though they have a few burn marks on them."

"That's what I thought, black slime." Ray replied. "Black slime is a hazardous form of ectoplasmic residue, toxic to both body and soul; very dangerous. Egon and I haven't developed clothes and boots to insulate against its psychokinetic effects yet, so be extremely careful."

"Dawn, that stuff is deadly." Winston added as a pink smoke rose from the black slime on the sidewalk, a large round ghost of an opera lady emerged a moment later and started singing as she rose up high above the street followed by two others. "Wooah! Watch yourselves!"

"Look out! The fat lady's singing!" Egon shouted humorously as more stone gargoyles and Hobo ghosts appeared to join in the developing battle.

"Look's like an opera singer, and a hefty one at that. Peter you better take her." Ray said sarcastically, drawing Venkman's attention.

"What's that supposed to mean? I'm a chubby chaser?" Venkman countered, causing Michiru to laugh to himself as he listened while he fired his proton stream at an oncoming gargoyle. "I took out one plump girl on a blind date because I liked her personality, and you guys can't let it go."

"No body messes with the kid on my watch while I'm in town!" Winston shouted as he smashed a gargoyle to the ground just as Michiru captured an Opera diva ghost inside of the Muoun trap before firing four boson darts directly into the face of another attacking gargoyle as it burst in pieces before flying into him. "We've got 'em on the ropes boys! Pour it into 'em Mitch! Pour it into 'em!"

As the battle continued, the Shikigami user was starting to enjoy the new upgrade that Egon had performed on his positron collider. Michiru concentrated his efforts on blasting and slamming the gargoyles while Winston and Venkman dealt with the Opera Diva and Hobo ghosts. Despite their numerical superiority and their advantage of being able to fly, all of the enemies were no match for the well trained and equipped paranormal eliminators. After what seems like a long and toiling battle, the fight was finally drawing to a close as the last few ghosts were captured inside of the Muoun trap which had proved to be an invaluable tool in battling groups of ghosts like this. Michiru ended the battle when he blasted a gargoyle with boson darts before slamming the last one directly on top of an abandoned police car that still had its alert lights and siren turned on. The Kururugi boy gave everyone a funny look of embarrassment after smashing the roof of the vehicle and silencing the noise coming from it's siren. After a brief pause to scan for anymore ghosts, the three Ghostbusters followed Ecto-1 down the road heading for the direction of where Stay Puft was located on one of the other streets nearby.

For a short while, it was a nice leisurely walk with no ghost encounters or any abnormal activities of any kind what so ever. Michiru decided to take the opportunity to tell Winston of the feudal era adventures he had experienced in Japan before travelling to the United States and how he had come to be recruited into the Ghostbusters. Winston found the teenager's story to be very entertaining, and he believed every word of it which made Michiru's tale that much shorter considering that they were currently outside in the open and on the hunt for a giant marshmallow monster that was causing havoc and destruction all across the city. Once Michiru's adventure telling was over, Winston began to tell Michiru some of the tales during his years as a member of the Ghostbusters. One of these short tales was making a toaster sing and dance to some music using some pink slime that they had found flowing underneath the city and another one which the Kururugi boy found even more awesome, was when Winston and the other Ghostbusters had used the pink slime to bring the Statue of Liberty to life so it could walk through the city to generate the people's positive energy in order to counter the negative effects from some of the same slime covering the Natural History Museum which they had to break into in order to battle the spirit of an evil Carpathian tyrant. Finally, the Ghostbusters neared the road intersection and would soon find their colossal target once they arrived.

"Time Square, post urban renewal. All shining and clean, I love it." Ray said inside of Ecto-1 just as a police car went flying out into the middle of the intersection, smashing the road before bouncing once more as it shot further down the street. The sudden impact of the vehicle told everyone who was responsible for tossing it such a great distance, they rushed forward to get to the intersection in order to catch a glimpse of their opponent to see his present course of direction in case he disappeared among the tall buildings around him.

"Say…is that him?" Venkman asked sarcastically, pointing at the only known one hundred foot tall marshmallow giant in existence who was currently standing in the centre of another intersection and was completely illuminated by the lights from the buildings around him and from the searchlights of two helicopters circling above.

"He's hard to miss Peter, don't tell me you need glasses." Michiru replied, just as Stay Puft threw another police car and nearly struck the Ghostbusters before asking. "Egon, exactly how close to we have to get the Muoun trap in order to capture Stay Puft?"

"A lot closer than this I'm afraid." Egon said with a reluctant but still serious look on his face as he suspiciously eyed Stay Puft who was digging his hand through a nearby building as if he was searching for something hidden inside.

"Hey check it out guys, call me crazy but it looks like he's looking for something." Ray deduced, wondering was the marshmallow monster would possibly be interested in.

"Is he looking for something or someone?" Egon asked, making Ray slump down into the front seat as if he was the object that Stay Puft was looking for.

"Ray, stop panicking." Michiru countered after glancing inside the car. "If Stay Puft was really after you, he would have unleashed an entire army of his marshmallow minions against us by now."

After deciding to park Ecto-1, Ray got out of the car to join the others on foot and cut across the intersection in order to get to the building that Stay Puft was examining so intently. Michiru was reluctant to run out with Ray into the open because of the media people who were currently filming and recording everything live all over the television and radio news channels for everyone to watch and listen too. But Winston and Venkman convinced the uneasy teenager that it would be alright if he just hurried across without looking in the direction of the news reporter and his camera crew, so he hurried along with his goggles down to help hide his face in order to avoid getting identified or caught on any cameras in the vicinity. While Egon stayed with Ecto-1, Winston and Venkman deployed on the other side of the intersection behind Stay Puft in order to distract him so Ray and Michiru could infiltrate the building so they could find what ever the unusually curious monster was after. Unfortunately, the operation didn't quite go as they had planned.

"Oh no, the Muoun trap is damaged. It must have been hit by some shrapnel from that third vehicle Stay Puft just threw which grazed the roof of Ecto-1 after it struck the ground as it bounced." Egon said before issuing orders. "I've got to withdraw Ecto-1 a safe distance away so I can repair it back to full operational status without endangering it any further. The rest of you stick to the original strategy until I come back, but be extra careful. Winston, you and Venkman try and lure Stay Puft away from the building so Ray and Mitch can sneak inside without getting caught. Use your boson darts to combat him and watch out for his mini minions while you're at it."

"Alright Mitch, it looks like its up to the two of us to find what that monster is looking for." Ray instructed. "Winston? Venkman? We're counting on you to keep the big guy's attention focussed elsewhere."

"That's a lot of open ground to cover, and our manoeuvrability will be severely limited because of all the wrecked vehicles around here." Michiru pointed out with a worried look on his face as he surveyed the street before looking at Stay Puft. "I feel like a tiny ant crawling around while trying not to get stomped on."

"He knows that both of you are approaching the building Ray, I don't think he wants you near it." Egon warned as he drove Ecto-1 in reverse to temporarily redeploy to a safer location so he could fix the Super Slammer.

"Yeah, we know he's spotted us. He's coming right us! Evasive manoeuvres! Mitch, stay close to me and as far away from him as you possibly can! Be sure to keep away from his feet, or he'll squash you like a bug!" Ray shouted as the white marshmallow giant stomped forward, shaking the ground and everything else with every step. "Use your boson darts to soften him up and slow him down so we can outrun that giant marshmallow behemoth! That's the way Mitch, keep firing at him! It looks like he wants s'more, get it?"

"Ray, I know you're trying to keep our morale high right now and I have no objections against it." Michiru replied as he dodged some shrapnel from an explosion caused by another car that Stay Puft had thrown in their direction as he moved closer to crush them with his massive feet. "But I'm afraid that I'm a bit preoccupied with trying to avoid getting killed by a giant marshmallow man here, so I'm sorry I can't respond to any of your jokes right now until this job is over."

"No apologies necessary Mitch, any kid your age without any weapons or magical abilities to protect themselves with would have fled far away from a dangerous spot like this." Ray responded as he fired a proton stream at the towering target which was summoning more mini-minions to use against the two infiltrators. "For what its worth, I'm glad you're working with us even though you can't risk using your magic out here in public; even in a situation as life threatening as this. Look out, more marshmallow mutts heading our way. Venkman? You've got to distract Stay Puft, Mitch and I are going to get killed out here! Wait…where are you? Venkman are you getting coffee? Our decoy's gone AWOL Mitch, Venkman's gone to get coffee! Can you believe it?"

"You're kidding me? Now!" Michiru countered with a shocked and disbelieving look on his face. "Of all the times to leave us in a lurch…"

"Winston, what's going on over there?" Ray asked over the radio. "And why is Venkman away getting coffee while we're in the middle of a suicidal situation here?"

"Don't complain to me about it Ray, Venkman's got a mind of his own and he just happened to choose an awkward moment to go get coffee." Winston countered, trying in vain to turn Stay Puft around as he fired his proton stream over and over again at the monster. "You should ask him yourself when he comes back, provided the two of you can stay alive long enough to wait for his return."

"Winston? Mitch calling, I apologize to you in advance for my choice of words that I'm about to use." Michiru responded in an angry voice as he darted in between vehicles in order to get away from the marshmallow giant. "In case his radio is turned off, please pass on a verbal message word for word. You can tell Dr. Lazybones from me that if he doesn't come back and help you out by the time Ray and I find what Stay Puft is looking for, I will personally blast his lazy hide with my positron collider until my anger subsides! Do you read me?"

"Loud and clear Mitch, and no apologies necessary." Winston replied, shaking his head as he looked around for Venkman. "I know I'd be mighty pissed at him too if I was in your shoes right now, as would everyone else. Just try to stay alive over there, over and out."

"Come on Mitch, this way." Ray said, watching Michiru fire boson darts at the marshmallow balls that Stay Puft was throwing at them in the hopes that the Shikigami user could destroy them before they hit the ground and hatched into mini-minions. "The sooner we get to the building, the sooner we can say goodbye to this dangerous environment."

As the two Ghostbusters scurried from one spot to another, Stay Puft threw more huge metallic objects at them. A fallen sign from a broken building and then another car, both projectiles thankfully missed hitting them and helped to clear up the pathway to the entrance of their destination. After seeing their chance, they raced as fast as they could inside just in time before a semi tractor trailer that was kicked forward by Stay Puft slammed against the building in a violent crash; blocking the entrance to the building once it was motionless. Michiru and Ray took a minute to catch their breath from running so fast and just narrowly escaping with their lives, it was a miracle that they had been able to survive since Winston's attempts at luring Stay Puft away had failed; probably because Venkman had gone away to get coffee while everyone was still fighting inside the engagement zone of Times Square.

"Well that was definitely a close call, we nearly got ourselves killed out there." Ray commented.

"I've got something on my PKE meter Ray, let's see what it is." Michiru stated, following the trace of the signal his instrument was detecting until he arrived at the service desk where he found the source of the signal coming from a gleaming red desk phone.

"Wow, now that's a bright red phone." Ray commented as he looked at it curiously for a few seconds. "Alright, let's get going; we don't have a lot of time to look in here and for all we know Stay Puft could destroy the building with us inside it just to stop us from finding what ever he's after for himself."

After taking a scan and causing the cursed artefact to disappear in an instant, Ray and Michiru moved into the building's interior to commence their search; hoping to find what they sought before anything went wrong. Short on time with no clues of what to look for, the paranormal investigators used their PKE meters to try and trace for any abnormalities as they found their way to the elevator and used it to travel up to a higher floor of the building. Once they made their exit, Ray followed Michiru into what looked like a huge drafting room for blueprint makers and construction contractors. As they made their way through the room, they could detect that there was a hidden entity lurking somewhere inside; forcing them to stay alert while they moved cautiously around in search of the paranormal foe. After finding themselves in the middle of the drafting office, the ceiling vents suddenly crashed down as the room was being invaded from above by Stay Puft's minions; Michiru and Ray now found themselves being attacked by more hordes of the marshmallow menaces.

"Watch out! They're hiding in the vents! Ray shouted as they split up to engage the attackers. "Kill them as fast as you can! Don't let them overwhelm you with their numbers!"

"These marshmallow monsters are starting to get on my nerves Ray, too bad Stay Puft doesn't shrink in size each time he creates more of them." Michiru commented as he raced for the door at the far left hand corner of the room and backed into a corner so he could pick each of them. As the majority of the monsters charged across the room in his direction, the Shikigami user discharged his proton stream at the leading attacker. Once they bunched up, Michiru fired boson darts at short range; destroying the creatures in a flaming explosion before they could close the distance between themselves and the Kururugi boy.

"If only that were true, our battle would be a lot easier. Don't worry Mitch, I don't know how; but we'll find a way of beating Mr. Stay Puft so he won't be alive to create more marshmallow mutts." Ray replied, finishing off the last few remaining monsters before approaching the door where Michiru was standing by after his fight as over. "Well that takes care of that bunch, I hope that's the end of them for now."

"I'm not picking up anymore entities…hold on, my PKE meter is beeping again." Michiru warned, holding up his instrument and looking at it to see what it was detecting. "There's another cursed artefact in here, let me find out its whereabouts; well that certainly looks very well built."

"Yeah, who ever built that put a lot of fine detail into it." Ray added as both of them admired the detail of the scale model of the low rise building which was lit up from the inside with its own internal lights, the whole model was about three feet in length and width which made it impossible for one person to move around; but the Ghostbusters didn't have to worry about that thanks to the effect of scanning it with their PKE meters.

"I've been thinking Ray, this is the second cursed artefact we've found inside of this building; but I seriously don't believe they're the reason why Stay Puft wants us dead because I also found more earlier back at the Sedgewick Hotel and outside in Times Square." Michiru deduced while he and Ray walked towards the door to search the rest of the rooms on the floor. "There has to be something else inside of here that would explain why Stay Puft has taken such an interest in this building, otherwise he wouldn't have sent his marshmallow monsters after us."

"You're right on the money Mitch, let's resume our search and try and find the cause of this before we have another run in with more marshmallow mutts." Ray replied just as each of them was about to open the doors in order to leave the drafting office.

Before the two Ghostbusters could pull on the door handles, both doors burst open; revealing ten more mini-minions as a woman's scream echoed from around the corner at the opposite end of the hallway from where they were just outside of. After quickly getting to their feet, both Michiru and Ray ran through the minion infested hallway as they blasted everything in their path with boson darts so they could rescue who ever it was that needed their help. As they continued to run in order to chase down the woman who must have fled further into the building, Stay Puft was clearly seen walking outside in the same direction through the windows; the glass shattering in pieces with every quake like vibration that erupted. Before going through the next doorway, Michiru suddenly halted as his PKE meter buzzed again; detecting yet another cursed artefact which was hung on the wall and easy to see without being hidden.

"I've found another cursed artefact Ray, that comes to a total of twelve that I've discovered so far tonight." Michiru said, quickly scanning the large, abstract painting and making it vanish before Ray caught up to the Kururugi boy after vanquishing the other monsters in the hallway.

"You've found twelve cursed artefacts?" Ray exclaimed in disbelief, getting a quick nod from the teenager as they got to the doorway which lead to the next room. "Wow, that's quite a collection; we'll have to look around the Firehouse and see where all of them have located themselves once we return after this job is over. Boy, Egon will be impressed; he's always looking for new paranormal active samples to study and collect."

After entering an office room that was partly in shambles with almost all of the entire outside wall missing from the building, Michiru and Ray finally got a glimpse of the woman who so desperately needed their help. The two of them were very surprised to find that it was the same young lady that they had seen earlier leaving the elevator back at the Sedgewick Hotel. She was crouched down with her hands cradling her head as if she was either injured or trying to prevent herself from fainting or panicking. A large oval shaped desk sat in the middle of the floor which separated her from her two saviours, the rest of the floor and ceiling to the right of the desk were both gone and would make getting from one end of the room to the other an even more dangerous task considering how high up they were in the building. As Stay Puft came into view from outside of the huge broken windows, Michiru's mind suddenly snapped with a thought; this young woman must be who the marshmallow giant was looking for. The Kururugi boy made a dash, darting forward and making a running jump on top of the desk in front of him.

"Watch it Mitch! Get moving! Both of you!" Ray shouted, firing his positron collider as Stay Puft's massive arm swung inside of the office and decapitated the desk just moments after Michiru had leapt from it and landed on his feet beside the young woman. As the marshmallow giant continued to move his hand in an effort to grab both of them, Michiru fired a boson dart at point blank range; striking Stay Puft right in the eyes and causing him to withdraw his arm just long enough for the Shikigami user to grasp the young woman's hand and pull her through the door and into the hallway on the other side of the destroyed office room. The two of them fell on to the floor beside each other as everything shook from Stay Puft striking the building again, about nine mini-minions appeared and crawled inside from above the torn ceiling, but Ray was able to defend himself even though he was separated from his companion Michiru.

"Oh great. Get crawling Miss, those monsters are trying to break the door down." Michiru warned as the door was being bashed from the other side. The Shikigami user held the door shut with his feet until he could stand up and push the weight of his body against it to prevent it from moving, but he was no match for the combined strength of the other creatures as they slammed themselves into the door over and over again until they forced it open. After the door burst open, Michiru discharged several boson darts at five of the filthy fire breathing creatures as they tried to funnel themselves through the narrow doorway; destroying all of them completely before they could attack him and the young woman still on the floor about a meter behind the Kururugi boy. Once everything was silence, Michiru breathed a sigh of relief now that the fight was over for the moment.

"Hey Mitch, come back here and check out the view of Manhattan." Ray said looking at Michiru who was currently helping the young lady stand up after just getting to his feet himself. "It looks real great from this vantage point, especially now that its dark with all the city lights turned on."

"No thanks Ray." Michiru replied, catching his breath as he looked at the edge where Ray was standing. "I'm sure the view is fantastic and all, but I really hate heights."

"Venkman, come in please." Ray called over the radio. "We're going through one heck of a battle up here. The building is infested with marshmallow mutts and chunks of the building's exterior are missing everywhere on, especially where we're at. We need you up here on the thirty-third floor ASAP, this is not a request."

"I'm glad you guys are still alive up there, but I've got my own problems down here in the streets." Venkman replied, causing Michiru to shake his head. "These slime monsters have me preoccupied at the moment; they're very troublesome and especially disgusting when they explode in your face."

"Did we mention that there's a spectacularly beautiful lady up here that needs assistance?" Ray countered as he talked into his radio, giving the young woman an apologetic look.

"I'll be right there, just keep her safe from the marshmallow monsters until I arrive would you?" Venkman replied again.

"Thanks for coming to my rescue young man; it was very brave of you even though you put your own life in danger." The young woman replied gratefully after turning to look at Michiru.

"No thanks are necessary, just glad you're alright." Michiru replied, trying not to looking at the pretty woman in the eyes for too long. "Ray, what's our next course of action?"

"We'll decide that once Venkman gets up here, we should just stay here and wait for now." Ray answered as he leaned his back against the steel door behind him. "We could use a few minutes of rest before we continue moving on after what we've been through. Besides, we'll get even with him by making him look for us while we take a breather; it's the least we deserve after he left to go get coffee when he was supposed to help Winston divert Stay Puft away from us so we wouldn't get attacked or nearly squashed."

"I have to agree, I need a breather as well." The young woman said as she stood in the middle of the floor about four feet apart from Ray and Michiru who were both leaning against the opposite walls to get some rest and recover their energy. Suddenly, a voice came from behind the steel door that Ray was leaning against and everyone quickly figured out who it was as the person knocked on the door.

"Who's there?" Ray asked, holding the door shut with his body.

"Peter Venkman." the man replied from behind the door.

"Peter Venkman who?" Ray asked again, deliberately annoying Venkman and causing a laugh to burst out of Michiru's mouth at his companion's unexpected little joke.

"What do mean Peter Venkman who? Open the dawn door Ray so I can help out this damsel in distress before more marshmallow monsters show up." Venkman countered in an annoyed voice as Ray opened the door just in time to glance at the beautiful leather clad woman before seeing Michiru pointing his positron collider right at him. "Hey Mitch, how goes the battle up here?"

"Oh fine, we had to rescue this beautiful lady standing before you from Stay Puft and his mini-minions all by ourselves. Did Winston mention how the two of us nearly got squashed outside because someone disserted his post to go get coffee instead of helping us out?" Michiru replied sarcastically as he fired a boson dart at two marshmallow monsters from outside the steel doorway, scaring the heck out of Peter Venkman as his eyes widened with fear thinking that he was the Kururugi boy's intended target. "I hope you've learned your lesson Peter, don't leave any of us in a life threatening situation ever again. Because if you do, I might not choose to cover your back one of these days."

"Ray, we need to impose some disciplinary action on this kid when we get back to Headquarters." Venkman whispered to Ray as Michiru walked towards the door on the opposite wall at the corner of the hallway which leads to the stairway. "He nearly hit me with his boson darts when he fired his positron collider at those marshmallow mutts, and I think he did it on purpose too."

"Egon? Ray calling, we need to impose some disciplinary action on Venkman when we return home after work." Ray said, talking through his radio and drawing Venkman's attention and he continued. "Leaving his fellow Ghostbusters in the middle of a battlefield where Mitch and I were nearly killed or squashed by Stay Puft is what I would call a serious offence, wouldn't you agree?"

"Egon? Ray does have a point." Winston added over the radio. "I'd also like to add that our mortgage is in Ray's name, so he's irreplaceable. And all of us already know why Mitch is irreplaceable as well, because we'd be in a lot of trouble if he was killed on the job."

The young woman glanced at Michiru curiously, making the Kururugi boy feel uncomfortable. Although she was thinking that it would be bad publicity and tragic for the Ghostbusters to have a teenage boy under their employment to be killed on the job, she had no idea that there were much bigger reasons for why the young man before her was so irreplaceable as Winston had pointed out over the radio. Michiru gave a coughing noise over the radio in order to end the radio chatter since the Ghostbusters were talking about him in front of a civilian who could accidentally find out about Michiru's little secrets. Luckily Egon figured out Michiru's warning and wrapped up the conversation.

"I'm aware of that Winston; let's end this conversation so we can beat Stay Puft once and for all." Egon replied. "I'm almost finished repairing the Muoun trap Ray, I'll give you a call when its ready; over and out."

"That reminds me Peter; you never told us how good the coffee tasted. Did you buy enough for everybody while you were gone?" Ray asked with a grin, causing another laugh to escape from Michiru yet again.

"If it makes you feel any better, I bought coffee for all of us Ray." Venkman countered, trying to explain himself. "But I was attacked by those marshmallow mutants and spilled it all over the front of my uniform as I fought them while I made my way up here."

"Uh huh? It looks to me like you pissed yourself instead, possibly when Mitch fired boson darts passed you to hit the monsters just a minute ago." Ray countered, deliberately getting a good laugh at Venkman's expense. Poor Michiru was crossing his arms as he clutched his sides, unable to restrain himself at the humour that Ray and Venkman were creating. Ironically, the Kururugi boy was laughing so hard that not a single sound escaped from his lips because it was all trapped inside his stomach. The young woman standing a few feet away had a worried look on her face, thinking that the boy was having a heart attack or something. After a moment of observation however, she quickly figured out that he was just laughing a little too hard. She briefly smiled at Michiru's predicament, glad that the young teenage boy could experience some laughter while he was in such a dangerous situation.

"Pardon me for breaking up your little reunion, but was that a manifestation of Gozer?" The young woman asked, getting the attention of the three Ghostbusters.

"Yes it was, how very bright of you." Venkman answered, trying to make a good impression in front of the pretty lady.

"Now that we're all rested, we should get moving before Tubby Soft Squeeze destroys anymore parts of the building and traps us here." Ray suggested, causing Michiru to laugh again.

"Ray, I'm going to die of laughter rather than in the field from a ghost if you don't stop saying so many funny remarks." Michiru commented, finally able to contain himself as Ray kicked the corner door open. After walking through, the four people found themselves in a stairway of the building. It would be a long descent if they were lucky enough to get to the bottom alive without being attacked on the way down. As the three adults made their way down, the Kururugi boy stayed at the top to catch his breath for a few seconds in order to calm himself down after laughing so hard from Ray's hilarious comments earlier. Suddenly the building shook violently, as Stay Puft's arm tore through the exterior wall and demolished the staircase; completely trapping the four human beings on the thirty-third floor.

"Looks like we're not getting out that way, not with the stairs gone." Ray said reluctantly as he looked at the wreckage of twisted metal and broken concrete.

"Well we can't stay here, so where should we go now." The leather clad beauty asked as Ray retraced his footing and headed back up the stairs to where Michiru was.

"Let's go up to the roof, we'll be safer up there and have the advantage of being above and out of Stay Puft's reach." Ray said as they all moved upward. "If we can get to the roof, we'll be able to move around a lot more than in here. And if we can capture the giant marshmallow man with the Muoun trap, then we can get down the same way Mitch and I came up through the building afterwards."

As the four companions made their way up the stairs, Stay Puft slammed his fists through the brick walls in an effort to stop them before they could get to the roof of the building. Although everything shook violently and they lost their balance and speed with every sudden impact, the struggling people managed to keep going up despite Stay Pufts attacks and the rubble of broken brick all over the stairs. Finally after a dangerous and intense climb, the tired mortals arrived at the roof and escaped from the manifestation of Gozer at least for a little while. As they surveyed the new environment around them, Michiru was relieved that the roof was so wide; it would be a lot easier combating any enemies that they might encounter with all the free room to move around on. Except for a few ventilation shafts and other structures scattered here and there, most of the roof of the building was flat which almost made running around that much quicker.

Suddenly several ghosts emerged from inside some of the ventilators and rose up high into the pitch black sky as they prepared to attack the three Ghostbusters. Michiru had used his PKE meter on one of them and identified the new opponents as Construction worker ghosts, they were easy to identify from their tool belts and bright yellow hard hats. Unfortunately, some of the tools that the ghosts had in their possession included what looked like nail or staple guns. When they started firing, everyone ducked for cover beside or behind some of the ventilators until the ghosts had foolishly emptied their clips; thus rendering their tool guns useless unless they had spare ammo to reload with.

"How the devil did they manage to shoot at us with those guns of theirs while the barrel has a built in safety switch to prevent them from firing unless they're touching something?" Venkman asked as he crouched down behind a ventilator to avoid getting shot by the ghosts.

"Perhaps the laws of physics don't apply to a ghost or its possessions, which could also explain how they can fire their guns without having them plugged into an air hose for pressure." Michiru answered, as nails and staples ricocheted off of several ventilators that each of the Ghostbusters were hiding behind.

"Alright, these gun wielding ghosts are toast!" Venkman stated. "Hey Mitch, what do you say we blast these trigger happy spooks to kingdom com once they run out of ammo?"

"Sounds like a plan Peter, you up for it too Ray?" Michiru replied, getting ready to move.

"Ready when you guys are, listen for their guns to stop firing." Ray instructed shortly before everything went silent. It was now time to strike before the ghosts could react or reload. "Now! Let them have it!"

"Alright spooks! Which of you wants to be the first to say hello to my little friend?" Venkman yelled with delight as he stood up before firing his positron collider at the very construction worker ghost who had been shooting at him moments ago. "No one? Well then, it looks as though I'll have to introduce each of you to my little toy one at a time! And I think I'll start with you sir, that's it. Don't be shy, she only bites and blasts when I tell her too!"

"Hey Ray, three of us against six of them; good odds for any of the Ghostbusters right?" Michiru commented as he slammed an entangled spiritual entity into a nearby ventilator before dragging it towards his trap that he had tossed out earlier.

"You said it Mitch, we can beat them no matter how outnumbered we are." Ray replied, blasting a ghost with boson darts and obliterating the entities tools and weapons from his work belt. "We'll take you spooks on any time and anywhere!"

"Whose the man? Whose the man? Hey guys, who ever captures the least number of construction spooks has to buy coffee for everyone after the battle is over. What do you say?" Venkman asked in an excited tone of voice as he slammed his worn out ghost into the ground over and over again.

"You're on Peter, I should warn you that I've already trapped one ghost and now I'm after another one! You hear that Ray?" Michiru replied as he blasted boson darts at another levitating target to destroy its tool belt in order to disarm it so the ghost couldn't shoot back at him.

"Bring it on guys! I've already bagged one as well so you better move fast!" Ray countered as he pulled a second ghost into proximity of his trap that was laid out on the floor, the device lit up before it pulled the entity inside.

"Uh oh, behind you Miss!" Michiru warned as he fired a proton stream at a ghost hovering five feet above the young woman who stood some distance away from the Ghostbusters so she could avoid the danger but still watch the battle as it became more entertaining when each of the paranormal eliminators talked amongst themselves as they went about capturing the ghosts one after another. After a few more minutes of slamming and blasting, all six ghosts were sealed inside the traps without any problems. Ironically, each of the three Ghostbusters had captured two construction worker ghosts which meant that they all matched evenly. As a result of the unexpected scores, the little wager was pointless.

"Oh well, all of us still had fun." Michiru stated. "We caught all the ghosts and that's what matters."

"Great job!" the young woman said in a sweet voice to congratulate the three Ghostbusters on a job well done as she joined them now that it was safe to step out into the open.

"Hang on Mitch, Venkman should get the coffee since he used your trap to imprison his two ghosts inside of." Ray stated.

"Hold on a sec Ray, you never said we couldn't use each other's traps in the contest?" Venkman countered. "But I'll get the coffee anyway, because only I know where the best coffee is in the city."

"Ray, Winston and I have lost sight of Stay Puft. Is he in your vicinity?" Egon asked over Ray's radio.

"You're kidding me, how can something so huge just vanish without a trace?" Ray asked in surprise.

"We don't have an answer for you Ray, but he should be easy to detect since he makes the ground quake when he walks even if you can't see him." Winston replied. "We last saw him outside the building you guys went inside to search so he should still be close by; you dig what I'm saying."

"Yeah I dig it Winston, we'll find him eventually and let you know when we do." Ray instructed. "Okay guys; get out your PKE meters. We're looking for the biggest spiritual spook in paranormal history, the big white marshmallow manifestation of Gozer himself. Keep your eyes and hears open, stay alert and look sharp."

"You heard him Mitch, move out and start scanning." Venkman stated as the three of them pulled out their small scanning instruments and walked forward once their goggles were down.

As the three Ghostbusters slowly moved around cautiously with the leather clad beauty following close by, they manoeuvred around multiple ventilators and skylights which protruded from the roof that they were walking on. After two or three minutes, the four of them drew closer to the very edge of the building where their PKE meters seemed to be detecting some sort of paranormal anomaly coming from even though they couldn't hear or see anything. Michiru's experience told him that in a situation like this, there was always a calm quiet moment before the storm arrived whether it was a battle or some scene from a scary movie. Reluctant to move so close to the building's edge with nothing to protect himself with, the Kururugi boy put away his PKE meter and pulled out his positron collider in case of any sudden surprises.

Before anyone knew what was happening, the head and upper body of Stay Puft unexpectedly shot up from the side of the building and knocked everyone on their backs and backsides except for Michiru who managed to stay balanced as he fired a proton stream at the massive marshmallow monster. Stay Puft reached his right arm out over the roof of the building to try and grab the young lady before she could get to her feet and run away, but because the Shikigami user was blasting boson darts in his face at point blank range; the manifestation of Gozer lost the opportunity as well as his balance and fell back down the side of the building. Once everyone had joined Michiru at the building's edge they could see Stay Puft falling from where they now stood.

"Good job Mitch, way to be prepared for the worst." Ray commented as he looked down with the others. "Free smores everybody, all you need to get are some graham crackers and chocolate. Hurry while marshmallows last, stuff your faces before a clean up crew comes along."

"Watch him guys, there he goes. The evil giant marshmallow manifestation meets his doom with a big SPLAT at the bottom of the building in five, four, three, two. Ohhh, not quite ready to die just yet." Venkman commented humorously as he watched the scene far below unfold. "Hey Ray? How mad do you think Stay Puft is right about now for being knocked off the roof of a thirty-story building by Mitch after he stopped him from abducting this young beauty here?"

"I'd say he's really pissed off, considering that this is the second time that Mitch stopped Stay Puft from abducting her." Ray answered, making a chilling feeling crawl up Michiru's spine. "It happened about five minutes before you joined the three of us a short time ago."

"Really? Well I would say he's mighty pissed since he has to climb all the way back up here just to fight and risk getting knocked down again." Venkman added, making the Kururugi boy feel even more uneasy.

"That giant blue and while toy…man…thing is still climbing up the building to attack us, how do you plan to stop it?" The beautiful young woman asked with concern.

"Relax Miss, we've beaten this giant slime bucket once before and we can do it again." Venkman replied in a triumphant tone of voice, trying to act high and mighty. "There's no need to worry, so just watch and enjoy the show."

"Ray, I've got the Muoun trap fixed and operational again. Winston and I are driving in Ecto-1 towards your location so we can redeploy it underneath Stay Puft. Can you keep him occupied for a few minutes so we can get into position down here?" Egon asked over the radio.

"We can't make any promises, but we'll do our best to distract him." Ray answered as the three Ghostbusters turned around to look behind them after hearing some strange noises. "Uh Oh! More mini-minions! They're coming from behind us! They've got us pinned against the edge of the roof!"

Suddenly, ten of Stay Pufts mini-minions appeared from behind the preoccupied humans and took them by surprise. Stay Puft must have thrown a ball of them up here as he reached his arm out before he fell down the side of the building, which would explain why they came from the other side of the roof and attacked the Ghostbusters from behind. They were backed against the building's edge and had no room to move around in without falling off of the roof. To make matters worse, there were too many monsters to combat all at once. As Venkman and Ray fired boson darts at the attacking monsters, the beautiful young lady was deliberately pushed over the edge of the roof by one of the creatures. As she lost balance and began to fall, Michiru dove to the edge and grabbed each of her wrists just in time to stop her from falling to her death. Unfortunately, the Kururugi boy had landed with nearly his full upper body hanging over the edge when he caught the damsel in distress; meaning that he could not hold her without being dragged down himself. Luckily for the two of them, Ray and Venkman both grabbed on to Michiru's harness belt that was attached to his proton pack in order to prevent both of their companions from falling all the way down to the ground below after they had quickly annihilated the marshmallow menaces first.

As Michiru's senses recovered after several impacts against the side of the brick wall during his fall, his mind suddenly became aware of the ever increasing danger he had to face now that he found himself trapped in this life threatening situation. He was hanging upside down from the top of a thirty-story building with only his safety harness belt that was attached to the proton pack strapped to his back to keep him and the poor lady below him from falling to their deaths. How long would Ray and Venkman be able to hold on to them before their strength gave out? He couldn't twist or turn around because of the belt that was attached to his proton pack strapped to his back, and the pretty woman he held on to couldn't climb up either because she had nothing else to grab hold off other than Michiru's wrists. To make things worse, Stay Puft was still alive trying to climb up and kill them both for all they knew so they had to try and climb up themselves before the giant being could catch up to them.

"Are two you okay down there?" Ray asked, holding on to the other end of the belt as tight as he could with Venkman in order to support the weight of the two people hanging below like pieces of bait on a fish hook; both not wanting to be devoured or killed by the marshmallow behemoth currently climbing up the building. "You're all strapped in; we've got a good tight grip on your harness belt so you won't fall. I'm afraid its all up to you now Mitch, you've got to defeat Stay Puft before he gets close enough to attack the two of you. Neither of you will be able to climb up until after he's been eliminated first, you got that? Here he comes, the great manifestation of Gozer himself! Stay Puft, the Giant Marshmallow Man versus Mitch, our one and only Experimental Equipment Technician!" Ray cried out from above. "We're routing for you Mitch! Blast that mutated marshmallow monster with everything you've got!"

"O-Okay M-Miss, just stay calm and don't panic." Michiru said, trying to comfort her even though he was in no better position than she was to rescue both of them from the perilous height that they were suspended at.

"My name's Ilyssa, and what makes you think you can get us out of this mess?" The young woman replied, obviously not believing that a mere teenager could safely get them out of this dangerous predicament. "You've nothing to worry about; you're strapped to that safety belt that your friends are hanging on too."

"That's easy for you to say, your hanging right side up unlike me and don't have to look down. I do, I'm afraid of heights and I don't like what I see climbing up from underneath us." Michiru countered, looking Ilyssa in the face after glancing at the even bigger danger which was slowly approaching them from below. Ilyssa foolishly gave in to her curiosity and glanced down to see the giant Stay Puft Marshmallow Man drawing closer and closer as he crawled upwards. Her eyes widened with fear as she turned her head back to look up at the young man still holding on to her.

"O-Okay, you're right. Things are much worse than I thought, I can see that now. Your fellow Ghostbusters call you Mitch right?" Ilyssa asked, getting a nod from Michiru while trying to keep a grip on the boy's wrists and hands as they continued to hold on to each other. "Do you have any ideas or suggestions of how we can both get out of this mess alive?"

"Uh, y-yeah. But you aren't going to like what I'm about to tell you." Michiru warned, giving the young beauty a serious look in the face while he kept a close eye on Stay Puft every few seconds as he continued. "First of all, when I say now; I need you to let go of my right hand. As soon as you do, reach down for my positron collider that's hanging beside you and pass it to me before grabbing my right wrist. After that, I need you to release your right hand and grab on to my left wrist. I'll still hold on to you with my left hand until your grasping my right wrist with your other hand, but please do exactly everything I've said in the order I've told you; this is vitally important. Are you up to this Ilyssa? This is going to take careful timing so get ready…okay…now!"

Ilyssa quickly snatched the tool hanging from the power cord attached to the young boy's proton pack and passed it up to him before tightly grabbing both of his wrists one after the other with each of her hands in the order she was told. Once Michiru had his positron collider back and Ilyssa had a good firm grip, he discharged a boson dart directly at an enormous pile of metal that Stay Puft had thrown after tearing it from the building. The two young adults to swing back and forth as they were both struck by the shockwave of the explosion from the blast which occurred about ten or fifteen feet below Ilyssa's ankles.

"Wooah! Oh my God!" Ilyssa shrieked in fear, thinking that she was falling even though she was just swinging from left to right with Michiru. As they both slowed down again, the two of them could see Stay Puft creating some new marshmallow mini-minions from both of his huge white hands. Each of these abnormal, but still freaky looking monsters looked like a giant pair of dentures; both lipless jaws full of triangular sharp teeth surrounded by a body of black gums and bulky muscle tissue. All ten of the new creatures began to slither up the side of the building towards the two vulnerable people, displaying their shark like jaws in a threatening manner as they drew closer. "Oh my God, I don't believe this happening."

"Its alright Ilyssa, just stay calm." Michiru continued, keeping an eye on Stay Puft every few seconds as he talked. "I'm going to try and walk downwards so I'll be standing with my feet firmly on the glass window and my legs level with the rest of my body. This is going to be a little painful for me so please try not to move for a bit okay Ilyssa?"

Ilyssa nodded in understanding as the Kururugi boy forced his legs and started to walk downwards a few inches at a time, the strain on his body taking its toil over him with every small movement. As he continued walking, Michiru fired his proton stream at the approaching creatures; knocking them off the side of the outside wall before they came close enough to attack his female friend still hanging below him by gripping his wrists. This was extremely difficult because it required the young teenager to aim his weapon from one target to the next even while his arms and wrists were being pulled down by Ilyssa's bodyweight. In addition to that, the wavy proton stream could have accidentally struck Ilyssa since she was hanging underneath but almost directly below the line of fire. Nevertheless, Michiru had miraculously managed to defeat all of the monsters as he repositioned himself so that his head was now level with his feet which were planted firmly against the rectangular glass window of the thirty-story building. Suddenly, Stay Puft spat a huge gob of marshmallow slime from inside of his mouth towards Michiru and Ilyssa. The Shikigami user quickly discharged his proton stream at the giant spit ball, destroying it in a slimy explosion before it could strike the two of them. After that threat was over, Michiru blasted a boson dart and caused Stay Puft to fall a short distance down the building after striking the marshmallow giant square in the face. Now that he had bought some time, Michiru had to get Ilyssa to safety before the opportunity was lost.

"Ilyssa, I'm going to pull my hands up close together by my right shoulder and move my left hand close to my right wrist so you can grab on to it with your left hand just for a moment." Michiru instructed, looking Ilyssa in the face again. "When you're holding on to my right arm with both of your hands, I'm going to grab on to your right arm so I can pull you up a bit. After I pull your arm closer, I need you to grab on to my right shoulder strap with your right hand. I promise that I won't let go of you with my left hand until after you've got a good firm grip on the strap okay? Here we go, now reach for it. That's it, get a good firm grip around it with your right hand okay?"

"Alright, I've almost reached it." Ilyssa replied, as Michiru pulled her right arm from between Ilyssa's shoulder and elbow so that she could reach the shoulder strap with her hand. "There, I've got your shoulder strap gripped in my right hand Now what?"

"Oh great, more trouble." Michiru stated as his widening eyes beheld Stay Puft creating a second batch of new monsters to unleash against Ilyssa and himself. If he couldn't get Ilyssa out of here quickly, she could be trapped with him in this duel to the death battle that was about to begin. "Ilyssa, swing your left foot upwards as high as you can so I can grab it and hold in place with my left hand. Afterwards, just stay still and hold on tight with your hands while I walk down some more."

"Right…there, you've got my foot." Ilyssa replied after Michiru held the bottom of her foot in the palm of his left hand with his fingers gripping tightly around it. The Kururugi boy began to walk down more and after nearly a tough minute of careful footwork, he managed to position himself right side up with Ilyssa right in front of him with their faces nearly level with each other.

"That second wave of monsters is approaching Ilyssa; I can't fire my positron collider now that we're positioned like this so here's the plan." Michiru instructed. "I'll hold your left foot steady and support your weight while you try and pull yourself up so you can reach the harness belt on my proton pack with your left hand. It should be close enough to you now that I'm right side up like you are, once you've grabbed it; I want you to pull yourself up. I'll lift your left foot as you go up, then you can climb on to my right shoulder with your right knee so you can eventually stand up on the top of my proton pack and start climbing up the belt until you reach the top of the building where Ray and Peter can help you get on the roof."

"Alright, but what about you Mitch?" Ilyssa asked with concern for the young man who had now officially saved her twice in one morning. "I can't leave you here after all you've done, why can't you climb up after me?"

"There's no more time, Stay Puft his getting closer and his marshmallow monsters are almost at our heels!" Michiru countered in a demanding voice, not in the mood for an argument while both of them were literally hanging in the balance between life and death from the top of a thirty-story building. "I'll stay here and hold them off, I'll join you on the roof after the battle is over so please get going!"

The leather clad beauty was about to say something more, but reluctantly did as the Kururugi boy had ordered. After taking hold of the belt protruding from the proton pack, Ilyssa pulled herself up as Michiru assisted her until she was standing on the young boy's right shoulder. As she started climbing upwards, the Shikigami user began blasting a proton stream at the ten to fifteen nightmarish critters with his positron collider. Things were finally looking up for the tired teenager even though he was still hanging so high above the ground, he could finally move more freely to battle Stay Puft and his new batch of monsters now that Ilyssa was above him and climbing to safety. However, the numerous creatures were so close that Michiru had to jump to avoid getting his feet bitten off since he couldn't shoot them all in time with his proton stream. Although he could use the belt to help swing himself left or right as he dodged, the swinging caused him to brake away from the building which made him hang upside down again like he was before when he slid off the roof's edge with Ilyssa earlier.

"Don't you ever run out of marshmallow monsters, you disgusting, slime spewing; filthy fat sack of blob!" Michiru shouted angrily at Stay Puft, as he finally finished off the last of his minions. The Shikigami user then fired a boson dart and struck Stay Puft in the face which left a number of burn marks on his head, causing the massive monster to lose grip and fall back down yet again after crawling closer to attack while the teenager was preoccupied with his creepy critters. "You want s'more, cause I've got plenty more where that came from you paranormal puke pot!"

The giant marshmallow man was extremely angry at hearing those two insulting remarks, especially from the same person who had stopped him from getting Ilyssa twice this morning already. With nothing but vengeance on his mind, Stay Puft crawled upwards at a slightly faster pace than before; roaring angrily as he climbed to reach his target who was still hanging above him like bait on a fishhook. After sustaining more hits to his face from the teenager's proton stream, he stopped short and spewed a huge pile of slime from his mouth; striking the building as Michiru swung to avoid getting hit. Meanwhile, Ilyssa was almost at the roof and was only four feet short of the edge as she slowly climbed up.

"Come on, you're almost here; you can make it." Ray said encouragingly as he continued holding the belt with Venkman.

"Uh oh, watch out from below!" Venkman warned as he watched the giant slime ball from Stay Puft's mouth struck the side of the building below Ilyssa, partly soaking the belt in the slippery wet substance. The sudden swinging combined with the slime soaking the belt caused Ilyssa to lose her grip and slowly start to slide down, gaining speed rapidly as she descended. "Oh no, this is going to be painful."

"Oh no! Ahh!" Ilyssa cried out as she slid all the way back down the belt, landing in a standing position still holding the belt with her hands by her head; and her feet striking the proton pack in a sudden impact.

"AHH! Whoa! OW!" Michiru sudden cried out after feeling a very painful impact against his back as his body shook violently about while still hanging in the air. Although the proton pack absorbed most of impact, it was still painful to Shikigami user even though he didn't sustain any back injuries from breaking Ilyssa's fall. As Stay Puft created more monsters to send against Michiru, Ilyssa adjusted her feet on the proton pack so she could stand up while holding on to the belt with both of her hands to steady herself and keep still so she wouldn't cause any further injury to the teenage boy underneath her. And if things weren't bad enough already, they were about to get a whole lot worse. The sudden impact from Ilyssa's fall as well as her movements with her shoes caused the exposed electrical wiring of the proton pack to short out and become partly disconnected. As he continued firing boson darts at the approaching monster, the power of Michiru's positron collider gradually drained completely until it could no longer function. "What the? Oh no, come on. Not here! Not now! No! No! No! No!"

Ilyssa suddenly realized only too late what had happened, she could plainly see the disconnected wires beneath her feet as she looked down. Even in the dark, she could also see sparks flying from Michiru's proton pack which further confirmed that the boy's only weapon for combating ghosts was out of action. Unaware of the accident which had just taken place, Ray and Venkman looked down to see whether Michiru and Ilyssa were both okay as they also observed Stay Puft and more of his minions advance closer and closer to the duo. As the harsh reality of the now inescapable predicament began to take hold over the young woman's already troubled mind, Ilyssa's eyes darted back and forth from left to right looking down; watching each group of monsters slither upwards from below her and Michiru. Without a functioning weapon, they were both defenceless just hanging there like worms on a fishhook waiting to be bitten once the nasty creatures came close enough to attack from all sides like a school of vicious hungry piranhas.

"Those things are getting closer! What are we going to do?" Ilyssa cried in a panicked voice as she tried in vain to pull herself up the slippery belt which was still partly soaked in slime. Unable to go up, the young woman began to tremble now that she found herself trapped hanging from the top of a thirty-story building with vicious monsters slithering ever closer with each passing second. "Oh my god, this can't be happening. Please let this just be a nightmare so I can wake up safely in bed and find that none of this is real!"

Unbeknownst to Ilyssa, Michiru was thinking hard as he surveyed the situation below him. The truth was plain and simple; there was no other alternative open to the Kururugi boy except for using his Shikigami magic in order to defeat this abominable adversary. Although he had been told not to use his magic out in the open for fear of getting caught, the young Japanese student could not allow himself to be killed in a foreign country. It wasn't just his own life in danger, but Ilyssa's as well. And if both of them died, the Ghostbusters would be in serious trouble once his remains identified later on. Ilyssa couldn't climb up again, and both of them would be injured or killed if Michiru smashed the glass window just to try getting her inside of the building. His mind was made up; he had run out of options and out of time. The worn out young man pointed his positron collider at the enemies below him, yawning deeply and inhaling some much needed fresh air to stay awake as he prepared himself for one last assault in an all or nothing gamble for victory against the giant manifestation of Gozer. There was no question that Stay Puft was by far the biggest opponent that the Shikigami user had ever faced in combat, not even Naraku could compare to him in size or bodyweight. Because of this, the Kururugi boy had to rely on the most powerful Shikigami attack spell in his arsenal in order to inflict a crippling blow that would hopefully beat this colossal giant and his hordes of mini marshmallow monsters.

"Oh brightly burning light! Hear my prayer! Light of Judgement!" Michiru shouted aloud, invoking his Shikigami powers as a white light mysteriously emerged from around the boy. Ilyssa's eyes widened with awe, seeing a counter clockwise spinning bright red star shaped pentagram take shape on the glass window beneath the Kururugi boy's feet. The astonished woman was unable to speak as she was completely captivated by the impossible events unfolding directly below her, a bright white light emerged from the Shikigami user and manoeuvred itself around the proton pack and the positron collider still being held in the teenager's hands.

Suddenly without warning, an even brighter light shot forth from the Neutrona wand from the end of Michiru's positron collider. Coming out from inside was an enormous bright white and slightly golden serpent surrounded by an aura of orange and red particles. Shocked by the unexpected serpent coming out from the positron collider, Michiru accidentally pressed the firing switch; feeling an unexpected kickback from the weapon as the shimmering serpent slithered downwards towards the manifestation of Gozer until only the end of its tail remained connected to the Neutrona wand. As the serpent came to a halt and eyed the approaching enemies below, another bright red star shaped pentagram appeared directly below Michiru with its centre positioned at the Neutrona wand which protruded from the Kururugi boy's positron collider. This second pentagram began spinning counter clockwise as well, just like the first one beneath Michiru's feet; both of them began to spin and glow red as the positron collider began to vibrate from the sheer force of the Shikigami power now flowing out from inside of it. Michiru eyes widened in shock and disbelief, his own Shikigami magic was now temporarily powering his improper able positron collider and his damaged proton pack from the inside.

Before Stay Puft and his mini-minions could react to this new threat, the magically summoned serpent opened its jaws as if it was inhaling a deep breath of air and showing its fangs before darting forward to bite the giant marshmallow man. But instead of being bitten, the manifestation of Gozer would suffer from a far more deadly attack. Michiru and Ilyssa watched in amazement as the shimmering serpent exhaled in one swift motion, coughing out what looked like a giant blinding orange and yellow proton stream surrounded by a secondary stream which flowed around it in a spiral like formation with a faint aura of red light around the magical beam. The intensity of the light and the sheer power of this magical proton stream which had come out of the Neutrona wand were so great that Ray and Venkman poked their heads over the edge of the roof to look down at the awesome site after noticing the flash from it. Even though they were high above Michiru and Ilyssa, they gave in to their curiosity after seeing the flash of light while they continued holding the harness belt to keep their friends from falling.

At the exact moment when the serpent had exhaled the magical proton stream from its mouth, dozens of multicoloured bolts of lightning descended from the spinning pentagram directly below Michiru, stabbing and massacring all of the small marshmallow monsters in one swift motion before they hit their final target below seconds after the serpent's proton stream struck first. Stay Puft's angry roars were replaced by an even louder and longer cry of excruciating agony as the magically projected beam of light tore through his body like a hot knife through butter, scorching everything to a crisp until the entire body burst apart in one massive explosion; sending chunks of burned and melted marshmallow all over the place. What ever didn't stick to the surrounding buildings fell thirty-stories until it struck the rock hard pavement below, splashing wet marshmallow slime everywhere as well as burned marshmallow chunks which were like giant boulders of black and brown charcoal. Once Stay Puft had exploded, the magical serpent and all the multicoloured lightning bolts evaporated into thin air; vanishing before Michiru's eyes as if they had never existed. Now that Stay Puft and his monsters were no more, the exhausted Shikigami user sighed in relief before his heavy eyes closed shut and sleep overtook him.

As everything went silent, Ray, Venkman, and especially Ilyssa were absolutely speechless after witnessing such a supernatural occurrence. None of them had ever seen anything so spectacular in their lives, nor did they think that they would ever see a real act of magic with so much supernatural power like the one they had just witnessed. After a few seconds, Egon and Winston arrived in Ecto-1 with the operational Muoun trap and were surprised to hear from Venkman that Stay Puft had already been defeated which explained the messy marshmallow covered road that they were driving through before they parked. Ray informed Egon and Winston of their current predicament and urgently asked them to race upstairs to the roof so they could help him and Venkman save Ilyssa and Michiru who were both still hanging thirty-stories above the ground. The two shocked men sprinted inside of the building and luckily found an operating elevator to get to the top floor, and once they arrived; all four of the Ghostbusters managed to pull their endangered friends up to the edge and on to the roof. After discovering that Michiru had fallen unconscious, everyone quickly made their way downstairs to get to Ecto-1 and drive home where they could tend to their fellow employee.

"You're all clear; I'm not detecting any paranormal anomalies coming from you." Egon said, deactivating his PKE meter after quickly scanning Ilyssa for anything unusual.

"Is Mitch going to be alright?" Ilyssa asked in concern, looking at the boy's sleeping face.

"Yeah, he just outdid himself; that's all." Ray answered, trying to reassure Ilyssa so she wouldn't worry. "I can assure you that he'll be just fine once he wakes up after getting a good rest back at Headquarters. How do you feel after experiencing all those frightening events?"

"Pretty good, considering that I was hanging from the top of a thirty-story building. Plus I almost got killed by all those freaky marshmallow monsters and captured by that giant manifestation of Gozer." Ilyssa answered. "I guess I owe you guys my life, and Mitch most of all."

"Don't forget that Ray and I were both holding the two of you up by the harness belt so that you both wouldn't fall during that whole battle." Venkman added as he drew Ilyssa's attention while Ray, Egon and Winston just shook their heads when they knew where this conversation was going. "I'm sorry but I just realized that you look very familiar. Didn't you give me the cold shoulder when we met earlier at the Sedgewick Hotel?"

"My name's Ilyssa, Dr. Ilyssa Selwyn. And…" Ilyssa answered.

"I am Dr. Peter Venkman, and it's a pleasure to meet you…again." Venkman interrupted so he could properly introduce himself and the others in front of young woman. "This is Egon. These two guys are Winston and Ray, and the unconscious kid here is Mitch whom you've already met while you were hanging thirty-stories above the ground."

"Ilyssa, have you ever been involved in any paranormal events before?" Egon asked. "Anything unusual that you could tell us may provide some clues that would explain how Gozer returned and why he was after you at the time you met up with Ray and Mitch."

"Well first of all, I was at the Museum of Natural History and a mysterious pulse of blue light surged through the building. Next thing I know, I was standing outside of a room on the thirteenth-floor of an old Hotel. It was pulling me like a powerful magnet, and I felt as though I was in a deep sleep having a weird dream. When I came to my senses, I ran back here to the building where you and Mitch found me before we all headed up to the roof."

"What do mean you ran "back here" to the building?" Ray asked curiously.

"I'm using it as a temporary office while I'm staying in Manhattan; I came to do some research after I woke up." Ilyssa answered.

"Call me crazy, but the old hotel that you're referring too could be the Sedgewick Hotel could it not? Winston asked. "It was also filled with ghosts and paranormal activity just like the very building you were inside of with Ray and Mitch."

"That's true, but the Sedgewick Hotel doesn't have a thirteenth floor." Ray replied.

"If you don't mind, we'd like you to come to our lab so we can run some brief tests and ask you more questions regarding the paranormal events you've experienced." Egon asked.

"Sure, that's not a problem." Ilyssa answered. "I'd like to be there so I can thank Mitch personally for saving my life…again, after he wakes up of course."

"Here's an easy question; would you like to go out for dinner at a Thai, Mexican or Japanese restaurant?" Venkman asked, trying to make a move on the beautiful young woman.

"Wow, Dr. Venkman. That time you went almost forty-five seconds without saying something abrasive, wanna try for a whole minute next time?" Ilyssa answered in a sweet voice while she smiled, giving Peter the hint to avoid being an annoyance.

"A doctor and a fiery one too, yet charming as well. What a surprise to find such a great combination in a lady eh Ray?" Venkman countered as Ray pulled him by the shoulder to move him along before he got too encouraged while Winston and Egon removed the proton pack and the other tools which were strapped to Michiru before carefully placing him in the back of Ecto-1. Twenty minutes later, they arrived back at headquarters and parked Ecto-1 inside before getting out and unloading everything. A few minutes later, Ilyssa arrived after taking a taxi ride and walked inside as Ray and Winston carefully pulled their unconscious friend out of the vehicle so they could carry him upstairs. Venkman quickly scurried around the place before rushing upstairs and doing the same up there, it was almost as if he was trying to find something important until he caught sight of the small Stay Puft doll which he and Michiru had found in the kitchen back at the Sedgewick Hotel. He knew that he could get a good laugh by using it to scare the heck out of Ray, and so he hid it underneath his bed to prevent anyone from seeing it until the time was right to pull his prank. Once the vehicle was fully unloaded and he returned down to the main floor, Venkman drove out in Ecto-1 to go purchase some coffee for everyone from the place where he had gone earlier when he deserted his fellow workers.

Janine scurried over from her desk to ask if Michiru was alright after noticing him being carried to the top floor, but Egon assured her that the Kururugi boy would be fine. Once he took the time to introduce Janine and Ilyssa to each other, Egon went upstairs to go work in the lab while Janine gave their new guest a quick tour guide of the Ghostbusters' headquarters. After setting Michiru down on his bed, Winston and Ray returned to the main floor to gather up all the traps so they could take them downstairs and transfer all the captured ghosts into the containment unit. Once the brief tour was nearly over, Janine and Ilyssa arrived upstairs to quickly check on Michiru who was still sleeping before they joined Egon as he was busy trying to repair the wiring on the Kururugi boy's proton pack. A short while later, Venkman returned and parked Ecto-1 inside before going upstairs to deliver all of the coffee he had purchased. Ray and Winston came upstairs as well after they had finished flushing all the other ghosts from inside of the Muoun trap down into the storage facility using some special extension cables built by Egon, which they attached to the Super Slammer in order to do the job.

Now that all of the ghosts, including Slimer had been recaptured and returned to prison; all six adults could finally relax together and talk amongst themselves as they ate breakfast together while they waited patiently for Michiru to wake up from his long nap. During this time, Ray and Egon carefully explained to Ilyssa about their new friend and employee who not only possessed magic powers but entered the U.S. illegally by accident due to having an incredible paranormal experience of his own. She was especially surprised when she was introduced to his travelling companion Saya; the spirit of Sounga's sheath, and she was even more surprised after being told about all the adventures that Michiru had experienced in the Feudal Era of Japan before he even came to the U.S. Luckily, Ray had memorized enough of what Michiru had told him when he first met the Kururugi boy and that made it easier for the Ghostbusters to bring Ilyssa up to speed. As everyone listened intently to Ray explain everything he could accurately remember, a young teenager was just waking up from a deep sleep in the bedroom at the top floor.

Michiru yawned as he got to his feet and walked left to look outside through bedroom, the dark black sky was fading fast and was replaced by a blue sky which told the Shikigami user that the crack of dawn was just starting to appear over the horizon and could be seen outside the east window at the opposite end of the top floor. After checking his watch, he was surprised to find that it was 7:30 in the morning and that he had only been asleep for maybe two and a half hours at most. His magic combined with the battles fought just hours ago must have helped his body to rest and relax so that he could wake up so early and feel recovered after so few hours of sleep. The Kururugi boy decided to go have a quick shower so he could at least get clean and ready for the new day ahead of him. After grabbing his backpack and taking it with him inside of the washroom, there he found a note with some instructions of how to take an ion shower with the equipment he could see that was hooked up with the shower head. In order to decontaminate himself and his clothes from any negative effects he may have gotten after being soaked in the protonically charged sea water during an earlier ghost hunt, the young boy read the instructions carefully before activating the machinery; then Michiru checked the dryer to see that his other work uniform was dry before undressing and stepping into the shower so he could wash and clean himself once he turned on the water tap. Less than ten minutes later, the teenager turned everything off and came out of the shower, feeling much better and cleaner than he had before; he was able to pull his other clothes out of the dryer when he noticed a folded up towel resting at his feet beside his backpack.

The Kururugi boy didn't think anything of it at first as he dried himself off, for there were other more important thoughts dwelling on his mind now that he finally had some alone time to shower and relax himself since that his first job of combating ghosts was over. It had been four and a half months since his return home from Japan's Feudal era days and not being able to return and visit his friends hard enough to take, now the Japanese student found himself halfway around the world trapped in a foreign country without any foreseeable means to get back home again; this made Michiru feel even further separated from Sango than what he had felt in the past while he was still in Japan before Sounga's attempted escape brought him to America. More than ever, he wanted to return to Feudal Japan and see Sango again; he had to know how she felt about him. Before he had even figured out at Kagome's house that the four and a half months of waiting had actually been the duration of his adventure with everyone else, Michiru feared that Sango had in fact rejected him because she was in love with Miroku and to save herself the pain of telling him so; he thought she didn't answer or ask Inuyasha or Kagome to give him a message on her behave. But while Michiru knew that Sango didn't like confrontation, he also knew that she would be facing a difficult decision; should she return the feelings he had for her or would she turn him down so she could pursue a relationship with Miroku?

It wasn't an easy decision, and it would now be made more difficult because of the fact that Michiru still possess no means of returning to the Feudal era; so even if Sango loved him back they would be unable to see each other which would be impossible and unbearable to endure. And now that Naraku was dead, Sango could for the first time ever in her life start thinking of seeking a young man to marry and start a family of her own; especially since Kohaku and Kirara were the only members of her own family that were left alive after demon slayer village was destroyed. This caused Michiru to worry, for no matter how he examined the situation; both he and Sango were presently suffering and only Miroku was in an advantageous position to make a move on Sango in an effort to move his relationship with her forward; even though he had blown every chance thanks to his lecherous behaviour so far. Michiru sighed, even if he did have the power to return home and revisit the feudal era; he still had a life of his own in the modern world with his own family and he felt sure that Sango wouldn't be able to cope with having a relationship with him since he'd be coming and going between both worlds just as Inuyasha and Kagome frequently did on many occasions. They had a different relationship from the one that Michiru had with Sango, though they cared for each other; the half demon and the high school girl still couldn't publicly admit that they were in love with one another. But Inuyasha and Kagome could each freely travel back and forth between worlds, that was the key reason why their relationship had managed to carry on for so long despite the changes and dangers of living in both worlds from which they were born and raised in. But Michiru and Sango didn't have that advantage and that is why they could not see each other or be together, but as long as he was alive; Michiru promised to do his utmost and search for a way of returning to Feudal Japan so he could visit Sango in person.

As the Shikigami user was finished pondering his problem on his mind, he suddenly noticed the mysterious appearance of an army green coloured duffle bag resting beside his backpack on the floor. Remembering that there was no duffle bag there when he had stepped into the shower, Michiru curiously examined the duffle bag so he could find out what the contents were inside and who they belonged too. After unzipping it and pulling it open to look inside, the Shikigami user's eyes widened with shock and disbelief; some of his clothes and school uniforms from his home in Tokyo Japan were neatly folded up and piled inside. In addition to all of the clothing, there was a plastic bag containing an ablutions kit with soap, shampoo, deodorant along with a tube of toothpaste, his personal toothbrush and a facecloth which matched the same colour of the towel he had just used. There was one item mysteriously placed inside of the duffle bag that didn't belong to him, and Michiru found that most suspicious of all; a folded up paper resting on top of all the clothes The Kururugi boy quickly checked the duffle bag for any ID and found his father's name clearly labelled on one end of the bag.

Being curious to find out what the folded paper was, the Shikigami user grabbed it and noticed a solid object hidden inside. As he unfolded it, he discovered it was a world map. But the solid object is what caught his attention and made his widen again; it was an amulet made of a small golden star shaped pentagram inside of a golden circle with an inch and a half diameter. At the very centre of the star was a red ruby about the size of a glass marble with a 5/8s of an inch diameter. This beautiful amulet hung from a small golden chain which was connected at the circle just above the top point of the star, the very amulet which Kakuju had asked Michiru to give to Utsugi on her behalf before she died at the outskirts of Kururugi village. But why was a world map used to wrap it up inside of? And just where did the world map come from and whose was it? He knew for a fact that it didn't come from his own home, but the unusual thing was what use could he possibly have for it? Could it be that who ever sent it to him along with everything else had a secret motive in mind that the Kururugi boy was supposed to eventually figure out for himself?

Needless to say, Michiru's mind was overloaded with questions. Obviously, someone or maybe even something had taken or to put it more accurately; stolen all of these items and brought them over here from his home in Japan on the other side of the world. Who ever did it must have just arrived and left as the Kururugi boy was in the shower, the question of course was who? Was it possible that the ghost of one of his ancestors had brought all of this stuff here for him? And if so, which one? Utsugi seemed like the obvious suspect since he was the one who Michiru had given the amulet to, but that was just a guess and the Kururugi boy had no real prove to support it. Not wanting to waste any precious time after experiencing another paranormal event, the Shikigami user put on some deodorant before quickly changing into clean clothes from the duffle bag and finally getting into on his dry work uniform. As Michiru brushed his teeth, Saya floated inside to check up on him seeing as how he had just noticed that the teenager was no longer laying asleep. The levitating spiritual entity waited patiently for Michiru to finish his business so that both of them could talk without any distractions to interrupt them.

"Nice to see you up and about after returning back here unconscious from battling evil spirits." Saya said in relief.

"I'm glad to see you too Saya and sorry for worrying you." Michiru replied. "If it makes you feel any better, I fell unconscious after the battle was over and after all of our opponents were defeated. Except for getting punched in the left shoulder by a stone gargoyle, I didn't suffer any other injuries. Now I have a question for you, did you fly all the way to Japan and back to bring me all of these items a few minutes ago?"

"No, I've been here the entire time." Saya answered. "And even if I wanted too, I don't have the strength or the energy to travel such a great distance and back in such a small amount of time. Are you telling me that this big bag is filled with more of your belongings and that it just appeared out of nowhere before I came in to see you?"

"Yes, perhaps there's another presence lurking close by that neither of us are aware of." Michiru explained. "I can assure you that I didn't bring these with me, and that neither of my parents could have done it either. Maybe this has something to do with why the two of us were teleported here with Sounga, which reminds me; didn't you tell me just before I left with the Ghostbusters to do some work that Inuyasha's father was someone who could wield Sounga and subdue his evil power so that he wouldn't fall under its control?"

"That is correct; Inuyasha's father was a full demon of tremendous strength and willpower." Saya answered. "He not only wielded Sounga, but Tetsusaiga and Tenseiga as well. According to his will when he finally died however, he instructed me and my two comrades to give Tetsusaiga to Inuyasha and Tenseiga to Sesshomaru. But unfortunately without any instructions of what to do with Sounga, the three of us were in a dilemma of what to do with such a dangerous sword of evil power. That is why we decided to cast into the Bone eater's well in the hopes that it would remain untouched until it eventually vanished over the natural course of time, there was no other alternative. I lay with Sounga for more than seven hundred years until my strength finally gave out which is when you grabbed Sounga as it tried to escape."

"But it didn't vanish, that's why it ended up being discovered by one of Kagome's ancestors, seeing as how the Bone eater's well is located on her family's home property." Michiru said before asking. "Saya, who were the other two comrades you mentioned?

"An old man named Totosai who forged and made Tetsusaiga and Tenseiga for Inuyasha's father." Saya answered. "The other was a flee demon named Myoga who became Inuyasha's bodyguard despite his tiny size and fear of getting involved in any danger."

"Wait, did you say Myoga? I've met Myoga during my travels in the feudal era, he's always around when we take the day off to rest and relax when there's no danger to worry about." Michiru replied in excitement. "I can call Inuyasha at Kagome's house; he's bound to still be there. We can tell him everything you've just told me and he can return to the feudal era and tell Myoga that you and Sounga have arisen from the Bone eater's well and are with me in the modern world. Then Myoga can find Totosai and let him know as well. Even if we can't see Myoga or Totosai, Inuyasha can pass information or messages back and forth for us in case anything unexpected happens. What do you think Saya?"

"Now don't get over excited Michiru, Totosai is a very difficult man to find. But if it makes you feel any better, I suppose you should do what you think is best." Saya answered, before laughing lighting. "Ha! Ha! Besides, I wouldn't mind hearing Totosai's shock when he finds out that Sounga was subdued by a human possessing magical power and then later sealed inside of a powerful prison made by mortal men of this modern era. Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!"

"Great, I'll call my parents first just so I can say hi and let them know that I'm doing okay here." Michiru replied as he started dialling his home phone number. "Besides I have to let them know that my clothes and a few other belongings mysteriously appeared here so that they aren't alarmed if they think that their house has been broken into and robbed."

Meanwhile on the other side of the globe, it was 10:04 in the evening of November 20th at the Higurashi house. Things were not very pleasant inside of the house; everyone was still worried about Michiru Kururugi's predicament and the fact that he had flown half way around the world and landed in a foreign country thanks to a certain sword named Sounga. Although the young Shikigami user had phoned to let everyone know he was alright, Kagome and her family were still worried about their friend who was now unable to return home. Kagome was arguing with Inuyasha in her bedroom because one of them was accusing the other of a crime they didn't commit. They we're arguing so loudly, it was amazing that anyone could hear the phone ringing above the racket that echoed throughout the house; it would be a miracle if anyone would be able to get to sleep tonight with all the noise they were making.

"Higurashi residence? Oh hello Michiru, it's so good to hear from you again." Mrs. Higurashi asked. "Are you alright? Is everything okay where you are?"

"Yes I'm alright Mrs. Higurashi, please try not to worry." Michiru answered. "Listen, I've found out some information about your family's sacred treasure; it's an evil demonic sword and not the sword of Murakumo as your father thought it was. Is Inuyasha still there by any chance? I really need to talk to him."

"Certainly, I'm afraid you'll have to wait just minute; he's in the middle of quarrel with Kagome right now." Mrs. Higurashi answered before turning to Sota who was just drinking a cup of hot chocolate before going to bed for the night. "Sota, would you please tell Inuyasha and Kagome that Michiru is on the phone please?"

"Yeah, okay." Sota answered as he finished his drink, darted upstairs and entered the open doorway to Kagome's room where he found the half demon arguing with his older sister. "Michiru is on the phone for you."

"I told you already that you can't go over there! The city that Michiru is staying in is located thousands of miles away in another country with two giant oceans of water on either side of it! Kagome yelled with her arms at her sides and her hands balled into fists. "There's no use lying about it Inuyasha, that little map won't help you get over there so just give it back already!"

"For the fifth time in a row, I don't have it with me!" Inuyasha countered in an angry voice, clenching his fists every now and then in an effort to resist the urge to brake something in the room which would only infuriate the reincarnated priestess. "I left it on the table; someone else must have stolen it okay!"

"Oh give it up!" Kagome said in frustration, pushing Inuyasha on top of her bed before jumping on top of him and pinning the half demon underneath her body while she started to feel through his clothes with her hands in an effort to search for the map she thought he was hiding from her. "If you won't give it back, I'll have to take it back myself!"

"Kagome! Inuyasha! Michiru's is on the phone for you!" Sota said as loud as he could to get the attention of the two quarrellers. Unfortunately his own voice wasn't loud enough to break them up from their argument as they yelled at each other, so Sota rushed back downstairs to go tell his Mother that no one was coming down.

"Just give it up and hand it back already Inuyasha, why do you have to be so stubborn?" Kagome asked in a loud voice as she moved her hands around and underneath Inuyasha's robes in an effort to find what she sought. "Why can't you just admit that you took it?"

"Let me think, because I didn't! How does that sound?" Inuyasha countered angrily as he shook his arms around, trying to resist the teenage girl's onslaught. Although he was a half demon with incredible strength, he didn't want to injure Kagome just because they were having a disagreement. Besides, he secretly wanted to see the look on her face after she finally discovered that he didn't have the map on him so she would be forced to apologize. "Now I'm going to give you to the count of three to get off of me before I throw you off myself, so I hope you've clued in that I don't have that map of yours! You hear me? One! Two! TH…"

"What's wrong Inuyasha? Are you afraid I'll say the magic word after you've thrown me off of you? Kagome asked in a teasing voice as she saw the panicked look on the half demon's face. Turning around, she turned a slight shade of pink as she noticed her Mother and her little brother standing in the open doorway looking at two quarrellers who were on top of the bed in what looked like a compromising position. "Ahh! Mom, I swear to you that this isn't what it looks like! Inuyasha and I were just…"

"I don't even want to know or here about it Kagome, I just came upstairs to tell you and Inuyasha that Michiru called and that he's been waiting for both of you on the phone for the passed five minutes." Mrs. Higurashi replied as she interrupted her daughter in a sweet, yet sarcastic tone of voice. "Will you please come downstairs or is this romantic moment just too important to you?"

"This isn't what it looks like! Nothing happened! I was just trying to search for the map that went missing over four hours ago, I thought Inuyasha had stolen it and hidden it inside his kimono!" Kagome said in a panicked voice as she leapt off of Inuyasha and walked downstairs after her Mother and younger brother who were both going to the kitchen. As Kagome continued spouting out denials and explanations to defend herself, Mrs. Higurashi just smiled to herself as she walked down the stairs. Her last sentence was a little sarcastic, but it had the desired effect of ending the argument and summoning her now embarrassed daughter and Inuyasha downstairs so they could talk with Michiru who was presently on the phone with Kagome's Grandpa trying to explain that the Higurashi family treasure was a dangerous demonic sword which endangered every human being on the face of the earth.

"Don't you think its funny when Kagome's mad and embarrassed at the same time?" Sota asked Inuyasha as the two of them took their time coming down the stairs so they could talk without Kagome hearing them. "Ha! Ha! Ha!"

"Yeah, she's funny to watch like that; so long as she doesn't say her "sit" commands anyway." Inuyasha replied in a soft tone to be extra quiet to ensure she didn't hear him say that particular sentence. "The funny thing is she brought this upon herself, she wouldn't have been seen by her Mom on top of me like that; trying to search for a map that I never had or stole in the first place if she had just taken my word went I first told her that I didn't have it. But no, she would believe me."

Once everyone arrived in the kitchen, Mrs. Higurashi took the phone from Kagome's Grandfather and talked with Michiru for a few more minutes about how things were with the Ghostbusters and the demonic sword Sounga. Since the Kururugi boy was waiting for five minutes, she decided to make Kagome and Inuyasha wait a little while longer to taunt the two of them as a small punishment for being so late. While Mrs. Higurashi talked, Kagome and Inuyasha both made hand gestures; asking to have the phone first when she was done talking with the Kururugi boy. After another minute and a half, Kagome's mom finally surrendered the phone to Inuyasha who grinned with delight at getting to talk with Michiru first before Kagome.

"Hey Michiru, we've been waiting for you to call back for a long while. What kept you? Are you fighting lots of ghosts and demons over in that far away country you're in?" Inuyasha answered, holding the phone with one hand and keeping Kagome from getting it with the other.

Michiru spent the next ten minutes over the phone telling the half demon all about his battles fighting against ghosts and other enemies which he had encountered thus far, including the giant one-hundred foot tall Stay Puft marshmallow Man. After hearing that the Kururugi boy defeated an opponent like that all by himself, Inuyasha was very impressed and excited. However, the half demon wished he could be over there with the Shikigami user so that they could take on and beat up all the enemies in the far away country together just like they did in the feudal era. Sadly, some wishes never do come true. After ghost fighting stories were over, Michiru told Inuyasha about finding a duffle bag filled with his clothes from home along with Kakuju's amulet which had been hidden inside of a world map that the Kururugi boy couldn't place. Once Michiru had mentioned the mysterious appearance of the world map, Inuyasha cut in and started talking.

"What's that? Someone or something stole your clothes from your house and brought them over to you along with a world map that was stolen from Kagome's house too?" Inuyasha replied in excitement. "You hear that Kagome? I didn't steal your precious map, Michiru said someone else stole it and took it to him along with some of his own belongings from his own home. Didn't I tell you that I didn't steal it? Huh? Huh?"

Kagome just stood there with her arms crossed and pouted as Inuyasha grinned at her to rub it in, making Sota laugh in the process.

"Inuyasha, please pay attention. I don't have a lot of time to talk with you, so listen carefully." Michiru instructed, clearly hearing his half demon friend taunt Kagome at the other end of the line. "The sword that transported me away is actually a demonic sword named Sounga which was possessed by your father who also wielded the Tetsusaiga and the Tenseiga as well. After your father's death, Sounga was placed inside of the Bone eaters' well where it lay for hundreds of years until it was discovered by one of Kagome's great ancestors generations ago."

"Really?" Inuyasha asked in surprise as he paid closer attention. "And just how did you find out all of this knowledge by yourself?"

"The sheath of Sounga has an ancient spirit named Saya who told me everything that I know now; he was one of three others who also knew your father. An old man named Totosai and Myoga the flee demon…"

"Totosai and Myoga?" Inuyasha said in surprise as he suddenly interrupted the Kururugi boy. "I should have known, both of them always fail to mention anything important that I need to know about until its already too late to do anything. I better go find that blood sucking bodyguard of mine so I can find out more about this Sounga, at least he can go and track down Totosai for me. That old man is even tougher to locate than a needle in a hay stack. Is there anything else important you need to tell me Michiru?"

"Yes Inuyasha, there this." Michiru answered. "If you find Myoga, you have to tell him some important information first before you send him out to look for Totosai. First, Sounga has freed itself from Saya's control. Second, I suppressed Sounga's evil power with my Shikigami magic when it tried to control me using its own evil demonic power. Third, the Ghostbusters and I have locked it up inside of a special prison so it can't get away or cause harm to anyone without being released. And finally, you have to ask either Myoga or Totosai if Sounga is just as dangerous to ghosts as it is to humans. Got that?"

"You can count on me; I'll return to the feudal era right now and start looking for Myoga." Inuyasha answered. "Glad to hear you're having fun beating up ghosts with the Ghostbusters, try and find out more information about Sounga from Saya for me in case I have questions to ask you the next time we're on the phone. Goodbye and good hunting Michiru, Kagome wants to talk to you now."

"Hello Michiru? Its Kagome here, listen. Is it true that you found a world map that was given to you along with all sorts of your own clothes from your home?" Kagome asked after taking the phone from Inuyasha. After hearing a "yes" from Michiru, Kagome just pouted again after seeing Inuyasha's annoying grin as he looked at her. As the two teenagers continued talking about how things were in the U.S. and fighting against ghosts and other opponents, Inuyasha began to get impatient since Kagome had still not apologized to him yet after finding out that he was innocent. Sota tugged on the half demon's kimono sleeve, trying to get his attention. After whispering something in Inuyasha's ear, the half demon left the kitchen to go into the living room for some unknown reason. Once they were gone, Kagome began to tell Michiru of how she thought that Inuyasha had stolen the map even though he was innocent. The Kururugi boy had a hard time trying not to laugh when she told him of how her mom and little brother walked in on them as she was on top of Inuyasha trying to search for the missing map which she mistakenly thought was inside of his kimono and how embarrassed she was when her Mom assumed that she was interrupting a romantic moment.

"I'll tell Inuyasha I'm sorry once I've gotten off the phone. Honestly, that situation would have been a whole lot worse if Koga was involved." Kagome said. "He and Inuyasha would have been at each others' throats; those two can never ever get along with one another. What bugs me is why they can't; Koga did help us discover new clues about Utsugi and Naraku. I would think that Inuyasha would cooperate just a little when Koga is helping us, it just drives me nuts when they argue and fight."

"I don't mean to be rude Kagome, but have you ever thought that maybe you're the reason why Inuyasha and Koga don't get along?" Michiru asked, knowing that the two rivals were both attracted to the same teenage girl. Unfortunately until she admitted her love for one of them, namely Inuyasha, then the two of them would just keep on arguing and fighting with one another. Before she could answer to the meaning behind the question, both teenagers heard an unexpected third voice laughing over the phone.

"Ha! Ha! Ha! That's a good one Michiru! Ha! Ha! Ha!" Inuyasha said, laughing over the phone which he was using in the living room to listen in on the conversation as Kagome turned to look inside from the kitchen with her eyes widening and her face turning pink again. "Sorry for interrupting, I'd better go to the well so I can return to Kaede's village and start looking for Myoga. You have fun Michiru; we'll talk again the next time you call. Oh and thanks for the apology Kagome, I really appreciate hearing it from you even though it was over the phone. Bye, see ya!"

"WH-What? Inuyasha you little sneak! Get back here right now and say sorry for eavesdropping before I say…!" Kagome yelled just before Sota climbed on to a nearby chair and grabbed on to her face from behind, clamping his left hand over Kagome's mouth; preventing her from saying "sit" while holding on to her right shoulder with the other hand.

Michiru at the other end of the line could still hear everything that was going on and started to laugh as he waited for Kagome to speak to him after recovering from the crazy event first. By the time Kagome freed herself from Sota's clutches; Inuyasha had already made his away outside and jumped down the Bone eater's well so he could return to the feudal era. After giving her little brother a scolding for showing Inuyasha the living room phone, Kagome was finally able to continue her talk with the Shikigami user which lasted for another few minutes or so. As they were wrapping up their discussion over the phone, Ray and the Ghostbusters had just finished telling Ilyssa everything they knew about Michiru so that she now knew just as much as they did.

"Wow, that's quite a story. So Mitch is just a cover name for Michiru Kururugi, and he comes from Japan. That's incredible, I never would have guessed that he possessed magic powers." Ilyssa said, sipping a cup of coffee as she processed everything she had been told. "That would explain why he was able to conjure up such a powerful spell to destroy that giant white manifestation of Gozer in one blow."

"Yeah, but unfortunately he passed out do to overexerting himself." Venkman commented. "And until he wakes up, we'll be one man short the next time we have to fight spooks in the field."

"What's wrong Dr. Venkman? Are you afraid of filling his shoes and doing his share of work?" Janine asked, as she was busy cooking some breakfast on the stove just a few feet away from the table where everyone else was gathered.

"Janine, if I have to listen to one more annoying remark coming from you; you'll be the one filling Mitch's shoes." Venkman countered. "But don't worry about getting attacked by ghosts; I'm sure Egon will always be by your side to protect you when the battles get tough."

"That's a relief, it would be nice change from having to do all the office work by myself." Janine shot back as she continued cooking. "Which reminds me, you promised that you'd hire more staff to help out and so far, I'm still doing all the work alone."

"I can help you with the office work Janine, my temporary office is now in shambles and needs extensive repair work until its operable again so I need another place to stay." Ilyssa offered. "I owe the Ghostbusters for saving my life anyway, so I would be happy to return a favour if that's all right with you."

"That's a splendid idea Ilyssa! Not only could you help Janine in the office, you could even help us research information about Michiru's magical abilities." Ray shouted in excitement. "I know he'd appreciate it, what do you think Egon?"

"Yes that would be very helpful, considering that all of us still have to find a way to help our friend return to Japan without getting caught." Egon replied. "Besides, we'll be too busy in the field fighting ghosts and spiritual anomalies so Ilyssa's help would be very much appreciated."

"Looks like we're going to be coworkers from here on in, welcome to the Ghostbustas." Janine said as she came over to give Ilyssa another cup of coffee before going back to turn off the burners on the stove. "Well, look who finally decided to show. Get yourself in here and have a seat; I just finished making some breakfast here for ya."

As everyone turned around, they saw Michiru just coming out of the bedroom dressed in a clean work outfit. Everyone raised their coffee cups and cheered as the Kururugi boy walked over to join them, Ilyssa gestured for the Shikigami user to sit down in the empty seat next to her so that she would be sitting next to him on his right and Venkman would be seated beside him on his left with Ray sitting across from the other side of the round table. While Winston and Egon stood by the table next to Ray and Venkman sipping their coffee, Janine placed a plate stacked full of pancakes with molasses in front of the boy before retrieving her own cup of coffee she had left on the kitchen counter. Saya came round a few minutes later to rest and relax on the pool table as he watched and listened to the group of friends as they entertained their guest Ilyssa who was delighted that Michiru had finally joined them after being absent because of his nap.

"Thanks Ilyssa. These pancakes look delicious, thanks Janine. " Michiru said gratefully as he sat down, but then found that he couldn't concentrate on eating while being at the centre of everyone's attention.

"Mitch, those pancakes aren't going to eat themselves so dig in." Winston said with a grin as he passed a fresh cup of coffee to the boy. "And here's a cup of espresso, Dr. Lazybones here got it just for you."

"Sorry Winston, I'll eat up." Michiru replied taking the cup and sipping it slowly. "Thanks for the coffee Peter; I really needed this to help me wake up."

"Nice to see that you've made a full recovery Michiru." Ilyssa said sweetly as she sipped her coffee, completely catching the Kururugi boy off guard when she called him by his real Japanese name.

"What? H-How do you know my real name? Michiru asked in shock, looking Ilyssa right in the eyes briefly before standing up from his chair. "Alright, who talked? Was it you Peter?"

"I'm sorry I don't go by that name, I'm Dr. Lazybones remember?" Venkman countered sarcastically, making Janine and Ilyssa giggle while poor Michiru just got angrier. "First things first Mitch, I've got a question for you. What part of "Don't use your magic out in public" did you not understand?"

"Well excuse me for arguing, but I really didn't have much of a choice seeing as how I was hanging from the top of a thirty-story building with a malfunctioning positron collider that I couldn't use against a giant Stay Puft marshmallow man who was trying to kill both myself and Ilyssa with his army of monsters!" Michiru replied furiously, completely angry at Venkman for being accused of wrongdoing when he had in fact just saved someone's life and possibly all of their lives. "I don't think I have to remind you that I entered your country illegally without crossing the border conventionally. If I hadn't used my magic, Ilyssa and I would both be dead. All of you would be locked up in jail as soon as my remains were identified and Stay Puft would still be alive wreaking havoc and destruction for all I know! Have I left anything out?"

As Venkman sat in his chair completely speechless, all the other adults broke out laughing as they tried not to spill any of their coffee mugs just seconds after hearing the angry Kururugi boy's brilliant comeback. Once half a minute of laughter had gone by, everyone managed to calm down again as the Shikigami user continued eating his plate full of pancakes.

"They told me because I saw you use your magic; they just wanted me to hear them out so I would understand why all of you were trying to keep it a secret." Ilyssa replied, putting her arm around the boy to grab his shoulder in an effort to assure him that everything would still be alright even though she had discovered his little secret. "I may know that you came into the U.S. unconventionally and illegally all because of the sword Sounga, but I promise you that I won't rat you out. You did save my life three times already so I do owe you; I hope you can trust me to keep your secret safe. We're all in this together now, so we'll just have to make the best of it. What do you say Michiru?"

"You're taking this awfully well Ilyssa, are you sure you know exactly what you're getting into?" Michiru asked, slowly blushing with nervousness and embarrassment at the closeness between himself and Ilyssa as she looked sweetly at the Kururugi boy. "And how did you come up with me saving your life three times? I thought it was just two?"

"One when you jumped over the table to save me and rush me into the hallway, second when you grabbed my hands and wrists to prevent me from falling." Ilyssa answered. "And third, when you fought against Gozer and his monsters while you were trying to help me get back up to the safety of the roof at the top of the thirty-story building."

"Now would be a good time to back away Ilyssa before his face gets a little too red, the last thing we want is for Mitch's head to explode from sheer embarrassment." Venkman commented as he noticed the stillness of the Shikigami user who was utterly helpless against Ilyssa's beauty despite the difference in age between the two of them.

"Your one to talk Dr. Venkman, especially after the embarrassing situation you put Mitch through while the two of you were driving with Ray and Egon to the Sedgewick Hotel roughly eight hours ago.

"Sorry Janine, my memory doesn't ring any bells." Venkman said, shaking his head in confusion.

"Well then, allow me to refresh it for you." Janine replied as she put a tape player on the table and pressed the play button. Everyone except for Janine, Ilyssa and Winston were shocked as they recognized what the recording was as the taped conversation continued. Poor Michiru was turning red again as he was forced to relive the unbearable situation at being interrogated by Venkman about the two girls he had befriended while he was in the feudal era. Venkman on the other hand wasn't fazed one bit until after he received a look from Ilyssa as Winston, Egon and Ray just shook their heads as the recording finally ended after Venkman's wrap up speech once Ecto-1 parked in front of the Sedgewick Hotel. The Kururugi boy was too embarrassed to speak, so it was up to Venkman to ask Janine how the devil she even knew about their conversation in the car, not to mention how she recorded it.

"And I thought you couldn't be anymore abrasive." Ilyssa said to Venkman after seeing how embarrassed Michiru was as he sat all tensed up in his chair.

"Janine, you haven't been planting bugs in our car have you?" Venkman asked suspiciously. "Because I can't think of any other way that you could have recorded that conversation."

"No I didn't plant any bugs inside of Ecto-1, maybe you should ask someone else; seeing as how they unintentionally did it by accident." Janine answered as she turned to look at Michiru. "I just happened to record it since a certain young man had Ecto-1's radio intercom activated during the entire time."

"I-I didn't know! I'm sorry, but I was too embarrassed to even think clearly okay!" Michiru replied as he turned red again. "I know I was still holding it in my hand but I swear that I didn't know I had the talk button pressed! My mind was too preoccupied with all of Peter's questions, so how could I have known when I was too embarrassed to think?"

"Alright we get the idea, just calm down." Ilyssa said, handing Michiru his coffee cup while trying to suppress her giggling after seeing Michiru's plight. "You're head's about explode, so just try to relax and have a drink. After you've calmed down, you can start telling me all about the adventures you had while you were in Japan's Feudal era."

"But didn't Ray and the others already tell you everything about me?" Michiru asked, looking at Ilyssa in confusion as he sipped his cup of espresso.

"Yes, but I'd really like to hear you tell everything. Especially since they hardly knew anything about your new friends that you met and travelled with during your adventures. You have to tell me as much as you know about all the people you encountered and of the different magic spells you learned to use. It would make my job easier to help research any information about your magic so we can help you return to Japan without any troublesome incidents. Just before you came in, I was hired to work as a researcher and as an assistant to help Janine around the office so we'll be working to together from now on. Isn't that great Michiru?" Ilyssa explained as she gave the surprised Shikigami user another sweet smile.

Michiru looked around from one person to the next before he finally figured out that she was telling the truth. And so once again, the Kururugi boy had to start from the beginning and tell of his adventure from the feudal era. The down side was that he now had to take more time to tell everyone about each of his friends and all of the enemies that he had met during his adventure as well. In order for everyone to understand the dangers, he would also have to go into great detail to describe every situation he and his friends encountered on their travels together now matter how horrible some of the experience were. Ilyssa said she needed to know as much as possible so that she could help him return home without causing her or the Ghostbusters any trouble. As worried as the Shikigami user was, it was all for the best in the long run. Perhaps this was also the only way that Ilyssa would truly understand Michiru's predicament once she knew absolutely everything he had been through from the night of the Doll Festival of Wishes to the time he flew over to the U.S. and met the Ghostbusters. After all, her life was now in just as much danger as each of their lives was now that she knew enough about his illegal entry into her country. It was only fair that he told her everything in order for all of them to work together to find a solution to resolve this problem before any of their lives were put in jeopardy.

Author's note: I apologize if this chapter is too long, but I wanted to fit in as many events for this story as possible ever since I found out how much longer the third mission is compared to the first two missions from the Ghostbusters' Xbox game. I should also mention that I've only completed the first three missions and have just started playing the fourth, so please don't leave any spoilers in your reviews. Now that Ilyssa will be working with the Ghostbusters from now on, she and Michiru will become friends and get along great together despite the gap in their ages. Janine, the hardworking and loyal secretary has been single-handedly doing all of the office work ever since the Ghostbusters came into business. Since Peter Venkman has refused her request to hire more help, I figured Ilyssa would be an excellent candidate to assist Janine; since Louis Tully is nowhere to be seen in this game. Kakuju's amulet was never shown in the Cursed Mask game, so I just made up a simple description of what I thought it might look like. I made it small so it wouldn't cause any discomfort for Michiru if he ever decided to wear it around his neck while carrying a proton pack on his back in the middle of a fight with some ghosts.

Orionpax09, I hope that the combat scenes were to your liking. Since you already knew about the battle with Stay Puft at the top of the building, I thought it would be an unexpected surprise if Michiru was forced to fight him while trying to prevent Ilyssa from getting killed either in battle or from falling as well. Thanks for the great idea of having Michiru combining his Shikigami magic with his positron collider, it made the climax of the final battle with Stay Puft much better in my opinion. I'll try and keep that going as more battles take place later on, though it will take time for me be to devise new spells to combine with the new tools and equipment that Michiru is going to be using as the story progresses. Also, you have my permission to draw any pictures from this story if you'd like, and I'll look forward to seeing them if you decide to do any. Thanks again for taking the time to read and evaluate my work, it means a lot since you are one of only two people who have read and reviewed this story.

Jetty1, sorry but there just wasn't enough room to include the introduction of Peck in this chapter which was a bit too long already. I promise to have him make an appearance in the next one, and I'll try and make that scene as entertaining as possible. Thanks for the idea of Michiru encountering ghosts of familiar characters from the feudal era; it sparked several ideas, including the scene with Michiru finding his clothes along with Kakuju's amulet and the world map from Kagome's house. The other ideas I am saving for the final chapters of this story and possibly even the next story as well, so you'll have to wait and see. Now that the missions are a bit longer, I may have to cut them in half to make room for the feudal era scenes with Inuyasha and the other characters. We'll just have to see as I continue writing each new chapter after advancing further in the Ghostbusters' game. Thanks for being a great fan and I hope you've enjoyed reading this story as it progress.


	4. Experiencing the Ups and Downs of Work

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, Ghostbusters, or anything associated with either of them. This story is being written just for fun and enjoyment.

Chapter #4: Experiencing the Ups and Downs of Work

As he leapt out of the Bone Eater's well, Inuyasha swung his right fist in the air in triumph to celebrate his victory at returning to the Feudal Era without suffering from any of Kagome's "Sit" commands thanks to a little help from Sota. As another bonus, he also got an apology out of her even though he was eavesdropping on her conversation over the phone with Michiru. Even though Kagome was probably fuming mad, she would be unable to chase after him until she was finished talking with the Shikigami user over the phone; which gave the half demon a head start to try and think things through in case she came after him. Although he was a little worried, he didn't think Kagome would take the time to chase after him; knowing that he would eventually return later. Besides, she couldn't afford to leave until she completed all of the so called "homework" that she had to finish before the end of the summer break. That also meant Michiru would have to rely solely on Inuyasha to gather information on the sword Sounga, and the half demon wasn't going to let his friend down. Even though Kagome knew a great deal more than he did about life in the Modern era compared to the Feudal era, she was unable to do anything more than he was to try and get the Kururugi boy back to Japan without any trouble. At least he could help find some information that would hopefully answer some of Michiru's questions about Sounga and so on, that would make his predicament a little less troublesome once he knew more about the sword and its powers.

"Hey, wait a second." Inuyasha said to himself as he sniffed the evening air with his nose. "That's food I smell."

Moving through the forest as swiftly as he could without making any noise, Inuyasha darted from left to right as he advanced forward, until he came into Kaede's village where his friends were currently sitting down to have a late supper off to the side of the fields where the mysterious crops are grown and harvested. Since it was a summer evening, the sun was only just setting which was a very beautiful event to witness. Afterwards the clear blue sky would become dark, and all the stars would soon appear. With no other lights except for an outside fire to cook food, the starlit sky would be a sight to behold in a short while. As the half demon landed a few meters from the small cooking fire, he could easily see Shippo, Miroku, Kaede, Sango and Kirara sitting around the fire just two feet apart from one another. There was a huge pot resting on top of the fire full of hot soup mixed with mushrooms and various herbs, everyone each had a small bowl and a spoon both carved out of wood and was enjoying their meal as they watched the last rays of the sun disappear behind the enormous forest which surrounded the village on all sides.

"Smells good, is there any left?" Inuyasha asked with interest, taking in the delicious aroma coming from the cooking pot coursed through his highly sensitive nostrils as he inhaled the fresh air.

"Master Inuyasha! Where have you been? It's been such a long time since I've seen you!" Myoga shouted as he mysteriously appeared out of nowhere and landed on Inuyasha's left cheek before taking the brief opportunity of extracting some of the half demon's blood for an evening meal in order to feed himself. Several seconds after the tiny flea had filled his stomach, Inuyasha's hand lightly smacked the vulnerable pest which brought an end to the bloodsucker's actions. After withdrawing his hand, the temporarily flattened flea floated down like a speck of paper until he landed on the firm ground and his body returned to its normal status.

"I've been in Kagome's world for a day, and I've come back to ask you some questions." Inuyasha answered. "And if you missed me so much, maybe you could stop being a coward and visit me for often."

"What are you talking about? I visited you dozens of times while you were travelling with your comrades all over the lands, I do have to keep an eye on you once every now and again since I am your bodyguard." Myoga protested.

"Please, you only visited me for a moment immediately after several battles while travelling between each village." Inuyasha countered. "And the only times you've ever actually stayed for a while were during the days we took off to relax and rest ourselves on, when there were no signs of danger around to cause any harm to us."

"Well…I…uh…" Myoga replied, unable to think of any excuse that could defend himself against Inuyasha's remarks which were all completely true.

"Inuyasha, ye didn't return from Kagome's world just to help yourself to my cooking now did ye?" Kaede asked with a smile, knowing the half demon always had a huge appetite for food regardless of what kind of food was being served. After stirring the pot with her ladle, the elderly woman filled another wooden bowl with some soup and passed it to Inuyasha before he sat down across from her on the opposite side of the cooking fire with Shippo and Kirara on his left and Sango and Miroku on his right.

"No, I've come back from Kagome's world for a bit and I intend to return there soon." Inuyasha answered, drinking the soup right out of the bowl since he wasn't accustomed to eating with utensils except for chop sticks of course. "But first, I have to ask my useless bodyguard for some help."

"If I'm such a useless bodyguard, how can I possibly be of help?" Myoga asked curiously.

"You can start by shutting up and listening to everything that I'm about to tell you." Inuyasha answered stubbornly. "And when I'm done talking, I'll be the one to ask the questions afterwards. For your information Myoga, I'm asking for your help on behalf of someone else."

"This person you speak off, does he dwell in Kagome's world?" Miroku asked, sipping his broth with a spoon as he listened curiously. "Is there a matter of great importance or significance that has forced you to return here?"

"Yes there is, unfortunately its going to be difficult for all of you to understand it since you haven't seen her world or know enough about how everyday life revolves in it." Inuyasha grumbled before thinking of the right words to use as he explained everything that he needed to tell them. "While I was spending time with Kagome's family, our friend Michiru happened to come by for a visit; it turn out he's been alone for four and a half months since he returned home even though its only been almost a week for us in our world since Michiru left us. Ever since he returned, he's been waiting for any news of us from Kagome to find out how all of us are doing; and Kagome and finally got to see him when we both visited her house shortly before something else happned."

"WH-What?" Sango asked in surprise, coughing momentarily after accidentally gasping at the mention of the Kururugi boy while her mouth was partly filled with soup. Almost at the same time, Kirara's ears shot up while she turned her head to face Inuyasha. "Michiru was there?"

"Michiru? The boy whose hidden Shikigami powers awakened from inside of him on the day he was mysteriously summoned into our world from the same place and era that Kagome originated from?" Myoga asked in surprise.

"He's been alone for four and a half months? How's he been doing? Shippo asked in shock. "Is he going to come back here and visit us?"

"Was he successfully transported back to his own home and family after he vanished from us in the Kururugi Cemetery?" Miroku asked which caused Inuyasha to give him a look as his temper started taking over.

"That should be obvious Miroku; of course he was transported back to his own home and family." Inuyasha answered with an angry voice. "Otherwise he would have told me that he wasn't in the right time or place when we met each other at Kagome's house. Shippo, one question at a time. I'm not all that good when it comes to describing everything that happened in Kagome's world so just hear me out and wait until I'm done before asking anymore questions alright?"

Everyone nodded in agreement and gave Inuyasha the chance to explain everything from the very beginning when he first encountered Michiru at Kagome's house in the Modern Era. A brief moment of laughter took place while the half demon told everybody of all the funny experiences which had taken place inside of Kagome's house, but the laughter died down once Inuyasha mentioned the presence of the evil demonic sword Sounga that had awakened and freed itself from an ancient seal. Everyone was listening as Inuyasha continued to explain how Michiru had accidentally travelled to a far away country and made some friends who earned a living combating all sorts of ghosts, demons and monsters that were causing trouble. Sango was especially shocked when Inuyasha mentioned that the Kururugi boy had single-handedly fought and defeated a hundred foot tall monster that was causing havoc and destruction in the large town where he was staying. Michiru's Shikigami magic was powerful, but even she didn't expect that he was capable of battling a giant opponent of that size and strength, let alone defeating it all by himself.

"Did Michiru ever mention if he was injured at all during any of these battles Inuyasha?" Sango asked with concern, as a look of worry could be plainly seen on her face.

"No he didn't Sango, which must mean that he's doing just fine over there even though he still hasn't found a way to return home yet." Inuyasha answered, trying to reassure the demon slayer that Michiru was alright. "And even if he does get injured during the time he stays in that far away land, he's in the same era as Kagome lives in so he'll get with all the advanced medical care and healing abilities that he requires to make a full recovery. Besides, I'm sure he's gotten strong enough to avoid getting hurt if he can fight and defeat a hundred foot tall giant monster all by himself. From what he told me while I was speaking with him over the phone, he was accompanied by his companions during most of the other battles that he had fought in. All of his friends are like demon slayers that make a living combating demons and monsters, and yet they call themselves "Ghostbusters" which must mean that most of their opponents are just restless spirits causing trouble and mayhem."

"What about Sounga? Is it under control or is it causing chaos and destruction in the far away land where Michiru is presently staying?" Myoga asked, worrying how bad things could get for Inuyasha's friend Michiru now that Sounga was no longer sealed and dormant."

"Sounga freed itself from Saya's control, but it's now sheathed and imprisoned inside of a powerful prison that Michiru and his new friends must have built where they're living." Inuyasha answered. "However, Michiru wanted me to tell you that Sounga tried to take possession of him and that he fought against Sounga's control with his Shikigami magic. He also wanted me to ask you if Sounga is just as dangerous to ghosts as it is to humans."

"How very interesting, so I take it that these so called "Ghostbusters" can also perform exorcisms as well?" Miroku asked, making the half demon angry again. "What sort of weapons and devices to they use for combating such formidable and dangerous opponents? They must have powerful instruments at their disposal if they were able to successfully imprison Sounga after Michiru resisted its evil powers."

"I told you not to interrupt me while I'm talking!" Inuyasha shouted, picking a piece of burning wood out of the fire from where he sat and throwing it at the unsuspecting monk.

"Ahh! Inuyasha, that's hot!" Miroku screamed frightfully, chucking his soup bowl a few feet behind him as he stood up and flung the piece of burning wood off of his lap so it would land on the nearby dirt road running through the village and eventually burn itself out. "My robe is on fire! Help me put it out!"

"Hold still Miroku, I'll help you." Shippo replied, scooting over to Miroku. Unfortunately, the poor monk's robe was still on fire and the young fox demon proceeded to stomp out the fire by striking it with the bottom of his empty wooden bowl over and over again until the flames were extinguished. After striking Miroku three times below the belt where no guy ever wants to be hit, the monk panicked even more as the pain increased.

"S-Stop Shippo! T-That's not the way to put out a fire!" Miroku cried, covering his now sore area with his right hand while trying to block Shippo's strikes with the other. "Y-You need to use water!"

"I don't have any water, but soup will work." Shippo replied, leaping on to the rim of the huge pot and dipping his bowl in the steaming hot liquid to fill it up.

"Nooooooooooo!" Miroku shouted as the young fox demon leapt off the rim towards him and hurled the contents of his bowl all over Miroku's crutch. Everyone was silent as they watched Miroku and Shippo stand perfectly still, waiting for the aftermath to occur.

"The flames on your robe are out." Shippo replied softly in an apologetic manner with a guilty look still on his face as he slowly walked backwards to where he was sitting before.

"Th-Thank you Shippo, I-I'm going to retire to bed now and get some sleep." Miroku said, trying to stay calm as he limped around to go in the direction of Kaede's hut.

"Do you need some assistance to get to Kaede's hut Miroku?" Sango asked with concern, seeing that the monk was in a great deal of pain and discomfort.

"Thank you Sango, that's most kind of you." Miroku replied; enjoying the close contact of their two bodies as the demon slayer came alongside the monk to help him walk. "Yes, that's much better."

"Now let's get you to the hut so you can rest and make a full recovery for when tomorrow morning comes." Sango said; taking Miroku's left arm and holding it behind the back of her neck to support his weight on his left so he could walk easier while he used his staff with his right hand as a cane to balance himself. Unfortunately, they didn't even take a single step forward because the lecherous monk couldn't resist taking advantage of the opportunity which presented itself. "Eeeeeeek!"

"Ah, I have so longed for this moment." Miroku said, stroking Sango's backside lecherously as everyone turned momentarily and figured out what had caused the demon slayer to suddenly squeal. "It's been such a long time since I last had my arm around you Sango; I have missed this feeling so very much."

"Argh! Go get to bed you dirty monk!" Sango yelled furiously as she backed up, raised her leg and shoved her heel into Miroku's butt with a swift kick. "And when you wake up tomorrow morning after dreaming of lechery, remember to keep your hands to yourself!"

Miroku didn't feel any pain from Sango's kick which was only meant to get him moving, but he didn't pay any attention to what was in front of him as he staggered forward. The memory of his hand stroking Sango's exquisite posterior caused all other thoughts and senses to be temporarily blocked out of his mind as he savoured the moment of pleasure he had just experienced. His foot stepped on to the smooth piece of wood which Inuyasha had thrown at him just moments ago and as it rolled forward, the unprepared monk lost his balance and fell backwards.

"Wooah, Ahhh!" Miroku cried in pain as he struck the solid ground with a sudden impact. Looking down as his eyes began to water; the monk took notice of the round wooden bowl he had thrown behind him earlier when he panicked at being set on fire by the flaming stick Inuyasha had thrown. The bowl was upside down directly between his legs, which would account for why his lower region was in so much excruciating pain from the fall he had taken. After moving with the speed of a snail to avoid anymore pain, the monk managed to get to his feet so he could resume his task of getting to the hut where he would go to sleep. "Oww!"

"Kaede, may I have a bowl of soup so I can feed my brother Kohaku please?" Sango asked, turning to the elderly woman. "He's slept all day and hasn't eaten anything except for breakfast and lunch; I'd like to give him some supper as well before I go to bed."

"Certainly Sango, here's a spoon so ye can feed him." Kaede answered, passing a full bowl of soup with a wooden spoon inside it as well. "Have a pleasant sleep now."

"Thank you." Sango said gratefully. "Good night everyone."

"Good night Sango." Shippo replied, smiling as he waved at the demon slayer before she departed. Walking briskly back to Kaede's hut, Sango passed by Miroku who was limping forward and using his staff as a cane to steady himself. Still angry at the monk for his actions earlier, the demon slayer kicked the end of Miroku's staff up off the ground which caused him to lose balance and fall forward face first into a pile of mud that was located on the dirt road. Without even stopping to look back, Sango continued on until she arrived at the hut and went inside to wake up her younger brother Kohaku so she could feed him the bowl of soup before going to sleep.

Once Sango was far enough away, Inuyasha and Shippo started laughing after seeing Miroku get what he deserved for taking advantage of Sango after being set on fire just moments earlier. Kaede just chuckled to herself, happy that Inuyasha was in a good mood after all the horrible experiences he had endured in the past. Shippo rolled on to his back as he continued laughing, remembering how funny Miroku looked in his panicked state when the fox demon had hurled the bowl of soup to extinguish the flames on his robe which had caught fire. Finally after a minute or so, Inuyasha got up and walked over to where Miroku was still laying in the mud.

"Are you still going to lay there like a pig or are you going to go to sleep like an ordinary human does?" Inuyasha asked, crouching down to look the monk in the face.

"I'm in too much pain to move Inuyasha." Miroku answered.

"Well you can't sleep here because you'll block the road, and you can't go sleep in Kaede's hut because you'll only make Sango angrier so it looks like you'll have to sleep outside tonight." Inuyasha said, grabbing hold of Miroku's kimono and hoisting him off the ground with one arm as he walked back to where Shippo, Kaede and Kirara were still sitting around the fire. After returning, Inuyasha tossed Miroku down on the ground with a thud before he sat down where he had been earlier. "If you sleep here, the fire will keep you warm and help to dry all the mud on your clothes so you can brush it off later."

"Inuyasha, you said that Michiru wanted you to ask me whether Sounga is just as dangerous to ghosts as it is to humans did you not?" Myoga asked.

"Yes, he did." Inuyasha replied, "Well is it?"

"I'm afraid so, it has the power to summon dead souls from the netherworld." Myoga answered. "A restless spirit would be able to fall under Sounga's control, but only if it had a physical body in order to grasp and wield the sword. If this was true, a weak soul would become Sounga's host, and it could also be possible for a powerful spiritual entity with a body of its own to wield Sounga without being subdued or controlled."

"Someone with as much strength and power as my father had?" Inuyasha asked, catching the flea off guard.

"Yes and…wait a minute." Myoga replied. "How did you find out that your father wielded Sounga?"

"Because Michiru told me himself, just as he was told by Saya; the spirit of Sounga's sheath." Inuyasha answered, getting a little ticked that he hadn't been told about Sounga's existence by his so called bodyguard until after he had brought up the subject with him once he found out about it from his friend Michiru over the phone just a short time ago. "Are you going to tell me anything else that I should know about Sounga or are you going to sit there like a cowardly flea full of fear?"

"I'm sorry Master Inuyasha, when Totosai and I disposed of Sounga inside the Bone Eater's well; we both thought it would eventually vanish over the natural course of time." Myoga said in a panic, trying to apologize to the angry half demon who stared at him. "That's what Saya said would happen and it was his suggestion to throw it into the well, we didn't have any other choice since your father left no instructions of what to do with Sounga once he had died."

"Drop the excuses Myoga, go make yourself useful and go summon Totosai; perhaps he can provide some answers without quivering with fear." Inuyasha replied. "Michiru and I are counting on you so get a move on and find that old man so he can come to Kaede's village."

"I can't leave now Master Inuyasha, my strength is at its end." Myoga protested. "Besides, its dark out and I haven't had any sleep yet."

"Your strength should have recovered by now after you drank enough of my blood earlier to fill your belly with." Inuyasha countered, looking curiously at an awkward toy that Shippo was playing with. "Shippo, what's that strange toy you're playing with?"

"What, this thing?" Shippo asked, getting a nod from the half demon. "Kagome calls it a badminton racket; she says it's used to play a sport in her world. She totally forgot that she had it in her backpack and didn't notice it until she went through it the day after Michiru vanished and returned to his own home. She taught me how to use it before she went back to her own world to look for you shortly when you left for a visit; she says I need to practice in order to prepare myself when the two of us play together. I'm trying to practice swinging and serving, and I'm using this birdie that Kagome gave me along with the racket. See here, funny looking shape isn't it?"

"Yeah, can you show me how it's done?" Inuyasha asked curiously, watching as Shippo demonstrated to the half demon how to swing, serve and even spike the birdie with the racket. Although Shippo wasn't very strong, the plastic birdie soared gracefully through the air until it landed a short distance away from where the fox demon was standing. "Interesting, so that's how you shoot that so called birdie of yours."

"Inuyasha?" Myoga asked as he only just took notice of the mischievous grin coming from the half demon's face. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Since you're too tired to travel and you're strength is sapped, I'll give you the opportunity to travel some distance without exhausting what ever strength you have left." Inuyasha replied sarcastically, clutching Myoga by his backpack which was pitched between the half demon's thumb and finger nails. After tying a thin piece of string around the helpless flea, Inuyasha secured Myoga inside of the birdie by running the string through the thin plastic which made up the cone shape. "You should be perfectly safe inside of here during your flight, and the front will absorb the impact when you land so you won't feel a thing. Once you land you can sleep until dawn and continue on your own in the direction of here ever it is that Totosai lives, Michiru and I are counting on you so hurry up and come back quickly."

"Please Master Inuyasha!" Myoga begged as the half demon jumped up to the very top of a nearby tree that he frequently used to rest and relax in. "Have mercy on this frail old soul, I'm only a flea!"

"Happy landings Myoga, and have a good nap when you do land." Inuyasha replied, before tossing up the tiny plastic projectile and spiking it with a powerful swing of his arm; sending it flying through the air at tremendous speed as the faint cry of an utterly terrified Myoga echoed behind until it was lost from sight. Afterwards the half demon jumped back down and returned to the fire where Kaede, Miroku, Shippo and Kirara were gathered around.

"I think I will go to bed as well, before Sango and Kohaku are asleep so I don't disturb them later." Kaede said, slowly standing up from where she was sitting.

"Night Kaede, and don't worry about the soup; I'll finish it off." Inuyasha said, leaning forward to grab the ladle so he could refill his wooden bowl.

"What about me?" Shippo asked, swallowing the last spoonful from his now empty bowl. "I want some more too."

"Inuyasha, ye can share the rest with Shippo. After all, he's a growing boy and needs it more than ye do." Kaede said, laughing lightly to herself as she observed the reluctant look that Inuyasha had on his face. "Good night ye two, I'll see ye both in the morning when its time for breakfast."

"Good night Kaede, see you tomorrow." Shippo replied, taking the ladle to refill his bowl now that Inuyasha was finished with it. "Mmmmm, this soup is real good! Would you like to try some Kirara?"

The two tail curiously observed and sniffed the contents of the extra bowl which Shippo had filled up and set down on the ground in front of her, and after a few moments she began licking and slurping up the warm broth. As the three companions continued eating their soup, everything had finally darkened completely and now the shimmering stars hovered above their heads which made the sky a beautiful sight to see on this peaceful night without any disturbances or dangers to worry about. And if any demons that were lurking nearby in the woods were foolish enough to attack the village, Inuyasha would be there to beat them to a pulp until they were either dead or fleeing away for their lives.

"Inuyasha, tell me more about Michiru's adventures from that far away land that he's trapped in." Shippo asked, getting bored of the silence now that the hilarious events which Miroku had experienced were over a short while ago.

"I'll rather not; I don't want to tell the same story twice now that Sango and Miroku are both asleep." Inuyasha replied reluctantly as he drank another bowl of soup.

"But I wanna know more about what he's experiencing, he's having other adventures and all of us are still stuck here with nothing to do." Shippo complained. "Until Kagome comes back, we can't even go searching for more jewel shards."

"I know Shippo, I know." Inuyasha said while trying not to get anymore frustrated than he already was. "Kagome can't return yet until she finishes doing some work she has in her world, and Michiru can't even return home yet at all; let alone to visit us until he figures out what magic powers were responsible for bringing him here in the first place. The sword Sounga may have taken Michiru over to that far away country, but it would be too dangerous to even attempt using it as a means to get back home the same way; even Michiru is probably aware of that given his miraculous resistance against its evil power. Besides, we couldn't leave to search for jewel shards even if Kagome did come back right away."

"Why not?" Shippo asked curiously.

"Because she's just as worried about Michiru as I am, and Michiru is relying on me to find out any useful information that I can about that blasted demonic sword which transported him to that far away land that he's currently trapped inside of." Inuyasha answered. "And apart from that, we've finally defeated Naraku so Kohaku is free from his control. Now that Sango finally has her brother back, I can't see her wanting to travel anytime soon until Kohaku makes a full recovery after being under Naraku's control for such a long time."

"Yeah, you're right." Shippo said. "At least we know Michiru is alive and well, I almost thought he was turning into a ghost when he was being sent back to his own world once Utsugi's magic had worn off. I remember talking about it with Miroku and Kagome shortly after it happened, the three of us just stood there watching him disappear silently after he said goodbye."

"What?" Inuyasha asked suddenly, a little confused after hearing Shippo's words. "He didn't disappear silently, weren't any of you paying attention to him speak at all?"

"I wasn't listening to Michiru's voice!" Shippo declared, trying to explain himself. "I was completely distracted by the fact that his body was vanishing into thin air when that mysterious white light surrounded him just before he was gone! And as far as I can remember, Kagome and Miroku didn't hear anything either since they were distracted too; and he was speaking so softly that it would have been tough to hear what he had said anyway even if we were listening."

"Really? You're sure?" Inuyasha asked in surprise, seeing the young fox demon nodding his head in response.

"Yes, yes." Shippo answered back wondering what was on the half demon's mind which was so important enough to ask about a minor event such as that. "Why are you asking anyway? Is something wrong?

"No, never mind. I just thought Michiru might have been saying some magic words during his unexpected departure and if I knew what they were, then perhaps I could remind him and that would somehow help him find a way to use his magic in order to revisit us in our world." Inuyasha replied, feeling relieved that Shippo didn't know the truth about what had really happened during Michiru's special farewell message to Sango. "Just forget the whole thing and pretend I didn't ask about it."

Although Inuyasha was convinced that Shippo didn't know of the event, he had to make certain that both Miroku and Kagome were in the dark as well; for either of them could escalate the situation to a whole new level which Michiru and Sango wouldn't be able to take due to the suffering they each already had to endure even though both of them were good at hiding it when ever they interacted with anyone. Determined to see if what Shippo had told him was true, the half demon pulled another flaming piece of wood out of the fire and tossed it at Miroku who was snoring as he lay asleep on the ground by the fire. The thud against his rear wasn't hard enough to awake him, but the burning flames would do the trick of rousing the lecherous monk from sleep in a few moments or so.

"Huh? Ahh!" Miroku cried out, leaping off the ground as the heat from the burning wood did its work. "I'm on fire again! Help me! Mmmm!"

"Quiet down Miroku, you'll wake everyone up!" Inuyasha shouted; kicking the burning wood aside and stomped out the flames on the monk's kimono as he clamped his hand over Miroku's mouth to stop him from screaming. "You're not on fire, so stop screaming! I've got something important to ask you, so listen up. Shippo tells me that he was talking with you and Kagome about Michiru's disappearance when he was returned to his own world a short time ago; he says that none of you remember hearing anything that Michiru may have said before he left because all of you were too distracted by the sight of him vanishing before your eyes. Is all of that true?"

"Yes it is, all I could ever remember was Michiru saying goodbye to all of us." Miroku answered before asking. "Did you wake me up just to ask a question which Shippo had already answered for you? Couldn't you have waited until tomorrow morning to ask me something like that? I was having such a good dream until you woke me up, now I'll have to fall asleep all over again."

"Oh shut up." Inuyasha said angrily, shoving Miroku forward and headfirst into the side of the large soup pot. Upon hitting it with his head, the monk fell asleep within seconds so he could return to his dreams which were undoubtedly filled with lechery. After dragging his unconscious companion back a few feet away from the fire, Inuyasha sat down again and filled his bowl with some more soup. "There, happy now?"

"Too bad Kagome wasn't here to see all of this, she'd be furious at Miroku for his actions tonight." Shippo said, laughing as quietly as possible. "Ha! Ha! Ha!"

"I'll say, and yet she still thinks that Miroku and Sango will eventually be together someday." Inuyasha commented. "At this rate, I'll be amazed if they're even married in five or ten years from now; let alone with children."

"You don't think it'll happen Inuyasha?" Shippo asked curiously.

"The only way they can get married and stay married is by staying and living together in Sango's home village where her family used to live." Inuyasha answered as he grinned mischievously. "It'll be just the two of them, along with Kohaku and Kirara to keep them company as well. That way, Sango will be the only pretty girl that Miroku ever sets his eyes on."

"Ha! Ha! Ha! That's so funny." Shippo said, laughing as he tried not to spill his soup bowl which he had only just filled again. "And since the village is deserted to begin with, no other pretty girls will be around and distract him. Ha! Ha! Ha!"

Meanwhile inside of Kaede's hut, Sango sat kneeling on the floor with her younger brother Kohaku laying on her lap as he sat up leaning his head and back against his older sister's waist and chest. This was the easiest method available to the demon slayer so she could hold the bowl of warm soup in front of Kohaku and feed it into his mouth one spoonful at a time. Although Kohaku was now free of Naraku's control, his memories and strength would take a considerable period of time to recover which was why he was bedridden most of the time ever since he had been rescued. As she continued feeding her exhausted brother, Sango's mind was thinking back to all the times when she had been put in check during a battle where Naraku had sent Kohaku as a means to keep her at bay. After a long period of countless battles and endless toil, she finally had her brother Kohaku safe and sound. Although Naraku was dead and gone, the lovely demon slayer was still troubled by an unshakable feeling that the danger was not yet over. Inuyasha and Kagome still had to search for the remaining jewel shards, but neither of them were ready to undertake that journey yet and Sango herself wasn't ready or willing to travel yet either until Kohaku was well again.

Suddenly, Sango's thoughts were cut short as she heard a tired yawn escape from Kohaku's mouth. He had fallen asleep after swallowing all the soup with mushrooms and herbs, it would seem that he could only stay awake long enough to consume the meal that his sister had brought for him. As a smile crept on her face, Sango sit the empty wooden bowl with the spoon inside of it down on the floor and wrapped her arms around her unconscious brother in a gentle hug. The two siblings were together again and could sleep peacefully without fear of Naraku or any of his horrible incarnations and demons to attack them while they were asleep and vulnerable. After releasing her brother and sliding him gently, she eventually laid him down in the bed with his head resting on a cushion before she pulled a light blanket over his body to keep him warm. Once her brother was sleeping peacefully, the demon slayer went to bed as well and lay down next to her brother so she was close enough to protect him in the event that they were awakened by any disturbances during the night. Now that Naraku was dead, more demons would be roaming around the lands and Sango couldn't stand the thought of Kohaku being attacked and killed all because of the single jewel shard still in his back which was keeping her brother alive.

Although Sango was comfortable, her mind was wide awake and not yet ready to go to sleep. Ever since Inuyasha's mention of Michiru and the predicament that the Kururugi boy was currently experiencing in Kagome's world, Sango's mind was flooding with both memories and questions. Had four and a half months actually gone by in Michiru's world ever since he returned home? How could he possibly cope with being alone for so long when it had only been a week for herself and the others in her era? Was he doing alright? Would he ever find his way back home safely? And would he ever find a way to return to the world of the feudal era so he could visit everyone again? The most important question which Sango couldn't block out was did he truly mean what he had said just as he was being returned home to his own world? Sango clearly remembered Michiru saying that he did love her, and she could tell by the look in his eyes that he didn't wish to part with her anymore than she did with him. It wasn't the first time that a young man had said those words to her, a long while ago a young lord by the name of Kuranosuke Takeda had declared his love for Sango and even asked her to marry him as well. This was quite the shock for the unprepared demon slayer, not to mention her companions. This event had taken place long before Michiru's arrival to the feudal era and before Inuyasha and everyone else had ever met the Kururugi boy who had come from the same world as Kagome had lived in.

However, that situation was a far different experience than the more recent one she was now going through. Sango had never liked confrontation, especially with those around her whom she considered to be close friends. During the time at young Lord Takeda's castle, she felt as though she'd be betraying Miroku if she accepted the opportunity given to her despite the fact that the lecherous monk was still flirting with any pretty girl that he encountered during their stay. Looking back, it was relatively easy to refuse Kuranosuke's marriage proposal since she didn't have any feelings for anyone else at the time except for Miroku. But ever since Michiru had come into her life and then vanished after becoming such a close friend, she began to question whether her feelings for the Shikigami user were real or imagined. During their travels together and including their days off, the two of them had grown immensely close to one another. It was almost as if they were more than just friends, which must have some meaning; considering how so little time had passed between the two of them compared with the longer amount of time that Sango had experienced with Miroku. When ever she thought about either of them, she felt as though her heart was slowly being torn in two. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't escape the inevitable fact that she would eventually have to choose between one young man or the other. Regardless of what choice she made, she would still be hurting who ever she didn't declare her feelings for and that was something which she never ever wanted to do.

Did Kagome ever feel this kind of emotional tension tearing inside of her whenever Inuyasha and Koga were fighting together over her affection? Did Inuyasha ever feel the same pain when ever he encountered Kikyo whom he still cared deeply about despite the fact that she was no longer a living person like Kagome was? Just how was she supposed to end this internal conflict within herself without causing pain toward others? Ever since she found herself all alone after her entire family was killed and her brother Kohaku was taken away by Naraku, Sango cherished every new friend she had made once she had joined Inuyasha's group of travellers in search of the Shikon jewel shards. All of her new friends and companions were precious to her as if they were all part of a new family forged together out of all the survivors whose lives had been shattered by Naraku or the Shikon Jewel.

As much as she hated to admit it, the fact that no one was in a position to travel anywhere yet had bought her the precious time that she so desperately needed to question her own feelings of affection and more importantly; who she felt an affection towards. And as far as she could tell, no one else but her remembered hearing the Shikigami user's last words before his untimely return home; or so she thought. Otherwise she would have been questioned about it, probably by Kagome since the energetic girl loved to ask her about her love life regardless of the fact that it was her own business and no one else's. Although this was a problem which weighed heavily on Sango's mind, she decided to block it out and deal with it at the proper time. For now, her primary concern was nursing Kohaku back to health. And so after much thought and pondering, the demon slayer finally fell fast asleep inside the silent stillness and safety of Kaede's hut.

After a few more minutes of talking and laughing, Inuyasha and Shippo emptied the large pot of soup. Before they could take it to the river and wash it after moving it from the fire however, Kirara transformed into her giant fighting form and all but attacked the empty dish. The large round pot which was two feet tall with a diameter of two feet still had some herbs and broth stuck all along the inside, the two tail cat demon who evidently was still hungry proceeded to lick the inside with her tongue until every last drop was gone. Shippo found the scene to be very funny and laughed again, watching Kirara burying her snout inside of the pot; eager to lick the inside clean as the large cooking dish rolled back and forth from here to there when the cat demon moved around to prevent the pot from escaping her.

Inuyasha was completely silent amidst the entertaining scene in front of him as he was deep in thought, there was no denying it now that only he had been the one other than Sango to hear Michiru's words before his human friend had been teleported back home; Inuyasha was a half demon after all so his sense of hearing was immensely superior to that of an ordinary human. Although he confirmed that Shippo and Miroku were unaware of this, there was one other person who still needed to be questioned in order to make certain that the delicate matter remained a secret; Kagome. He knew that would be a very difficult challenge to pull off without getting found out because of how smart she was, her knowledge of how romance worked seemed immeasurable; except of course for accurately predicting who was a suitable partner for whom and so on. All of Kagome's little matchmaking schemes sickened Inuyasha because of how unworthy Miroku truly was for Sango's affection even though the reincarnated priestess had somehow managed to overlook all of Miroku's faults and traits which everyone knew Sango could not and would not put up with, his flirtatious actions with other girls as well as his lecherous behaviour and so on; one could only wonder why Kagome thought Miroku and Sango were so perfect for each other.

As much as Kagome wanted to see the two of them together, she would have no say in the matter because in the end; it was Sango's decision to choose who she loved and no one would have the right to argue with her choice when the time came for her to make it. But before she could make it, there was the possibility that Kagome and the others would find out; which is why Inuyasha had to inform Sango of everything he knew first. As much as he didn't want to alarm the demon slayer by saying that he knew of Michiru's love for her, Inuyasha decided he had to talk to Sango in order to prepare her for the worst just in case Kagome figured out what was going on if the half demon failed to ascertain how much she knew of the delicate matter without accidentally revealing it in the process while he questioned the reborn priestess. Although his main task was finding out answers for his friend Michiru in regards to the sword Sounga, there wasn't much else that the half demon could do; and he already knew that it would take Myoga a while to find Totosai and return with him to Kaede's village. The half demon decided that he would stay in the feudal era until the morning once everyone was up and having breakfast together, then he would return to Kagome's world and await any possible phone calls from the Kururugi boy. If he was lucky, he might even catch some information from Kagome's TV or radio or what ever the highly advanced contraptions were called. He could also ask Kagome whether or not she heard Michiru's words as he disappeared back to his own home and time in order to satisfy his curiosity.

Inuyasha was very troubled by what was going on, it was a miracle that he remained calm and hadn't left to vent his frustration out on some unsuspecting demon who was unfortunate enough to meet him while in such a violent state. The half demon was already angry about having no knowledge of the sword Sounga until after it unexpectedly tried to escape; taking Michiru with it around the world to a foreign land, otherwise he would have known enough ahead of time in order to prevent that event from occurring which would mean that Michiru would still be safe at home in his own country just as Kagome was. But the past could not be altered no matter how much Inuyasha desired it, which is why he was thinking very carefully about what the future would hold for himself and his friends; Michiru especially given the predicament he was now forced to endure no thanks to the Sounga. As much as Inuyasha wanted to tell Michiru that he knew of his friend's feelings towards Sango, the last thing that the half demon wanted to do was put more strain on the Kururugi boy who had more than enough to worry about with staying alive and finding a way to come home; and so the half demon decided to keep it to himself and to tell only Sango since she was probably under more pressure than Michiru now that she was faced with the difficult decision of choosing whether to return those same feelings of love or too reject Michiru.

It was no secret that Sango still had feelings for Miroku even though the dishonest monk frequently showed how unworthy he was for her when ever he flirted with other pretty girls on countless occasions, as well as groping Sango inappropriately without caring how wrong or how rude it was every occasion that he did it; including the most recent one just a short while ago tonight. Inuyasha shook his head and snorted in disgust as he could hear Miroku quietly whispering in his sleep, saying sentences which made it plain what the monk was dreaming about; lechery. At first, the half demon was tempted to toss another burning log at the sleeping monk just to light him on fire and get a good laugh at his expense; but he decided against it and managed to ignore Miroku's mumbling as he continued thinking quietly to himself. At least Naraku was dead and gone, that was one matter which everyone was happy to rid themselves of; but the Shikon jewel shards still needed to be found and collected and that was another job that also couldn't be put on hold for too long.

"Michiru, I hope you're having better luck than I am." Inuyasha said to himself, looking up at the starlit sky; finally ready to go to sleep. "Because until Myoga returns with Totosai, I'm afraid I won't be of much help to you in your search for a way to return home."

It was now 10:00 on the morning of November 20th in Manhattan where at the Ghostbusters' HQ; Michiru was just finishing telling everybody his adventures from travelling in the Feudal era all the way up to when he flew over on Sounga to the United States. There were a lot of moments when someone would interrupt him and ask a question or when everyone broke out laughing at a funny part of his long tale which thankfully gave the Kururugi boy a chance to recover his voice so he could continue. On one such occasion, Michiru became infuriated and embarrassed when everyone broke out laughing as he was telling them of how he had accidentally encountered Sango while she was having her bath in the river at Tsuzumi village. He had tried reminding them that she had told him she had only gone there to the river in order to wash her laundry and nothing else, this only made them laugh harder and longer which forced the Shikigami user to wait until they stopped before he could go on telling his tale.

During the deadly battles against Naraku or any of his minions and incarnations, everyone was quiet as they listened to Michiru tell of the danger and the horror that he had experienced with his companions. They were especially interested in the times he had discovered his new Shikigami spells as he travelled throughout Feudal Japan with his friends while they were searching for clues to find Naraku. Ilyssa took the time to write down the names and effects of each spell as Michiru continued talking so she could begin researching for clues about his magical abilities that would help him get out of his predicament. She even wrote down the incident with the fruit from the Magatama tree which Michiru had encountered from the top of Mount Houoh, as well as anything else she thought important to help her with her research. Although the story telling was now over, there were more questions and lab tests that the Kururugi boy had to undertake before any other work or Ghost busting could take place.

"I hate to be to be the bearer of bad news Mitch, but I'm afraid you're going to have to wear the wired helmet again so we can conduct further scans and paranormal images from inside of your mind." Egon said, knowing how reluctant Michiru was at being a test subject again.

"Do I have too?" Michiru asked, not liking this scenario one little bit.

"Come on Mitch, you can live through another lab test or too." Ray said, trying to cheer up his young friend. "If you can live through a deadly battle against Stay Puft while dangling from the top of a thirty-story building like a worm on a hook, you can easily survive one or two measly lab tests."

"Please Ray, don't remind me." the annoyed teenager replied, causing everyone to chuckle momentarily.

"We need answers to figure out how you were able to channel your Shikigami powers into your proton pack so you could temporarily fire your positron collider even though they were both damaged and inoperable during the climax of your big battle." Egon explained. "Besides, this may also help Ilyssa's research which in turn could help you find a way to return to your home country either by using magic alone or a combination of your magic and any new equipment that we can build."

"If it makes you feel any better Michiru, I can hold your hand until the tests are all over." Ilyssa said encouragingly, trying to persuade the young boy with yet another sweet smile on her face. "I have to wear that awkward looking device so I can undergo some tests as well, but you'll have to go first. I'm sure that this will help us find a way for you to return home without getting into any trouble so please just tough it out okay?"

"Fine, you win." Michiru said, not liking the fact that he could be so easily swayed into doing something he didn't enjoy. "But I want a big glass of cold water if this is going to take a while."

"Don't worry Mitch; Egon won't eradicate all of your brain cells." Venkman said sarcastically, drawing a look from everyone as they proceeded to the eastern end of the second floor where the lab was located.

"Venkman, you'll be the one sitting in the chair with that helmet thing strapped to your head if you don't cut out the jokes." Winston warned. "I'm sure everyone wouldn't mind erasing a few memories from your brain in order to change that twisted personality of yours."

"Alright Mitch, just sit down here in the chair and Egon and I will do the rest." Ray instructed. "Hold still for sec, that's it…helmet strapped on."

"Powering up the instruments and switching on the visual imaging projector screen." Egon said as he activated the equipment and started monitoring all the scanning devices. "Voltage is within safety limits and everything checks out fine."

"Camera for brain activity imaging is aimed and level, focussing the lens and locking the camera in place for clearest picture." Ray said, pointing a tiny camera suspended horizontally at the top of a four foot pole which was held vertically in place by a tripod on wheels with a foot brake device to lock it in place on the floor once it was rolled into position. "Set and ready, we are green and good to go."

"Brain activity looks normal and stable, first visual images are coming up on the monitor." Egon replied, checking his instruments as he eyed the screen to look at the image which for the moment was nothing more than an image of Michiru's head filled with nothing but multiple shades and colours which indicated the active sections of his conscious mind. "Alright Mitch, I'm going to ask you to describe what you experienced when you used your magic to defeat Stay Puft. Think carefully and recall as much detail about the incident as you can, take your time and just explain it slow and easy."

"Well o-okay, I-I'll give it a try." Michiru replied nervously before beginning. "I was fighting Stay Puft when I suddenly felt an enormous impact against my back, I was in a lot of pain for a few moments and that's when my positron collider stopped working as I was trying to fire boson darts at his face so I could prevent him from reaching Ilyssa and I. When he unleashed a third wave of marshmallow monsters to attack us with, I thought that using my magic was the only option left available to me since no one else was able to fight him. Since he was such a giant, my most powerful attack spell seemed like the best choice to use even though it would always drain my strength and energy after I finished casting it."

"Do you remember the exact words that you said when you were casting this powerful spell?" Venkman asked, drinking his coffee as he stood by with everyone else watching Michiru as Egon and Ray continued their work.

"Oh brightly burning light, hear my prayer." Michiru answered, realizing that he had to stop in order to avoid casting his Light of Judgement spell and accidentally blowing up the roof of the Ghostbusters Headquarters. "That's all I can say, otherwise I'll actually cast the spell."

"The final words for that spell were "Light of Judgement" Ilyssa added in order to inform everyone who might be lost or confused. "I remember hearing Mitch say them before he summoned his magic attack to defeat the giant manifestation of Gozer."

"Holy Jesus, check out the monitor guys." Winston said as he noticed a bright white serpent flying inside of the TV screen. "Wow."

"What's going on guys?" Michiru asked as he gazed at the monitor after spinning around on the stool he was sitting on to take a look at what ever it was that had caught Winston's attention. "That's the serpent which came out of the neutrona wand attached to my positron collider and when I pressed the firing trigger, it combined my attack spell with my proton stream before exhaling it directly at Stay Puft."

Suddenly, the same event of the battle which took place thirty-stories in the air appeared on the screen. Needless to say, everyone's eyes widened as they were captivated by the battle which all of them knew was real. The images and dialog were from Michiru's memory, but his magic had somehow displayed it by including the Kururugi boy in plain sight like the main character from a video game or a movie. After the battle was over, the memory vanished but was replaced with a black screen with brightly coloured animals including the same white serpent which had helped out the Shikigami user during his final attack against the manifestation of Gozer. In addition to that, there was a bright green bird and a red coloured fish. In the background behind them, there were multicoloured orbs of light which moved around from here to there like fireflies.

"Oh my, what an incredible demonstration of power." Saya commented as he floated above everyone's heads to watch as well.

"Now that's what I call entertainment." Ray replied as everyone moved in closer to look at the image displayed on the monitor.

"Michiru? Do all of these animals appear when ever you cast certain spells with your Shikigami magic?" Ilyssa asked curiously.

"Uh, yeah." Michiru replied nervously as he continued looking at images from his head being displayed on the monitor. "The white serpent appears when ever I cast my "Protective Light" and "Light of Judgement" spells. The red fish appears when I cast my "Great River Offering" and "Great River Blessing" spells. And finally, the green bird appears when I cast my "Sealed Blue Sky", "Blue Sky Confusion", and "Blue Sky Calamity" spells.

"No other animals appear when you cast any of your remaining spells?" Ilyssa asked as she checked over her data sheet while she was writing down this new information.

"No, some red and orange particles combine together and take an unusual form before dispersing once any of those spells are cast." Michiru answered.

"What sort of unusual form?" Ilyssa asked curiously. "Could you describe it or give us a demonstration so we can see it?"

"Well…I…suppose so, let me think." Michiru replied as he spun around to look at Ilyssa and then to Peter Venkman. "Peter, could you stay still for a second please. Oh flame burning bright, Change form at my call."

"Wooah, what're you doing Mitch? Venkman asked as everyone except for Egon and Ray instinctively took a step backwards once the Kururugi boy was casting one of his Shikigami spells. "Mitch, I thought I told you not to use your magic in public. Do you want to go jail?"

"We aren't out in public Dr. Venkman, its not the first time Michiru's used his magic inside this building so stop complaining." Janine countered.

"Wow that is beautiful." Ilyssa said, staring in awe at the red and orange particles as they emerged from Michiru and formed an awkward shape before dispersing and merging with Venkman. "That's the spell that allows you to return an attack immediately after being attacked by the very person you cast the spell on right?"

"Yes it is the "Grieving flame" spell." Michiru answered. "The same unusual shape which appears momentarily also gets summoned when I cast my "Raging flame" and "Flame of Judgement" spells. If I had cast either of those spells, Venkman would have been barbecued so that was the only spell I could use to show you the image without causing him any harm."

"But I would be harmed if I attacked you in anyway right now wouldn't I?" Venkman asked.

"Yes, but you don't have a motive for that so I know that you won't." Michiru replied. "And I advise you not too; otherwise you could be hurt by an automatic magic attack."

"We're Ghostbusters; I would never attack a fellow worker; unless he was accidentally possessed by an evil ghost like Ray was during an incident at the Museum of Natural History some years ago." Venkman said, causing Ilyssa and Michiru to give him a questionable look. "Relax; Ray only got doused with positively charged slime to counter the negativity from the evil spirit possessing him. He had no injuries what so ever, this was during the same occasion on New Year's Eve when we used the slime to bring the Statue of Liberty to life. You remember that story don't you Mitch?"

"Yeah, Winston told me that story while we were on our way down the streets of Manhattan looking for Stay Puft." Michiru said. "I'd wish I could have been there to see that event for myself."

"Ilyssa, what are you doing?" Venkman asked, noticing that the leather clad beauty was taking down more notes on her clip board as Ray was busy focussing a digital camera he had pulled out to record the incredible imaging as soon as it had first appeared.

"Jotting down the animals from the monitor and everything else that Michiru told us which could be important, I need as many clues as possible so my research doesn't hit any dead ends." Ilyssa answered in excitement, not even bothering to turn and look at Venkman as she was completely focussed on her work.

"Dude, I wish I had magic powers like Mitch." Venkman whispered to Winston. "Then Ilyssa would be all over me."

"I heard that Venkman, dream on." Ilyssa countered, shocking the hell out of Venkman who thought she couldn't hear him.

"Busted, ha. Ha. Ha." Wiston replied, giving his co worker an amusing grin as he laughed lightly at his co worker's misfortune.

"Janine, you better head downstairs and check the phones for any messages or calls." Egon said. "Things are probably going to get a little noisy up here so you won't be able to hear any clients calling if you stay with us."

"Don't leave Mitch with that helmet on for too long, otherwise all of you might live to regret it." Janine answered, giving the Kururugi boy a sympathetic look before heading downstairs.

"Oh my, Egon look at the floor beneath Michiru's feet." Ilyssa exclaimed as she pointed at the red star shaped pentagram spinning around on the floor in a counter clockwise direction underneath the stool which Michiru was sitting on. "His memories must be channelling from his mind on to the projection screen even if he isn't deliberately doing it himself.

"Incredible." Ray said in astonishment.

"Michiru, as long as your mind can project images from your memory on the screen here; could you please show us some of the people you encountered during your travel in feudal Japan?" Egon asked in order to gather as much data and info from the paranormal experience occurring right in the lab.

"Uh, I'll try." Michiru answered, trying to stay calm as he cleared his head in order to focus. "I have no idea how I'm doing this, but I'll see if I can show you an image of Inuyasha.

"Wow, are those dog hears on his head?" Ray asked while blinking his eyes in disbelief as he stared at the image of the half demon dressed in his familiar red fire rat kimono.

"Yes Ray, they are." Michiru answered. "As I mentioned before when I told you of my adventures, Inuyasha was born a half demon because his father was a great dog demon and his mother was an ordinary human woman. As a result, he inherited a combination of traits from both of his parents."

"Amazing, show us some more of your friends Michiru." Ilyssa asked in excitement.

"Alright, hang on." Michiru answered, trying to think of another friend from the feudal era. "This is Kagome Higurashi; she's a junior high school student like me who was also mysteriously transported to the feudal era. This happened quite a while ago and under slightly different circumstances compared to my experience which was only two weeks and a day ago if I remember correctly. As you can see, she's dressed in her high school uniform which all students are required to wear in every Japanese school."

"She's quite the hottie eh Mitch? OW!" Venkman commented, receiving a light slap in the back of his head from Ilyssa who wore an annoyed expression on her face.

"Okay, this is Shippo." Michiru continued, trying to picture his little fox demon friend. "He maybe a very young and small fox demon, but don't underestimate his powers. He uses fox magic to create illusions which can mislead and deceive his opponents in order for my friends and I to finish them off with a later attack right afterwards. Once, he transformed himself into a perfect duplicate of me so I could avoid getting captured and taken prisoner inside of a town that my friends and I were travelling through at the time."

"Really?" Egon asked in surprise. "That's an achievement."

"He's so adorable." Ilyssa commented.

"Okay, this is Miroku." Michiru replied, changing the image in his mind as he looked on screen again. "He's a Buddhist monk even though he doesn't act like it half the time. He can exercise evil spirits and demons with his sacred sutras that he always carries with him and he used to possess a powerful and deadly wind tunnel in the palm of his right hand which vacuums everything up like a small black hole when it's not concealed, but ever since we've defeated Naraku; it vanished and so now he's free from its curse. He's the person I mentioned who walks up to any attractive girl or young woman such as you Ilyssa, and asks them to bear his children without any second thoughts."

"Are you suggesting that I'm an attractive young woman Michiru?" Ilyssa asked in a teasing voice, trying to humour the Shikigami user.

"I'm not suggesting anything Ilyssa, I'm simply warning you of what to expect if you ever met Miroku; that is what he would say." Michiru countered in order to change the subject.

"I haven't the slightest interest in anything that this monk Miroku would ever say, and I don't think I'd ever want to meet him either." Ilyssa replied with a slightly mischievous smile, knowing all too well from Michiru's voice that he was trying to avoid being teased or interrogated about the subject of attractive girls.

"Well you should be because he has a habit of grabbing and holding a pretty girl's hand affectionately when ever he asks that same request." Michiru warned. "He also likes to grope them inappropriately whenever he gets a chance as well. I can assure you that if he lived in this day and age, he'd have enough restraining orders against him to keep him all alone or locked up in jail for the rest of his natural life."

"Wow, and I thought Venkman was abrasive." Ilyssa commented, causing Winston and Ray to chuckle.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Venkman asked in surprise. "I never groped you or asked you to bear my children, not once."

"No, but you did chicken out of trying to catch Slimer." Ray cut in, enjoying the predicament that Venkman found himself in. "You even used the excuse of guarding the elevators so you could escort any pretty ladies safely downstairs or to their rooms where they'd be safe, which ever came first."

"Hey, I wasn't trying to get lucky Ray." Venkman countered, not in the mood for being humiliated in front of everybody; especially Ilyssa of all people. "I was merely trying to avoid getting covered in nasty slime from that gorging green ghost who escaped from us last night, there I admit it."

"Didn't do you any good though did it." Ray added with a grin, making Peter Venkman mad again.

"Can you two postpone your little argument until we're finished here please?" Egon asked. "We've got a lot of work to do, and I'm not in the mood for falling behind schedule today. Mitch, let's continue on."

"Oh my, who is this young beauty?" Ilyssa asked curiously.

"This is Sango, a demon slayer and her loyal companion Kirara; a two tail cat demon." Michiru explained, trying to picture both friends together at once. "Although she doesn't have any supernatural abilities or magic powers, she possesses incredible strength for an ordinary human thanks to her intense combat experience and training which she started learning when she was very little. That giant boomerang shaped weapon is called a Hiraikotsu which was carved and constructed from a demon bone and serves as her main weapon which she can carry and throw with astonishing force, speed and accuracy. You have to admit that Kirara looks cute and harmless, but she can transform into a giant form of her former self so she can fight and even fly through the sky when ever she pleases. I myself got to ride on her back once and fly through the sky high above the ground and let me tell you, it was a memorable experience that I'll never forget."

"Wow, that cat's so much bigger and ferocious looking in her giant form." Ray commented. "That's one kitty I wouldn't want to piss off."

"To bad she couldn't be here, she'd make a great watch cat to guard this building against any unwanted intruders." Winston added. "I'd enjoy unleashing her on Peck if that environmental pain in the neck ever came around here again."

"Wouldn't we all, he's the pest that shut down our containment grid and let loose all the ghosts we captured back when we first started our business." Ray replied. "Then he blames us for the destruction which he caused after we warned him not to shut it off in the first place, and sends us to jail."

"How did you guys manage to get out?" Michiru asked curiously, wondering if he would end up being locked in jail if he was ever caught before finding the necessary means to return home.

"We were personally summoned before the mayor of New York City once the chaos escalated beyond control and no one else could stop it from getting worse." Venkman answered. "After a short and enjoyable debate over what to do to solve the problem and save the city from disaster, we defeated Peck and enjoyed seeing him removed from the Mayor's office by the authorities. Our sweet moment of justice and vengeance was over and we were back to work just like that. The people of the city cheered us on before and after our heroic battle which was when we first encountered Mr. Stay Puft and destroyed him just minutes after he was summoned into this world by our co worker Ray Stantz here."

"I'm glad you guys were so fortunate, I'd know I'd never want to be locked up in prison." Michiru said after hearing Venkman's tale.

"Was this the girl you accidentally came across while she was butt naked in the river taking a bath?" Venkman asked, causing Michiru to blush and Ilyssa to form a death glare on her face as she slapped him in the back of the head yet again. "Ow, why'd you hit so hard? I was just asking a question."

"Keep your annoying remarks to yourself Venkman; we're trying to work here." Ilyssa answered in a demanding voice.

"Wow, who's that scary dude?" Winston asked, staring at the new person on the screen.

"That's Naraku, and trust me when I say you don't ever want to meet him." Michiru answered, causing everyone to shake their heads. "He's a heartless, diabolical demonic monster with deadly powers. He enjoys causing unspeakable horrors to everyone on a massive scale, one such example was slaughtering Sango's entire family except for her younger brother Kohaku whom he had abducted and kept prisoner for a very long time until we finally rescued him a short time before we successfully defeated Naraku in battle. You already know all of the other horrible incidents he committed against the other friends and people I mentioned earlier, so I'm sure you've got enough food for thought about how terrible and merciless Naraku was when he was alive."

"Hey look at that, you and Sango are fighting together." Ray said, looking at the image of the two combatants working together as a team to deal a crippling blow to their evil enemy. "You're combining your magic with her weapon, that would explain why you were able to fuse your powers with your proton pack. You already had the ability even though you were never aware that you could combine it with other weapons whether they belonged to you or to someone else. Check out the destruction of your combined attack, you two are doing great damage out there in the heat of that battle."

"Dig that Ray, hey look that other dude Inuyasha is making his move next." Winston added. "Wow, sliced that evil dude's face clean in half."

"Check out the expression on his face, he's still alive." Venkman said, "But only long enough to feel the pain and figure out that he's been defeated by a bunch of inferior amateurs, that's gotta leave an imprint in his ego before he dies."

"Okay, that's enough; can I take this helmet off now please?" Michiru begged, not wanting to stay hooked up to the machinery any longer.

"Come on Egon, I think we've got enough data." Ilyssa said, feeling sorry for the Kururugi boy. "Besides, aren't there some tests and questions that I have to take?"

"Very well then, I can clearly see that Mitch has had enough of wearing that helmet for one morning anyway." Egon answered, knowing how eager Michiru was to stop being a test subject.

"Hey Mitch, are there anymore cool fusion spells you can conjure up if you combine your magic with various other tools or equipment?" Ray asked in excitement, holding Michiru's PKE meter.

"I don't know Ray, I'll find out the next time we're in the field fighting ghosts and other monsters." Michiru answered, trying to loosen the straps around his forehead. "Right now, I'm only interested in getting this uncomfortable contraption off of my head."

"Hold still Mitch, I'll help you." Ilyssa said, grabbing Michiru's shoulders and spinning him around to face her so she could unfasten the device. "You don't have to tense up so much; I'm being as gentle as I possibly can."

"That's not the reason I'm tensed up and you know it." Michiru replied, slowly blushing at the close proximity of their faces not to mention seeing Ilyssa's gorgeous figure as she was leaning forwards in an effort to see what she was doing. After a few more seconds, the device was removed and Michiru was free to get up from the stool and move about as he wished.

"Can you help me strap on this helmet please Michiru?" Ilyssa asked, causing the young boy to turn around and give her a questioning look.

Not wanting to be rude, the Shikigami user came over and helped the leather clad beauty secure the awkward device around her forehead. Ilyssa could tell that the nervous boy was deliberately trying to avoid looking her in the eyes and face for fear of blushing from embarrassment of being in close contact, but she wasn't offended. She already knew that he found her attractive in spite of the gap in their ages, and she wanted to ask him if he was attracted to one of the two girls whom he had met in feudal Japan ever since she had her suspicions. But she decided to keep quiet in order to avoid embarrassing the Kururugi boy in front of the others, especially after listening to the humiliating situation Michiru had to endure inside of Ecto-1 while he was being interrogated by Venkman before she first met the Ghostbusters at the Sedgewick Hotel. After the helmet was properly secured on Ilyssa, Michiru stepped back to go retrieve his PKE meter from Ray and to finish his glass of cold water which he never touched while he was forced to concentrate on answering questions and displaying memories on the monitor.

"Oh my, that's a beautiful pendant you're wearing Michiru." Ilyssa said as she looked at the golden star shaped amulet hanging from around his neck. As everyone crowded around the Kururugi boy to take a look, Michiru held it in his hand to protect it from any hands that wanted to examine it.

"Wow, where ever did you get that expensive piece of treasure Mitch?" Winston asked after taking a look at the amulet resting in the palm of the Shikigami user's left hand.

"It belonged to Utsugi and Kakuju, who were both my great, great grandparents." Michiru answered.

"Hey Ray, get your PKE meter out of the way; you're blocking my view of Mitch's amulet." Venkman complained.

"Sorry Peter, it's just that I seem to be detecting some paranormal activity coming from it." Ray replied, holding the PKE meter close to the golden necklace it continued beeping. "Uh Mitch, it seems that your clothes are also giving off some paranormal readings."

"Oh yeah, about that…I uh…" Michiru began. "After I had a shower, I found a duffle bag with some belongings of mine from home which was mysteriously placed there when I came out to dry myself off. I assure you that it wasn't there before, I found this amulet and some clean clothes inside of it along with an ablutions kit and a few other things including a world map from Kagome's house which she had told me was stolen when I was talking on the phone with her shortly before I came to join all of you at breakfast. Saya came in to see me when I first discovered the duffle bag's presence, and he assures me that he didn't bring it here. I thought that perhaps it was brought here by the spirit of one of my great, great grandparents; either Utsugi or Kakuju. On the other hand, the spirit of someone else from the feudal era may have brought it over. But who ever it is, I do not know."

"Michiru is right; everything he has just told you is all true." Saya said, backing up his friend's story.

"So there's a spiritual entity that may have followed you all the way from Japan shortly after your paranormal experience with Sounga." Egon stated, thinking to himself. "How very interesting, perhaps we should investigate the matter later on. In the mean while, let's get these tests over and done with."

"Wow, one paranormal experience after another." Ray commented, lowering his PKE meter. "I guess I won't be able to detect or locate the culprit if all I'm going to pick up is either Saya or all of your belongings which were recently discovered here."

"Don't worry Ray; it's not a big deal." Michiru replied. "Besides, I'm more concerned with finding a way back home without getting all of us into trouble."

"So tell us Ilyssa, how is it that you know so much about Gozer." Winston asked curiously.

"I happen to be a well educated specialist after frequently studying ancient Mesopotamian cultures and architecture." Ilyssa explained as everyone gathered around to listen to the young woman. "Sumerian is my primary field of interest, or to be more specific; Gozerian is the subject in which I am most familiar with. I was recommended to be the guest curator for the new Gozer exhibit that's opening on display tomorrow night at the Museum of Natural History."

"I'm sure you're undoubtedly aware that all of us have some previous history with Gozer, except for Mitch of course." Egon stated, as he continued monitoring his equipment at the table.

"Yes, of course I am." Ilyssa replied. "All four of you defeated him once before many years ago, am I right?"

"Yeah, Ray was the guy who chose Gozer's most recent Destructor form." Venkman added before asking. "The so called "Harmless Stay Puft marshmallow man."

"I was only trying to think of a something that could never ever possibly destroy us, I couldn't help it." Ray countered. "Geez Peter, won't you ever stop bringing that up?"

"Of course not, it's such a good story and we all get a kick out of hearing it right guys?" Venkman replied, causing Winston and Egon to shake their heads. "Well, I always get a kick out it when ever I hear it."

"If the new Gozer exhibit is being displayed at the Natural History Museum, why wouldn't you guys get invited to the opening night?" Michiru asked in confusion. "I know you're not exactly popular except when it comes to fighting ghosts, but I just thought that you'd be invited to attend so you could at least brush up on the history of one of your most dangerous paranormal opponents and see the exhibit."

"As much as I agree with you, I don't have anything to do with sending out invitations or deciding who's on the guest list." Ilyssa added.

"Pity, it would have been nice if we could go see it together." Michiru said, drawing a questionable look from everyone. "When I said we, I meant all of us; not just Ilyssa and I."

"Yeah, we know." Ray replied, trying to suppress a grin.

"Sorry Mitch, but you walked right into that little misunderstanding all by yourself." Winston commented, with a funny grin on his face. "None of us said anything; it was you that got the wrong idea."

"All of you were staring at me with a weird look, so I thought…I…oh forget it." Michiru countered in an annoyed tone of voice before he started to drink his tall glass of cold water. As the embarrassed teenager continued to swallow the contents of his glass until it was empty, the adults exchanged looks with one another as they all resisted the urge to laugh or giggle at their young friend's expense.

"Doctor Venkman, you've got some visitors, they'll be upstairs in a minute." Janine said over a small hand radio that Egon kept at his desk.

"Okay, thanks for the warning Janine. Over and out." Ray replied, before removing his thumb from the talk button. "They're either clients or inspectors, so everyone do some work and look busy."

"We already look busy Ray; we're dressed for work and conducting lab tests." Venkman stated. "What more do you want?"

"Well well, isn't this a surprise." said a red haired man with a short beard and moustache wearing black dress pants and a black suit with a white shirt and green spotted white tie underneath as he emerged from the stairs leading up to the lab where Michiru, Ilyssa and the Ghostbusters were gathered. "Mr. Venkman, still exhorting the city for more money after causing destruction with more fake electronic light shows I see. Will you retire after you've accumulated every last dollar in existence, or will you just move to a different city once you've reduced this one to rubble?

"Everyone keep your mouths shut, I got this." Venkman countered, walking forward to meet the man who was so rudely insulting the Ghostbusters. "Walter Peck, you've come to the wrong place if you're looking for anything hazardous. Or did the Environmental Protection Agency start brown nosing after being merged with the Enormous Pain in the Ass who won't stop poking his nose into other people's business?"

All the Ghostbusters chuckled at Venkman's comeback as they saw Peck's angry face, except for Michiru of course who kept quiet in order to avoid drawing unwanted attention to himself. The young Kururugi boy found Venkman's comeback to be funny, but he wasn't about to laugh and risk provoking the visitor anymore than Venkman had already done. The man that Venkman was talking too was the very same man who had shut down the containment grid and throwing the Ghostbusters in jail, thus allowing all the imprisoned spiritual entities to escape and roam the city again. Ilyssa on the other hand was completely unworried about Peck's presence as she sat comfortably on the stool with the scanning helmet still strapped to her head so that Egon could read her brainwave patterns and scan for any abnormalities as he questioned her. Before Peck could respond to Venkman's insulting remark, another man came up from the stairs to break up the commotion in an effort to calm down the two adversaries.

"Okay everyone, let's not get carried away." said another man who was also wearing black dress pants and a black suit. Unlike Peck however, he wore a red tie with thin white stripes running down diagonally and he was clean shaven. He was almost bald if it wasn't for the tiny amount of grey hair which was located on the top, sides and back of his head, and he was about the same height as Winston even though he looked a tiny bit chubby.

"I was right, you have been brown nosing." Venkman added, ticking off Peck again.

"Cool it Venkman, this is strictly a business visit and nothing more." Mayor Mulligan replied, before turning to Ilyssa. "I heard you had quite the experience trying to stay alive after being attacked last night Dr. Selwyn. Are you well enough to attend the opening night at the Museum as the guest curator?"

"Yes I'm well enough." Ilyssa answered. "It's the new Gozer exhibit that I'm worried about; it may have something to do with the trouble that's been taking place all over the city."

"Are you kidding Ilyssa? The exhibit can't be responsible for everything, especially since it wasn't even loaned to the Museum until a short time ago." Mayor Mulligan asked. "All these ghost sightings have been occurring for years even before you were attacked the night before the Museum opening by Gozer himself. That one hundred foot tall giant that the Ghostbusters destroyed early this morning was Gozer wasn't it?"

"Yes it was Gozer; he had manifested himself into a familiar form which he had recently taken during the last time he was summoned into our world many years ago which was the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man." Egon answered. "Although he was summoned again and under different circumstances that we haven't figured out yet, this event was much weaker than his first encounter with us."

"There Ilyssa, there's nothing to worry about." Mulligan replied with a look of satisfaction that the danger was now over.

"Well if there's nothing to worry about, what the heck is Preck doing here with you?" Venkman asked sarcastically, faking a cough to cover up his deliberate little insult. "Oh, I'm sorry. I must have had a lump in my throat."

"I'd give you a lump in the head to go with it Mr. Venkman, if the Mayor wasn't present." Peck countered, giving Venkman a quick death glare.

"Really?" Venkman asked with a smile. "You wanna take this outside? Come on, I know you wanna."

"Can it Venkman, all of you guys; including Peck are going to be working together from now on." Mayor Mulligan said, immediately drawing everyone's attention as Venkman's eyes widened with shock.

"What?" Venkman asked in surprise. "Please tell me you're joking."

"Forget it; there isn't enough money in the whole world to change our minds." Ray protested, shaking his head and arms. "No way, no how."

"Absolutely impossible, need I remind you that Peck was the one who shut down our containment grid and set free all of the ghosts we had captured and imprisoned back when we first started our business?" Egon stated, trying in vain to change the Mayor's mind. "Trust me when I say he's the last person that any of us would work with, he'll only make everything worse."

"Now hold it right there gentlemen, it was city council that made the decision and not me." Mayor Mulligan explained, causing frustration for everyone except for Ilyssa. "The city has given you guys at least a dozen or more contracts which allows you to do more work and expand your business, it's only fair that the city council gets to closely supervise you for a six month period in order to evaluate you and your progress. After all the damage you guys have been causing in your ghost catching campaign, the council merely wants analyse everything so that they can balance their books. That's were your old friend Peck comes into the picture, as the new head of P-COC; he's been appointed as your supervisor.

"What the heck does P-COC stand for?" Ray asked in confusion.

"P-C-O-C. Also known as Paranormal Contracts Oversight Commission." Peck answered. "And my first act is going to be suspending you clowns' operating license."

"Lighten up Peck, you can launch your investigation if the need arises as long as you keep me and the city council informed of everything that goes on." Mayor Mulligan cut in. "Your primary concern is keeping the Ghostbusters supervised and under control while they work, just remember that you'll loose your job if they cease to exist. So you guys need to cooperate and work together in order to keep your jobs, kind of ironic isn't it? Be sure to get some rest Ilyssa, I'll see you tomorrow night at the Museum opening."

As the Mayor left down the stairs to leave the building, everyone just sighed and took a breath to calm down now that they were being ordered into a situation from which they could not get out of. Ilyssa didn't have anything to worry about, but she could sympathize with the Ghostbusters; especially Michiru who was technically an illegal foreigner. If Peck ever found out about Mitch's identity and predicament, all of them would be behind bars for a very long time. Knowing the tension between everyone in the room, the leather clad beauty removed the helmet from her head and set it on the table so she could break up any riots that might occur between Peck and Venkman who were already trying to hold back the urge to start another verbal conflict.

"So, can we get invitations to the museum opening now that we're all friends and fellow coworkers?" Ray asked, trying to get a tiny advantage out of the unbearable predicament that the Ghostbusters now found themselves trapped in.

"Not likely, but I'll be seeing you soon at the first sign of any paranormal activity." Peck answered before turning to leave.

"And then what?" Michiru asked, not liking that Ghostbusters now had to take orders from an arrogant stuck up individual who had absolutely no knowledge or combat experience when it comes to dealing with ghosts and paranormal entities. The Kururugi boy had come across many examples of battles were military leaders would make incorrect decisions which would cost thousands of lives, and most importantly the outcome of a battle which in turn affected the whole course of a war. Although the Shikigami user wasn't involved in a war, he still regarded his predicament as being just as dangerous since he could be killed in action by ghosts or thrown in prison by the people of this country since he was an illegal alien who had entered unconventionally and in secret.

"Excuse me?" Peck said as he turned and looked at the teenage boy standing between Ray and Winton.

"Once any ghost or paranormal activity is detected somewhere in the city, then what?" Michiru asked. "Will you allow us to investigate the matter and deal with what ever is causing the disturbance?"

"That entirely depends on the circumstances of the situation." Peck answered, eyeing the young teenage boy suspiciously before turning to Ray. "I wasn't aware that Ghostbusters were hiring any new employees, and what kind of a name is ROOKIE anyway?"

"It's a better name than Peck, Peck." Venkman said sarcastically, causing Peck's eye to twitch at yet another insult from his arch adversary.

"If you must know, it's an incentive. New employees or ROOKIES are most likely to injure themselves during the first three to six months of their employment, which is why our new worker is wearing an ID patch with that name." Ray explained, even though he was technically lying right to Peck's face which is why Ilyssa was giggling to herself as Ray continued. "Egon and I came up with the plan that if every new worker survives and passes the first three months of evaluation during their employment, then they'll receive their personal ID patch with their given name on it along their health insurance coverage and all other benefits that they're entitled too."

"I see…" Peck replied, turning to look at Ilyssa who was still giggling. "Is there something funny Ilyssa?"

"Oh no, nothing at all." Ilyssa replied as Venkman was crouching down a few feet from the edge of the stairs examining several mouse traps which had been lead down on the floor several days ago between the lab table by Egon's desk and the shelf. Saya had also been near there hiding behind one of the cardboard boxes, and Venkman signalled for him to float towards him so he could whisper something without drawing attention from the Mayor or Peck who were standing just five or six feet away. The traps had been untouched, so Venkman decided to relocate them out in the open and then he stood up and strapped on his proton pack. "I was just thinking that Ray's new employee is off to a great start since he's been promoted to the Experimental Equipment Technician who gets to test new types of ghost capturing technology in the field. He's the handsome young man who saved my life from Gozer while battling on the roof top of the Sedgewick Hotel in the early hours this morning, and he single-handedly defeated Gozer and his paranormal minions all by himself which in my book is quite an achievement for his first day on the job."

"Well…don't get too involved with these clowns, you might get a headache or something. I'll see you and the Mayor tomorrow night at the Museum as scheduled, don't forget to bring your invitation when you arrive at the main entrance." Peck said before turning to leave. Michiru looked at Ilyssa with a panicked expression on his face as if she was blowing his cover or something, but the leather clad beauty just smiled and gave the Kururugi boy a quick wink to assure him that everything would be perfectly fine.

"Look out Peck, there's a ghost behind you!" Venkman shouted, firing a burst from his proton pack and momentarily striking one of the cardboard boxes sitting on the bottom shelf of the storage rack. As Saya emerged from his hiding place and flew passed Venkman into the bedroom at the opposite end of the top floor, Peck fell backwards and landed on a his butt with a thud. However, after seeing the painful expression on Peck's face, everyone realized that the unfortunate man had landed right where Venkman had relocated the mouse traps just a moment earlier. "Oh, sorry about that. I forgot about the mouse traps on the floor, we use them to catch rats."

"Rats?" Ilyssa fearfully asked in disgust, looking at Venkman. "There are rats living in here?"

"Chill out Ilyssa, we do live in an old building." Venkman replied, trying to calm her down. "I never said that we've actually seen any, we just put out the traps as a precaution in case any of them get inside so we can catch them right away before they infest the place."

"Th-that w-wasn't funny Venkman; watch your aim before you fire that dangerous contraption next time." Peck shot back angrily as he stood up and got to his feet. "Just out of curiosity, have you ever even caught any rats in all the years that you and your colleagues have lived in this building?"

"Well…no, not until right now anyway." Venkman answered sarcastically, causing everyone to chuckle as Peck gave Venkman a death glare. "You may want to remove those traps before you exit the building, otherwise people might stare at you and think you're a weirdo."

"We both know that this wasn't an accident Venkman, so enjoy this little moment of fun while you can." Peck said very softly, still giving a death glare as he began to remove the mouse traps which had attached themselves to him; one on each side of his butt and the third in his crotch area. "One more prank like this again, and I'll personally shut you guys down for good; remember that."

After dropping the mouse traps on the floor, Peck walked away and suddenly slipped on the edge of the staircase that was mysteriously soaked in wet green slime which must have come from Venkman's proton pack. Once he slid half way down the stairs and came to a halt, Peck got to his feet and stormed out of the building as he received a questionable look from Janine who was still sitting at her desk. Everyone just turned and gave Venkman a questionable look before Saya came back in to join them, Michiru breathed a sigh of relief that his identity hadn't been discovered even though he was worried more than ever now that Walter Peck would be supervising him and the Ghostbusters for Mayor Mulligan and the city council. Luckily for the Shikigami user, Venkman's little prank had given something for everyone to laugh at after they were now forced into an unfortunate predicament. Janine came upstairs to ask how things were going and why Peck left in a bad mood with the back of his pants and suit covered in slime.

"You missed one of Peter's pranks Janine, it was pretty funny." Winston said. "First he fires a proton stream at shelf, causing Peck to fall backwards on top of three mouse traps and then he soaks the edge of the floor and makes Peck slip and slide down the stairs."

"Only Dr. Venkman would think of pulling a stunt like that with Peck around." Janine said, giving Venkman a look as she shook her head.

"You played your part pretty well Saya, we make a good team." Venkman said. "I hope I didn't scare you or hit you with my proton stream."

"Oh no, not at all." Saya replied, laughing afterwards as he floated about. "You hit the box I was hiding behind, and I flew up and out in a flash without harm. My only regret is having an up close view of what happened afterwards, but still heard everything from inside of the bedroom. Ha! Ha! Ha!"

"If you thought that was funny, come check this out over here." Ray said, gesturing everyone to follow him to the metal lab table across from the pool table and examined an answering machine. "Everyday we get lots of messages and we usually don't have time to listen to them until after we get back late from a hard day of work. Some of the things we hear are unbelievably hilarious and ridiculous trust me you'll be laughing."

As everyone gathered around, Ray pushed the message button in order to play back all of the messages which had accumulated ever since they had left to recapture Slimer at the Sedgewick Hotel and all the other battles which took place afterwards. Janine got some lemonade and ice out of the fridge and filled up some glasses since it was almost noon, not to mention the fact that it was a hot summer day outside and everyone would probably need a nice cold drink to stay cool and avoid getting dehydrated. After passing the glasses of cool liquid around, the red haired lady gathered some bread and various other items from the fridge in order to make a heaping plateful of sandwiches for lunch before everyone had to get back to work. Since Ray had warned Michiru and Ilyssa that they would be laughing, the two friends grabbed some chairs to sit down on while everyone else stood around in anticipation of all the crazy messages that were left by various callers.

"You have thirteen new messages." the answering machine said before playing back everything from start to finish. The first three messages were just little complaints but the fourth message took everyone by surprise and poor Michiru was holding his sides as he laughed with all the noise trapped inside of his stomach as the talking continued.

Beep! "Renny Hadrian with Com Core Corp, Stay Puft marshmallows are one of the many high quality products we make here at Com Core Corp. Frankly, we're outraged. You may have fooled the city with your little puppet show, but not us! This company has worked for over seventy-five years to cultivate the family friendly image of Mr. Stay Puft, he was modelled after somebody's Uncle for crying out loud and it wasn't all so you could go to war with him in downtown Manhattan! This is a defamation of character on the grandest scale! You'll be hearing from us Ghostbusters! Have a sunny funny Com Core Corp day."

"So if Stay Puft belongs to that dude, does that mean he has to pay for all the damage and destruction that Tubby Soft Squeeze caused?" Venkman asked sarcastically, getting a chuckle out of Winston and Ray while poor Michiru just kept on laughing.

"You have eight new messages." Beep!

"Yeah, I was wondering. Is it safe to eat all this marshmallow goop that's covering my balcony? And as a follow up question. What if I already did?" Beep!

"HAAA! Ha! Ha! Ha! I'm gonna die!" Michiru said briefly, trying to breathe while holding his sides as Ilyssa suddenly exhaled and spilled some of her lemonade on her lap. Janine came by and handed a napkin to Ilyssa before glancing at Ray and just shook her head before returning to the kitchen counter. "I can't…believe…you guys…receive these…kinds of calls!"

"You better believe it, every single day." Ray replied, grinning at the young teenager as he laughed as well.

"I don't know why you guys bother listening to that stuff." Janine said grabbing the heaping plate of sandwiches and setting it on the table by the answering machine for everyone to share before taking a seat herself and offering to pour more lemonade for anyone who wanted it.

"Oh come on Janine, its hilarious." Venkman countered, drawing a questionable look from the intellectual woman. "Just look, Mitch and Ilyssa seem to be enjoying it."

"You have seven new messages." Beep!

"Yeah, this is… Hi, I'm Rodriguez. I just wanted to thank you guys for breaking up my kid's Bar Mitzvah, that was great. Cost me over fifty grand, for what? A busted up ballroom and a hotel manager that won't stop crying. Fantastic! It's all good; we'll just wait for my precious son to become a man for the second time in a row! How does that sound? We'll just wait it out, or you know. He'll probably be getting married in eight years or so, so maybe you can come and destroy the wedding too! Or maybe his son's. Or would you like to attend the blessed occasion with your lasers and your hollering? We look forward to it; invitations will be in the mail." Beep!

"If we really receive invitations, we're definitely going." Venkman commented.

"With or without our proton packs?" Michiru asked sarcastically.

"There's always lots of free fancy food at a wedding, I'm in." Winston replied with a chuckle.

"You have six new messages." Beep.

"Aw man, I just saw you guys on TV. Man, that marshmallow dude was all like "BLAA!" and "KABLAM!" And you guys were all like "Not in my city!" Zap! And the people were all like "AAHHHHH!" HA! HA! Aw man you guys are awesome! So…like…how's it going?" Beep!

"Okay, that was weird!" Ray said. "Then again, most fans sound like that over the phone."

After hearing another weird message from someone calling from the Sedgewick Hotel, Michiru was able to calm down in order to laugh and breathe easier.

"You have four new messages." Beep!

"This is Dell at Try Thrill Ray Deluxe Chocolates; I don't suppose you guys would know if there was a possibility of you fighting a graham cracker monster in the near future? Kay, cause if so; maybe we could work a deal where Stay Puft could just be captured and not destroyed. Thanks." Beep!

"Okay, it's a little late to make a deal like that." Winston commented. "Not to mention that Stay Puft is too dangerous to be left alive and that Com Core Corp would be infuriated if we gave him to Dell just to be processed into s'mores."

"You have three new messages." Beep!

"Dr. Venkman? You know who, I think I somehow left a pair of earrings at your place. And my shoes, maybe my cat. I had a really great time, call me." Beep!

"What kind of girl refers to herself as "You know who" Peter?" Ray asked, as everyone in the room turned and stared suspiciously at Peter Venkman.

"Why the heck would she leave or forget her earrings, shoes and her pet cat at your place anyway?" Michiru asked in confusion. "If you ask me, she sounded like a complete airhead."

"Can it Mitch, it's not nice to call someone names like that when you don't even know them." Venkman countered, trying to defend himself and the mysterious female he had recently been involved with.

"And what did she mean when she said she had a really great time? Eh? Eh? Ha! Ha! Ha!" Winston asked with a grin as Janine and Ilyssa glared at Venkman without uttering a word.

"Okay then…let's hear the last few messages." Ray said, trying to change mood of everyone in the room.

"You have two new messages." Beep!

"Hey Ghostbusters, Ron Ferrell out in sunny California. Do you guys have an agent yet? Hey, let me rephrase. I've been talking to the studios and I sort of let it slip that I'm representing you guys. There's big interest out here, I smell a bid at work, Give me a call."

"You have one new message." Beep!

"Uh hi, my house keeps telling me to get out. You think it was permanently or just like for the weekend?" Beep!

"Well that's all of them; some of those were pretty entertaining uh?" Ray asked.

Once the fun was over, everyone made their way downstairs to the main floor to get ready for work. Janine quickly checked her fax and answering machines for any recent messages before joining everyone as they gathered beside Ecto-1, Winston and Ray began loading all of the proton packs and equipment that they would need before leaving as Michiru tucked his golden amulet underneath his clothes and work uniform so it wouldn't get lost, cause a nuisance or draw any unwanted attention to himself. Saya who had followed everyone downstairs, floated around to see Michiru and the Ghostbusters off before going to have a relaxing nap upstairs where it would be peaceful and quiet for the afternoon until they returned from their paranormal work outside in the city.

"Doesn't Peck look like the kind of guy would accidentally walk into the firing path of a proton stream? Venkman asked, trying to change the subject as he felt very uncomfortable under the combined glares of Ilyssa and Janine. "I'm just saying...it could happen."

"It'll definitely happen if he shuts down our containment grid again or gets in our way while we're on the job that's for sure." Winston commented.

"Now that lunch is over, we should go check out the Museum." Egon suggested. "What ever happened yesterday night and this morning started up there and I'm sure the new Gozer exhibit is somehow connected to all the paranormal events we've all experienced."

"What about Peck? He's supposed to be informed of everything we do now that he's supervising us right?" Winston asked.

"What he doesn't know can't hurt us, we need to investigate as much as we can before he interferes or shuts us down completely." Ray answered.

"Okay, I'll take one for the team and stay here to protect Ilyssa." Venkman suggested, trying to get out of work and simultaneously make a move on the beautiful new office assistance that was now going to be working with Janine. "Don't worry, I'll be her personal protection."

"If I need protection, I'll choose Michiru over you anytime since he already saved my life three times in one morning from certain death." Ilyssa shot back in protest as she shook her head in disgust at Venkman's remark.

"Sorry Ilyssa, but we need Mitch to come with us since he's our Experimental Equipment Technician." Ray said, sympathizing with the young woman. "But don't you worry, because Peter's going to be far too busy to bother you all day with wiping up the slime he sprayed on the top floor as well as cleaning up the mess downstairs and in the subbasement isn't he Egon?"

"Yes, he still hasn't been disciplined yet for leaving his team mates in the field during our battle with Stay Puft." Egon replied. "When we come back from investigating the Museum, I expect everything to be clean, spotless and in working order. Are we clear Peter?"

"Crystal clear Egon, have fun battling new ghosts and mid evil monsters." Venkman said with a grumpy voice. "May you guys get soaked in slime until you slip and slide."

"Alright Venkman, you heard Egon so stop sulking and start sweeping." Janine ordered, shoving a mop into Venkman's hands before returning heading downstairs.

"Well, good luck on your first day of work Ilyssa." Michiru said cheerfully. "I'm sure Janine will have you well trained in no time, we'll see you when we come back."

"Thanks Mitch, don't work too hard out there like you did when you were hanging thirty-stories above the ground this morning." Ilyssa replied with a smile, getting a chuckle out of the Kururugi boy. "If I find the time to start my research, I'll take advantage of it and dig up as much useful information as I can to help you find a way back home okay. I'll do my best today, and you make sure to come back in one piece without being unconscious."

"That's a promise, I don't plan on hanging thirty stories above the ground while I fight monsters and ghosts this time." Michiru commented with a happy grin just as the beautiful woman took the unprepared boy in her arms, giving him a tender hug to wish him the best before he left; causing him some nervousness until he finally hugged her back to make her feel happy.

"Okay magic man; get in the car before we drive off without you." Winton called from the driver seat, giving Michiru a grin as the Shikigami user slowly released himself from Ilyssa's embrace and entered the car; followed by Ray who sat to his right after opening the main doors so they could exit. "All aboard! Let's get this show on the road!"

Ilyssa waved goodbye with a smile as Ecto-1 sped out of the building at tremendous speed before turning on to the road and heading off in the direction of the Natural History Museum. Once they were gone, Ilyssa joined Janine at the reception desk where she could learn how to perform all the tasks and duties that she would be required to do from now on. Saya had gone upstairs for a nap and Venkman was just entering the subbasement when his jaw dropped at seeing the mess which was left after Ray and Michiru had battled Slimer and captured the Sloth ghost just half a day earlier. After shaking his head for a few moments, the reluctant worker began the laborious task of tidying everything up until it was clean before moving up to the next floor, and finally the very top floor where he and Saya had pulled their little prank on Walter Peck just a short while ago.

Author's note: Sorry for the long delay, I had a huge writer's block and life at work for the passed seven weeks have been hectic and terrible. I've recently played and beaten the whole Ghostbusters Xbox game so I'm now familiar with basically everything important on every mission or level right up to the end. If anyone has any suggestions regarding events occurring on certain levels or in the feudal era, etc, I'm happy to hear them since they could make this adventure more entertaining. I should warn you all that I'm stuck between choosing whether to pair Michiru with Sango or to pair him with another girl from an entirely different anime altogether. Ever since I began this story, I want to try something new and different by giving Michiru more adventures since he only exists in the Cursed Mask game and doesn't experience as much spot light like Kagome from the main Inuyasha series. I haven't made up my mind yet and I probably won't until after Michiru returns to Japan once his adventures in the United States are over so there's plenty of time to think about that. Feel free to comment on anything you've read in this note or chapter and thank you for your support, patience and reviews.

Orionpax09, I admit that I probably didn't do as good of a job on the scenes you requested as I would have liked, but I hope you enjoyed them as well as the other events which take place in this chapter which I regret to say took far too long to complete. I've got loads of data and theoretical ideas to help explain how Michiru's Shikigami powers work, its just a question of properly putting them together on paper in such a way that will hopefully be believable and make sense to those who read this story. Venkman's going to be a little jealous of Michiru from getting Ilyssa's attention, but he's a grown up so he'll eventually get used to it.

Jetty1, you didn't injure your insides after reading this chapter by any chance did you? I'd hate for you to die of laughter before reaching the last bit where Peck makes his appearance which I know you've been waiting to read about for a long time now, hope you enjoyed it along with all the other hilarious moments throughout this fourth chapter. I also saw the Ghostbusters cartoon show and loved that Slimer was a good guy, perhaps I'll find a way to recruit him as part of the Ghostbusters team as the story progresses. I thought that Vigo was destroyed in the second Ghostbusters movie, or was he just trapped inside of the painting? I was confused when I saw it in the game.


	5. Pandemonium at the Public Library

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, Ghostbusters, or anything associated with either of them. This story is being written just for fun and enjoyment.

Chapter #5: Pandemonium at the Public Library

It was 12:10 p.m. on November 20th and it was a bright and sunny afternoon at about lunchtime as Ecto-1 was travelling down the busy roads heading for its destination. Winston was at the wheel driving and this time, the car ride was much smoother and safer. Michiru was sitting in the front with Winston to his left and Ray to his right while Egon sat in the back behind Ray, keeping an eye on all the equipment. The Shikigami user was once again deep in thought, he had been able to fuse his magic with Egon's equipment and he was actually projecting live images from his own memory on to the screen so he could visually see it with his own eyes like a movie. Perhaps there was a way to discover more clues about his magic in order to find a way out of his predicament by watching his feudal era adventures on screen in case he had forgotten anything important. It would also be nice to watch and relive all the times he enjoyed with his friends, especially with Sango during the days they had spent together. The Kururugi boy also hoped that Ilyssa would be able to help him research for any information about his Shikigami powers in order to discover how Utsugi and Naraku had summoned him back in time to the feudal era in order so he could return there one day. Although it was probably a lot more important if she helped him discover how he had drawn power from Sounga and travelled around the globe to the United States, the teenager couldn't help but wish for something which he wanted even more.

"Why so quiet Mitch, are you deep in thought or something?" Ray asked, trying to strike up a conversation while they could before they arrived at their destination where they had to begin their work.

"You could say that Ray, I was just thinking about whether I'll eventually find a way to return to the feudal era and see all of my friends." Michiru answered.

"Aren't you concerned about finding a way to go home to Japan first?" Ray replied, "We'd all be in a great deal of trouble if you were ever caught or discovered before you could leave you know."

"I'm aware of that Ray; you don't have to remind me about that." Michiru answered. "But as long as I'm stuck here, I might as well take advantage of the all the free time I have available in order to research any information about my magic. Not just so I can return to Japan, but also so I can return to the feudal era one day. I could not only visit my friends there, but I could also come back here to see all of you as well if I ever had the ability. Besides, I feel a bit nervous now that all of us are being supervised by that guy Peck and I for one don't want to get caught or thrown in prison."

"I understand Mitch, and we're all nervous too." Ray replied, "If he had his way, that little prick would like nothing more than to shut down our business and lock all of us behind bars for the rest of our lives."

"That is why we need to help Mitch return home as soon as possible." Winston commented as he drove. "That should be our first priority instead of catching ghosts, especially now that we have Peck interfering with our affairs."

"Not to worry Winston, that's also why we hired Ilyssa Selwyn as an office assistant for Janine." Egon cut in. "She's going to research information about Michiru's magical powers while we're catching ghosts in the field which will hopefully help Michiru travel back home to Japan without attracting any unwanted attention. If we can pull this off, then everything will be just fine and Peck won't even know what's going on."

"Let's hope it turns out that way, for all our sakes." Michiru added.

"So Mitch, what you think about our new office assistant?" Winston asked with a grin as he kept his eyes on the road.

"You mean Ilyssa?" Michiru replied curiously, being caught off guard by his friend's question. "Well she's a very kind and generous pretty lady, especially since she's keeping my identity a secret by not telling any police about me being in this country. She also offered to help us try and find a safe way for me to return home on top of helping Janine out in the office with all the paperwork so I believe she's a good person."

"Is that all?" Winston said, causing Ray and Egon to turn their heads and look at Winston once they could see where this conversation was going.

"What do you mean is that all?" Michiru replied before realizing it a split second later. "Oh come on Winston, you too? I already had to endure one unbearable interrogation from Peter about twelve hours ago, and I don't wish to go through with another embarrassing discussion again."

"Relax Mitch; I wasn't going to put you through another situation like the one Peter sprung upon you. Its just that I think Ilyssa's taken a liking to you, so that's why I'm asking what you think of her." Winston replied with a grin, knowing full well how embarrassed the Kururugi boy was when it came to talking about girls or attractive young women after listening to the recording Janine had played for them earlier.

"If she has taken a liking to me, it's probably because of my supernatural ability to use magic. It has nothing to do with a crush or affection if that's what you're thinking." Michiru answered calmly, trying to overcome his embarrassment as he talked about this subject of discussion. "Besides that, Ilyssa is nearly twice my age. I'm fifteen which makes her at least ten years older than I am, if not more. I honestly don't know how old she is, but I would guess that she must be at least twenty-eight or older. Don't get me wrong, I do find her attractive, but I like her just as a friend."

"Now that wasn't so hard to say now was it?" Winston commented as he chuckled after seeing the grin on the young teenager's face. Before the Shikigami user could think of anything else to say, Janine's voice came over the intercom.

"Hey guys, you need to take a detour. There's some huge paranormal activity going down, its on 1010 Wins right now and I think you should listen to it." Janine said.

"Tune it in Mitch, this could be important." Ray instructed, as the Kururugi boy switched on the car radio and homed in on the frequency so they could all hear the news report out loud.

"…and another ghostly sighting has staff at the New York Public Library scrambling for answers."

"There's only one ghost I know of who would haunt the Library; the Gray Lady." Egon stated.

"That's right!" She was the very first spiritual entity that we ever saw, even before we became Ghostbusters! Ray replied in excitement. "Let's check it out, this time we may actually capture her. Quick Winston, GO!"

Ecto-01 suddenly spun around and performed an extremely tight U turn after entering the middle of a T intersection, shaking everyone inside of the vehicle violently before heading down the opposite direction in the other lane of the very same road which they were originally taking to go to the Museum. Luckily, those two to three seconds of dangerous driving were over in a flash and Winston drove the car more smoothly for the rest of the way.

"Aren't we supposed to go to the Museum Ray?" Michiru asked curiously, wondering whether they had enough time to investigate more than one building.

"It's been there for a hundred-four years. Where's it going to go today?" Ray joked, turning to look at Michiru who gave him a serious look. "Don't worry Mitch; we won't fall behind schedule or anything if that's what you're worried about."

"Uh, this thing you guys have with the Gray Lady borders on the weird, you know that right?" Winston commented.

"She made look like schmucks, not this time." Ray replied, "We were unprepared and frightened to death when she scared us out of the Library all those years ago, now we'll get to go back there with our proton packs and we'll be the ones who come out on top on this occasion. Thank you Janine, we'll head down there to check it out."

"Oh, and another thing, Peck called and says that I'm required to tell him where you are and what you are up too." Janine added.

"Great, that's all we need." Michiru said sarcastically.

"Tell him he can meet us at the Museum, we'll be there…eventually." Egon answered.

"Roger, over and out." Janine replied, ending the call as Ecto-1 came to a halt and parked in front of where the New York Public Library was located.

As everyone stepped out of the car, they could hear cheering coming from several crowds of people who had gathered together when they found out that the Ghostbusters where coming to investigate the ghost sighting which they had heard on the news just moments ago. Luckily, the city police had arrived earlier to block off the area and keep everyone far away so the Ghostbusters could deal with the situation without getting held up or interfered with by all of the people who were undoubtedly fans and spectators. All of them were cheering "Ghostbusters" over and over as they weaved their arms high in the air, hoping that one or all of the paranormal eliminators would step outside of the blocked off area and approach the crowd so they could be entertained and get autographs and photographs. While his fellow Ghostbusters were facing the crows of cheering people which had gathered at each end of the T intersection located in the front of the Library, the Kururugi boy took a minute to observe the outside of the building which they were soon going to enter.

The Library was an immense building and the front entrance was definitely a sight to behold, beautifully constructed out of marble. Three tall archways loomed above in front of three doorways, one for entering and two for exiting; completely sheltering the Library's entrance. Six pillars helped to decorate and support them, one single pillar at each far end of the left and right archways and two more side by side closer to the middle from both of them providing even support underneath the structures. An immensely thick overhanging roof which was built on top of the entire Library and standing even higher on the edge of the roof directly above the archways which further decorated the main entrance were human statues. Leading up to the entrance from the sidewalk where the Shikigami user was standing were three flights of stairs, two of which were built with wide bricks at a small angle which made the journey up and down fairly quick and easy; the third and final flight of stairs had small steps built at a higher angle and that made the walk up and down a little more difficult compared with the other stairs. Between each set of stairs was a flat walkway which gave the people travelling up and down an easier way of moving around, the one located between the second and third set of stairs was almost three times as wide as the other.

In front of the Library and on either side of the stairs which lead up to the main entrance was a patch of lush green grass with bushes and trees. There were also about four huge concrete pots evenly spread out at the bottom of the stairs near the sidewalk with plants growing out of them. On both sides of the second stair, which was quite narrow compared with the first and third ones was an enormous platform; the odd thing which Michiru noticed right away was that only one of them had a lion statue carved beautifully carved out of marble. It was lying down with its head facing away from the Library's main entrance almost as if it was a guard. The teenager smiled momentarily as he admired the statue, recalling all the memories he had of Sango's loyal and faithful two tailed cat demon Kirara. How much he wished he could see them both again and fly through the sky with the two of them as he had done once before on their last day off together during his time in the feudal era. After the brief thought was over, he walked back down the steps to join his companions who were still enjoying their spotlight as they waved at the crowds of cheering people who were forced to keep their distance and away from the Library.

"Those are three very big crowds out there, Venkman picked the wrong day to stay back at the lab; he would have loved being here and attracting the attention of so many people." Egon commented. "You know, the ladies."

"Don't feel sorry for him Egon, it was his decision to drop out of work." Winston added, "Besides, he's supposed to be there so he can clean up the subbasement and the slime he sprayed on the stairs as a punishment remember?"

"I remember, let's hope that both of those messes are cleaned up when we return." Egon replied. "That is of course if he doesn't spend all day flirting with Ilyssa."

"Don't worry Egon; Ilyssa is with Janine so that will make Venkman's attempts even more difficult. Besides, she can always count on Mitch to save her once we get back like he's been doing over and over again." Winston added with a grin, but then he noticed that the Shikigami user didn't respond to his little remark as his attention was focussed on the crowds of people. "Hey Mitch, didn't cha hear what I said?"

"I heard Winston, I heard." Michiru answered without taking his eyes off the scene in front of him which immediately told Winston that something was troubling the young boy.

"What's going on Mitch? Why ya so quiet all of a sudden?" Winston asked with concern after stepping up beside the Kururugi boy who was standing so still that one would think he was petrified with fear.

"Its brood daylight, there are several large crowds of people at each end of the intersection and there are nearly ten police cars surrounding Ecto-1 which are blocking all of the roads." Michiru answered very quietly as he stared at each of the vehicles with a nervous look on his face. "I'm starting to wish Venkman was here in my place and I was back at the lab cleaning up instead, it's dangerous for me to be here out in the open like this during the daytime. The longer I'm stuck here in this country, the greater the chances are of getting caught, especially now that Peck is supervising all of us on behalf of the Mayor and the city council."

"Hey Egon, Ray's been talking with that police officer for five minutes already; go tell him to wrap it up so we can find and bag the old ghost hag." Winston shouted before turning back to Michiru. "Hang on man; I know what you're thinking. Don't go there, because that just makes your fear a whole lot worse. We're all just as much afraid as you are even if we don't show it, because we're all this is mess together which means you're not alone. When ever a big building like this is crawling with spooks, cops always show up to block off the crowds and keep them under control so it's just a routine. And don't worry about Peck, Venkman's probably got so many pranks up his sleeve that the little prick will have all of his attention focussed on him instead of you. Ilyssa's working for us now so she'll be able to help you find out how your powers work. Now we both know you saved her life three times already, which means she's going to do everything in her power to help you get home safely without causing a fuss or a ruckus. Tell ya what, if we bag this old Gray Hag and get this job done earlier enough; we can all go back home and order a huge pile of take out food so Janine doesn't have to cook tonight. That way, we can all have a nice get together with Ilyssa since we'll all be too busy tomorrow during the opening night at the museum. You think that's a good idea?"

"Yeah, it does." Michiru said, feeling better after hearing the Negro's words. "Thanks Winston, I guess I just needed to hear all of that."

"Good, glad to hear that you feel better." Winston replied with a nod, giving the boy a supportive smack on the left shoulder with the palm of his hand. "Looks like Egon and Ray are finally done talking with Mr. Coffee and Donuts over there; they're on their way back. Come on Mitch, time for us to earn our pay and save the day."

"What were you talking about with the police officer Ray?" Michiru asked curiously as his two coworkers returned from one of the police cars.

"Just finding out more details about the ghost sighting we heard on the news." Ray answered. "According to police officer Captain McMahon, there was a massive disturbance; a real fireworks show. The Library staff was so stunned that they called the police and evacuated everyone from the Library so they could avoid any casualties. Afterwards, the police blocked off the Library with barricades and then Janine got the call just before she told us about the paranormal occurrence."

"It seems peaceful and quiet enough now, at least outside of the Library." Winston said, looking around. "What ever happened must have gone down on the inside."

"Hey Ray, correct me if I'm wrong but aren't there supposed to be two lion statues out here?" Michiru asked, pointing to the empty platform a short distance away from where they were standing by the other one which still had a lion statue resting on top of it. "There's one on this platform here but the other platform over there is empty."

"Good eye Mitch, we'd better check for any valences." Ray answered as Egon held out his scanning tool and pulled his goggles down.

"Hmm…interesting. Ray, I'm detecting something from the remaining lion statue." Egon said, as the antennas on his PKE meter went all the way up and the reading went off the scale.

"Wow, big spikes." Ray exclaimed, as he approached the statue with Winston and Michiru to scan as well. "PKE meters out guys, there's something big in there."

Before the rest of them could use their PKE meters, the beautiful marble lion statue which Michiru was admiring just a few minutes ago burst apart in an unexpected explosion. As everyone instinctively shielded their heads and faces with their arms, two spiritual anomalies appeared hovering in the air and darted into the main entrance of the Library one right after the other. Everyone chased after them, running inside as fast as they could; unfortunately mortals move a lot slower than ghosts who can fly. Ray and Winston ran up the stairs to the left while Michiru followed Egon up the other staircase to the right as everyone switched on their proton packs. The two ghosts had flown inside and right up to the second floor above, the Ghostbusters had hoped to cut them off on both sides and ensnare them with their proton streams in an effort to catch and trap them both before they could retreat elsewhere, but the plan unfortunately didn't work and everyone had hoped. The two ghosts once again used their speed and flight advantages to get away, which meant any chance of a quick battle was now gone for good.

"That's just great, we'll never catch these ghosts if they don't stay in one place long enough for us to fight; catch and trap them." Winston complained. "At this rate, we'll never be finished work before supper. And if we're late, chances are Venkman will eat all the food."

"Not to worry Winston, its time to turn the tables in our favour." Ray replied, "This would be a good opportunity to test the new equipment you invented Egon, did you bring it with you by any chance?"

"I already took the liberty of installing it on Mitch's proton pack after I was finished the minor repairs early this morning while he was asleep. Egon answered; drawing a curious look from the Shikigami user who had no idea his equipment had been upgraded. "There's a tiny function control console located on your positron collider if you look at it, you can see it's near the firing switch. That switch has two different coloured lights, the above one which is red and the lower left one which is blue. The red light which is presently activated means that your positron collider is set to discharge either a proton stream or a boson dart. If you wish to change the function to use the prototype equipment which I just installed, press that small round button and the blue light with turn on as the red light turns off. Good, now you can use the prototype to discharge either a Stasis Stream or a Shock Blaster. A Shock Blaster is similar to a boson dart, but its destructive power dissipates over distance which means that it's only good as a close quarter's weapon. The Stasis Stream is a very different and unique weapon because it has the power to temporarily slow down paranormal entities. If you aim at and hit an opponent with it for a long enough period, you can actually stop it from moving completely; for a short time of course."

"Like this?" Michiru asked, as he discharged the stasis stream from his positron collider in the direction of the hallway. A wavy dark navy blue particle stream shot forth from the Neutrona wand and struck the floor a short distance ahead, causing everyone to look in awe as they saw it didn't leave any sign or trace of damage on the surface. A faint aura of light blue with a glint of white light surrounded the dark navy blue stream almost as if it was a protective barrier around the beam which had been fired by the Kururugi boy. "Wow, it almost looks as though its some sort of a freeze ray doesn't it?"

"Although the stasis stream's effect is very similar, it has nothing to do with cold temperature." Ray added.

"When do you find the time to invent, design and build all of these new pieces of equipment Egon?" Winston asked curiously.

"I've been sleeping about fourteen minutes a day for the passed two to three weeks, which leaves me a lot of free time to do all of those tasks in the order you just asked about." Egon answered, causing everyone to look at him in order to find out whether he was either serious or just joking."

"Well, that explains why Venkman says you get so bossy when ever you haven't had your nap. Ha! Ha!" Michiru replied with a laugh, causing everyone else to laugh as well.

"Now that we've all had a good laugh, we're ready to roll." Ray said, "Time for all of us to split up and search for paranormal entities, everyone get your PKE meters ready. We'll all meet back here when we're done or if there's an emergency, alright let's move out."

"Please be careful with it Mitch, it is still an untested prototype so I'd advise you not to combine your magic powers with it until after you've gotten enough experience using it in the field first." Egon suggested.

"Don't worry Egon, I'll be extra careful." Michiru replied, waving good bye before digging out his PKE meter. "Good luck and good hunting."

"Likewise Mitch, see ya soon." Ray and Winston said in unison as the four Ghostbusters separated in order to cover more ground in an attempt to locate and hunt down all the paranormal entities as quickly as possible.

The Kururugi boy pulled his head goggles down over his eyes and looked carefully as he moved around, holding his PKE meter in front of him so he could also view the readings it picked up. The odd thing was; he couldn't see anything even though he could clearly hear what sounded like growling noises possibly coming from one of the two ghosts who had burst out of the lion statue and had escaped a few minutes ago. After walking back down the stairs, Michiru then turned to the right where his PKE meter seemed to be detecting something coming from inside of a large display cabinet of some sort. As he approached it to get a closer look, the object suddenly burst apart; revealing a ghost which was hiding inside. The startled Shikigami user took a snap shot of the spiritual entity with his tool just moments before the foul floating monster slimed the upper left front of his uniform, knocking him on to the floor while it made an escape further down a hallway located at the other side of the room. After Michiru got to his feet and discovered that his attacker was a class 5 Telekinetic Animator called a Cruster ghost, he turned around and followed the path in an effort to track down and catch the escaped entity. After a short walk, the teenager found an open doorway leading into a small and narrow hallway on the right hand side.

Once he passed through, he found himself inside of an immense room which had numerous bookshelves which were protected by thin metal blinds all along the walls with an entrance at the far end where the library staff members could store, lock up or sign out all sorts of books for the students or people who needed to read them. A large counter engulfed the room and acted as a security barrier to keep people away from the bookshelves. An open space ran down the middle of the room from one end to the other and on either side of it was eight long rectangular tables; each one with eight matching chairs. On top of the tables were small lamps, and multiple stacks of various books which all the people must have abandoned when they were forced to evacuate the library at the time of the paranormal occurrence. Above the bookshelves all around the entire room was a giant catwalk like balcony with a safety railing, this was probably built to allow people access to the other bookshelves located higher above the floor where Michiru was currently exploring at the moment. As the Kururugi boy walked down the middle to get to the other end of the room, he noticed his fellow Ghostbusters walking along the balcony; it would seem that they had all detected the same supernatural presence which must be hiding somewhere inside of the large room that they were presently searching.

"Hey Mitch, be on your guard. We're detecting a powerful anomaly inside somewhere." Ray warned as a violent explosion shook the end of the room which Michiru was nearing, destroying at least four to six tables along with their chairs and causing books and papers to scatter around and come together; forming what looked like the physical body of a giant spiritual entity.

After taking a quick scan, Michiru pulled out his positron collider in order to properly defend himself against this new opponent which he had never seen or fought before. This Book Golem, despite being made up of numerous books was a formidable opponent. Its body was made up of books in the same manner as the Kitchen Golem's body was made up of pots, pans and cooking utensils. Michiru discharged a proton stream at his enemy, causing the monstrous colossal to roar angrily as it charged the vulnerable teenager in a head on attack. Once it was close enough, the Book Golem raised its arms and slammed its fists into the floor; shaking everything violently and just missing its target as the young boy dodged in the nick of time, saving his life in the process. Unfortunately, all of the tables didn't give the Kururugi boy a lot of room to manoeuvre around in. And to make matters worse, this Book Golem was strong and large enough to push anything and everything out of its way in order to attack its opponent which was unfortunately Michiru.

Once the Shikigami user ran away and put some distance between himself and his target, he fired a stasis stream in order to slow it down and prevent it from charging up to him really fast in another head on attack as it had done before. As the Book Golem's speed decreased, Michiru switched his equipment using the function control switch and fired a proton stream at the being's head which was its Achilles heal. Although he was slowly weakening his opponent, this made the teenager vulnerable since he could no longer slow it down and it would charge him at full speed in a matter of seconds as soon as the stasis stream's effect wore off. The other Ghostbusters were doing their best to help out their friend from the high balcony by firing their proton streams at the giant book monster, but they would suddenly have to shut off their weapons if the Book Golem got too close to Michiru or if Michiru suddenly found himself in their line of fire as the two adversaries moved about on the floor. Although all of their combined attacks were helping to wear down the monster, the Book Golem was regenerating its body by summoning more books to itself as the chaotic battle continued.

By now, most of the tables inside of the room lay in shambles; which made it easier for the Kururugi boy to move around more freely in order to stay away from the Book Golem during the battle. The Shikigami user was also getting a lot of practice and experience with using Egon's new prototype equipment and he had figured out that the Book Golem had the same weakness as the Kitchen Golem had which would hopefully allow him to defeat this monster. After repeating the same hit and run tactics while firing a stasis stream and then a proton stream, the Book Golem was at last worn out enough so Michiru could bring this battle to an end. The boy discharged a proton stream at the enemy's head, and tore it from the rest of the body once the slam meter on his proton pack had fully charged, causing the Book Golem's body to burst in pieces which sent all of the summoned books scattering in an explosion before they all fell on the floor and became motionless once again. The teenager breathed a sigh of relieve now that the dangerous battle was now over.

"Fantastic Mitch!" Winston shouted in excitement as he congratulated his young friend. "You are the man!"

"It must have taken a lot of PK energy to animate a spiritual entity like that using all of those books." Ray stated, looking at the mess of books and destroyed furniture scattered all around the floor of the immense room.

"You can say that again, a lot of very angry energy." Egon added, before he noticed something on his PKE meter. "Hold on, I'm detecting some fluxes here."

After hearing Egon's message, the young man took out his PKE meter in an attempt to pick up the paranormal activity that the scientist had detected; but the fluxes seemed to be blended together which made it difficult to accurately lock on to a specific signal. In one motion, Michiru had turned in a full circle and faced the main checkout area of the main library room once he stopped and stood still; his scanning tool had managed to pick up one spiritual entity, along with a paranormal anomaly and an active sample which gave him several targets to investigate. The Japanese student turned slightly left and walked in the direction of the far door at the opposite end of the main checking office for signing out books, there was a high chance that the active sample was in fact a cursed artefact; which would be stationary and therefore the easiest target to pinpoint. Once he arrived at the entrance and lightly kicked open the door so he could enter, Michiru found himself looking at a mysterious painting which was a portrait of an old woman; but the image changed appearance when the teenager walked towards it from an angle and revealed the hidden image of a paranormal entity whose skull like face combined with the aura of purple smoke surrounding its spiritual form made it look very scary and menacing. After taking a scan and watching the painting vanish instantaneously, Michiru's PKE meter told him that the cursed artefact was identified as the portrait of Eleanor Twitty who happened to be the Librarian of the Public Library during her mortal life as a human being.

"Hey Egon, look over there! She's right there by the doorway! The Librarian Eleanor Twitty!" Ray stated excitedly as he and Egon walked down the stairs from the balcony and on to the floor inside of the reception office where the library staff signed out books.

"You're right Ray; meet us at the stairway door Mitch." Egon said, trying to take charge of the situation now that they had found their main target. "Winston, you go check upstairs and see if the other phantom doubled back while the three of us pursue the Gray Lady."

"Roger that Egon, over and out." Winston replied as Ray opened the stairway door for Michiru so he could follow that the two of them could follow Egon and track down the Gray Lady before she could disappear from sight.

Egon, Ray and Michiru entered a short narrow hallway and found a winding staircase leading downwards. As they descended, they all caught a glimpse of the Gray Lady who was so named for being the ghost of an old lady who supposedly haunted the library. After shushing the Ghostbusters and vanishing from sight, the three paranormal eliminators found themselves inside of a small study with book shelves all along the walls and a nice work table with chairs in the middle of the room similar to those they had seen upstairs earlier in the much larger room where they battled the Book Golem inside of. As they looked around with their PKE meters, everything inside of the room suddenly levitated off of the floor. The Gray Lady appeared again, right in front of Egon; giving the unprepared man a fright and shushing them again and then vanishing from sight as she had done before. Everything which had levitated two feet off of the floor came crashing down and lay broken in ruins, but Michiru had successfully taken a snapshot of the Gray Lady before she disappeared so the incident wasn't entirely a bad experience even though her shushing was becoming an annoyance.

"That's her, the Gray Lady!" Ray stated excitedly as everyone moved around searching for other clues and anomalies. "She was the very first ghost we ever saw or hunted. Man, I really wish Venkman could be here to see this."

"I'm pretty sure he wouldn't want to be here Ray." Egon commented.

"I don't see why he wouldn't Egon, this beats sweeping the floor and doing janitorial work any day in my opinion." Michiru stated.

"If Venkman had to choose between spending the afternoon catching ghosts with us or doing some minor cleaning in the same building that Ilyssa is working in, I'm pretty sure the choice he'd make is a fairly obvious one." Ray replied with a grin, watching Michiru's face and waiting for the young boy's reaction.

"Oh…I see, yeah that does make perfect sense." Michiru replied as he rolled his eyes. "I only hope for Ilyssa's sake that he doesn't bother her too much seeing as how it's her first day of work. He might end up getting a slap in the face from her if that happens."

"The Library staff is going to have a field day cleaning up and reorganizing all of these books, at least all of books that are still intact and in good condition anyway." Ray commented.

"Speaking of books Ray, did you or Egon notice that the Gray Lady was carrying a book in her arms ever since the three of us first saw her and began to chase her?" Michiru asked, causing his two of them to stop in their tracks and turn around in surprise.

"She was carrying a book?" Ray asked in shock, getting a nod from the Kururugi boy.

"Yes, and by the way; I found a cursed artefact inside of the main reading room just as you two saw her appear." Michiru answered before explaining another discovery. "The artefact in question which I just recently found was a portrait of Eleanor Twitty herself and when I looked at it from another angle, her appearance changed to a paranormal entity with the face like a human skull whose spiritual form was surrounded by what looked like an evil aura of purple smoke; pretty freaky wouldn't you say?"

"Wow, that does sound pretty freaky; like the transformation she pulled on us when she scared us away during our first encounter with her so many years ago." Ray replied with an uneasy look on his face.

"Interesting, perhaps the book you mentioned that the Gray Lady is carrying might have some connection to herself and to all the paranormal activities that have occurred inside of the library." Egon suggested. "If we successfully catch the Gray Lady, we'll have to examine the book ourselves in order to find the answers we need to solve this mystery."

The three Ghostbusters left the study and came into another one just moments before all the levitating furniture crashed to the floor as the Gray Lady made her escape. A large book shelf had fallen over and blocked off the route she had taken, which forced the three workers to take an alternate route in order to continue their pursuit. Michiru had found a door in the left side of the second study and after walking through it he and his companions found it lead to a small set of stairs, at the bottom of which was a large section of the library with multiple tall book shelves organized all over the room. As they descended, the main power supply which lit up the room shut off, forcing them to rely on the back up lighting which unfortunately wasn't very bright at all. To make matters a whole lot worse, the tall book shelves suddenly moved around like giant chess pieces sliding around in different directions. Before anyone knew what was happening, the three paranormal eliminators now found themselves cut off and separated from one another. Michiru felt like a mouse trapped inside of a maze as he looked around the new environment which surrounded him and his friends. Thank goodness that they could at least communicate with each other using their radios, otherwise surviving inside of this maze full of ghosts; let alone finding a way out would be even more difficult than it was already.

"Okay guys, stay sharp and alert; we don't want to lose the upper hand while we're trapped down here." Ray said over the radio as Michiru walked forward cautiously, holding his PKE meter in front of him. "Let's fan out as best as we can and defeat anything that tries to get the better of us, there are two hostile spiritual entities roaming around inside of this maze with us so be on you guard."

"Two that we know about anyway, there could be more in here." Egon commented over the radio.

The Japanese student made a dash to return to the stairs in the hopes that he could get himself higher so he could possibly see where both of his companions were presently located inside of the maze, but he was unfortunately cut off by another moving bookshelf which now blocked his only route backwards. After cussing silently to himself, the frustrated teenager decided that the only course of action was to venture further into the maze in order to find an exit at the other end of the room and hopefully reunite with his friends along the way. And so with reluctance, the Kururugi boy walked left down a narrow passage with the wall on his left and bookshelves on his right. As he neared a corner, a screaming ghost came out of the wall almost as if it was running away from something which had scared it. Not wanting to waste any precious time with the matter, Michiru ignored it and turned to the right where he saw an enormous painting laying on the floor. After walking around it and coming to another narrow passage, he turned to the left and continued as he suddenly heard Ray's voice over his hand radio which was attached to his shoulder strap.

"I got you now you paranormal parasite!" Ray shouted. "Oh shucks, keep your guard up guys because there's a hostile spirit on the loose that's hungry for a fight!"

The hostile ghost appeared ahead of Michiru at the other end of the narrow passage he was presently walking through, pushing a pile of books out of its way as it came through one of the tall shelves. After giving an angry glare to the teenager as growled, the spiritual entity disappeared as it escaped through a wall in the same way that Slimer had done earlier during the Kururugi boy's first sortie of catching a ghost. Unable to anything more about the matter other than taking a scan of ectoplasm which the ghost had left behind on the wall, Michiru continued walking onward through the maze of tall book shelves which moved around from time to time in order to confuse and mislead all of the Ghostbusters even more as they tried finding a way out of their unfortunate predicament.

"The temperature is dropping rapidly, paranormal event imminent; you'd all better brace yourselves." Egon warned using his radio as stacks of books suddenly fell off of both shelves from either side of the Shikigami user who was trying to move as fast as possible before anything else slowed him down.

"How goes the battle from your position Winston? Is everything alright?" Michiru asked as he pressed the talk button from his walkie-talkie in the hopes that at least one member of the Ghostbusters was having better luck than the rest of them who were trapped inside of the maze.

"Hey Mitch, I'm doing just fine." Winston answered over the radio's receiver. "By the way guys, I'm presently inside the periodical archives looking through some old newspaper clippings all about some maniacal dude named Edmund Hoover; also known as 'The Collector.' This nut has a very dark and gruesome, but interesting history I think y'all should know about. He was a collector of rare books who seduced Eleanor Twitty; the head librarian of this place."

"Did you say the head librarian?" Ray replied in astonishment. "I think I can see where this is going."

"So do I Ray." Egon added. "Please continue Winston."

As the teenager was listening to the radio chatter while he moved along, he suddenly discovered an exit out of the maze which lead into another room. Before he had a chance to inform his fellow Ghostbusters however, a paranormal being appeared right in the doorway only for a split second; causing the Japanese student to stop momentarily and consider his next course of action. After deciding that he'd had enough of being stuck inside of the maze, he entered this new room which was also filled with more book shelves; holding his PKE meter out to warn him of anymore entities. Suddenly it detected another active sample and when Michiru turned left to track down its location, he saw there were tables along one side of the left wall with computers to use, and the cursed artefact sitting right out in the open for him to spot; it was a small reading lamp and the teenager only took a quick look before scanning it so it would vanish from sight. He needed to do that in order to make the artefact's PK energy signature disappear as well so that he could concentrate on finding out the location of the entity he had seen before he had entered the room, but he found no sign of the anomaly he had caught a glimpse of just a second ago; not yet anyway. As he cautiously moved around the room with his eyes and ears alert in case anything unexpected were to suddenly occur, the Shikigami user's PKE meter had picked up a paranormal presence nearby. After choosing to walk through the far left lane between two book shelves, Michiru walked slowly ahead down the narrow space; keeping his eyes on the path in front while he listened carefully to the sound of his scanning instrument which would beep more and more as he drew closer to what ever it was detecting.

Suddenly a burst of bright blue light appeared behind several tall stacks of books which blocked Michiru's forward path. As the Kururugi boy walked backwards a few steps, the light faded and revealed another anomaly. At first he thought it was a skeleton shaped being, but his PKE meter identified it as a Paper Construct or a ghost whose physical body was made up of entire sheets or pages of paper. The agile and humanoid shaped enemy charged forward, knocking down all the stacks of books in its path as it shrieked angrily at the young teenager. Unfortunately the Ghostbusters' new recruit didn't have time to pull out his positron collider since his hand was holding his PKE meter, so he was forced to rely on his Shikigami powers to defeat this opponent before it could get close enough to inflict any harm. Luckily Michiru and the Ghostbusters were the only ones present inside of the Library other than the spiritual entities so it wouldn't cause any problems, and the boy's target was trapped inside of two bookshelves so he couldn't escape or dodge an attack.

"Shikigami attack!" Michiru shouted; creating a small ball of fire in his hand and tossing it at Paper Construct; causing it to scream in agony as it was engulfed in flames. "Oh flame burning bright! Turn into a sword of Wrath! Raging Flame!"

As the burning paper monster lashed out at Michiru in a last desperate assault, the boy's supernatural magic attack accelerated the burning process, thus increasing the high pitched screams coming from the suffering spiritual entity. A moment later, the creature's agony was over as its body exploded; scattering dozens of black and burnt sheets of paper which floated down to the floor and lay motionless. The flames had extinguished themselves in the small explosion during the brief skirmish, so none of the remaining paper sheets from the being's body had any flames on them to start a fire inside of Library which would only add more troubles for the Ghostbusters who had other matters to deal with. Now that the one on one fight was over, the Kururugi boy resumed his course and continued walking through the bookshelves making a turn to the right and then the left until he saw a door leading outside of the room and into another area.

After walking through the door, Michiru turned to the left and found he was walking down a long hallway with brick wall on either side of him. The teenager sighed in relieve as he walked, this was a nice change of scenery after being stuck inside a maze of shifting bookshelves for a while. Suddenly a blue ghost shot passed the end of the hallway, causing the Shikigami user's memory to flashback; it looked like the other ghost which had escaped earlier after revealing itself when the lion statue exploded outside of the Library. There was no time to lose; the young boy quickened his pace in an effort to follow the entity until he had the chance to capture it with his equipment. Once he was at the end of the hallway, he turned left and went down another one until he entered a doorway to the right at the end of the second hallway. After a quick pause to observe his new surroundings, Michiru found himself standing inside of a large storage room of some kind. The door he had entered through was located at one of the corners which gave him a good position to view the rest of the room almost without even moving from where he was standing.

On the left side of the opposite corner of the room were lots of shelves with various containers of materials inside of them and in between the two groups of shelves was a rectangular table surrounded by large cardboard boxes. On the right side were three holes cut into the brick wall with three conveyor belts protruding out of them each with a short overhanging aluminium roof; these were obviously built and used for transporting books around in. In the centre of the room were four more rectangular tables with small boxes resting on top of them; perhaps this room was used to store, reconstruct and repair old and worn out or damaged books for the Library. Michiru's PKE meter suddenly started beeping, which told him that the ghost he had chased was still here hiding somewhere inside the room. As he walked around with his scanning device, hoping to locate it before it could make a getaway; Ray suddenly flew out of one of the conveyer belts and landed on the floor in front of the teenager. Before Michiru could ask Ray how he had gotten into such a predicament, multiple books suddenly flew into the room from the other conveyer belts. The Kururugi boy had only just enough time to take a quick scan before he pulled out his positron collider so he could defend himself against this swarm of spiritual entities.

"Class one swarmers! We're in for a fight Mitch!" Ray shouted, quickly getting to his feet as Michiru began blasting the Book Bats with his proton stream.

"Glad to see you could make it in time to help me Ray." Michiru replied with a grin as the two of them used their positron colliders to attack the flying books which were presently trapped inside of the room flying around everywhere.

Although Michiru and Ray were both well trained and equipped, the Book Bats were formidable foes to deal with because of there numerical superiority as well as having the ability to fly very fast. When ever they spread themselves out, it was difficult to strike a lot of them because they were still moving around. They were easier to hit once they consolidated themselves into a large group, but this was also dangerous because they would dive down and gain momentum before ramming themselves into a selected target; namely Michiru or Ray. This new and deadly attack forced the two Ghostbusters to carefully watch their opponents so they would be ready to dodge in case of another ramming attack, especially since each group contained about a dozen Book Bats in it and it wasn't safe to be struck by twelve individual hits one right after another. Once a group was formed and the Book Bats were closely packed together, Michiru discharged boson darts at it in order to destroy as many of them as possible with a single blast. Ray soon used the same tactic and after a few minutes, all two to three dozen Book Bats had been destroyed.

There was no time for a breather however, for the two class 5 animators which had been hiding inside of the lion statue earlier when the Ghostbusters had first arrived at the Library suddenly made an appearance and now it was time for another battle. The light blue coloured Crusto ghost levitated a bunch of objects off of the floor and spun them around itself like a tornado, which completely protected it from any proton stream attacks that Ray and Michiru could throw against it. As the two paranormal eliminators changed their target and attacked the white coloured Cruster ghost instead, some of the floating objects were launched at them by the Crusto ghost; causing them some physical pain as the Cruster now summoned a protective screen of its own. For the first time, it looked as though there were some ghosts with enough intelligence to work as a team and use their advantages to properly protect themselves and attack at the same time. But this wasn't going to continue, not as long as Ray and Michiru could survive long enough to find a weakness to defeat the ghosts and exploit it.

After several minutes of combat, Michiru noticed that only one of the two ghosts would summon a protective screen of levitated objects during the battle to defend itself and attack while the other ghost was vulnerable and then they would switch roles. Even when both Michiru and Ray combined their attacks against one ghost surrounded by floating objects, they didn't have the power to penetrate and strike a blow. And if they both attacked the vulnerable ghost, they would both be struck by either levitating objects or their target which was trying to avoid getting captured. Michiru kept his eyes focussed on both ghosts as the fight dragged on, for it would soon be time to turn the tables and bring an end to this battle before exhaustion overcame the two Ghostbusters. Suddenly, the chance came when both ghosts switched roles once again and this time; the teenager ran around to get himself into a position to capture the opponent which was now vulnerable to attack. Before taking the offensive however, he would first have to explain his plan to Ray.

"Ray, that Crusto ghost is now unprotected!" Michiru shouted to his friend as he scurried about the floor to pursue his target. "I need you to fire your proton stream at the Cruster ghost's screen and keep it preoccupied so I can take the offensive and trap one of these foes!"

"Gotcha Mitch!" Ray replied with a grin, excited that his young friend had found a way to win this battle. "You can count on me! Alright you floating monster, its time to see how long your screen can last against the firepower of my proton pack!"

The Shikigami user discharged his positron collider, striking the blue Crusto ghost almost instantly. The spiritual entity had used up so much of its energy to summon a screen of levitated objects just moments ago that it was unable to escape captivity; it became entangled inside of Michiru's capture stream within seconds. After a few slams to the ground, the determined teenager tossed out his trap and began pulling his prey into range which would then seal its fate. The white Cruster ghost was unable to strike Michiru and assist his paranormal partner as it was too preoccupied with defending itself against Ray's continued attacks, and very soon it would also run out of energy and become vulnerable. After a few more seconds, the trap opened and vacuumed up the captured Crusto ghost; leaving only the Cruster ghost to deal with. Michiru turned around just in time to see the other ghost run out of energy, making a getaway as the levitated objects fell to the floor. Both Ghostbusters fired and ensnared the remaining spiritual entity in their capture streams, pulled it into proximity and let the trap do the rest. After the bright pink light extinguished itself, Michiru recovered his trap from the floor.

"Great job there Mitch, you really outsmarted those two enemies." Ray said before talking into his radio. "Good news Egon, Mitch and I successfully captured those two class 5 full torso animators we first encountered outside when the lion statue blew up. How are things looking from your end?"

"Congratulations guys, I'm near Special Collections and Eleanor Twitty's ghost is presently located here so the two of you better get down here fast before she disappears." Egon's voice answered.

"We're on our way there, thanks for the tip." Ray replied, opening the other door so the two of them could continue onwards.

Michiru and Ray travelled down a hallway and went from one room to another, battling dozens and dozens of spiritual opponents along the way. It was amazing that the two of them could endure so many combat engagements without being aided by Michiru's Shikigami magic or by Egon and Winston who were both in other locations throughout the Library. During some of the intense fights, both paranormal eliminators had seen and scanned the Gray Lady. They were powerless to do anything else because she kept scurrying away after shushing them whether they made noise or not, and then the two of them were confronted with numerous Book Bats and Paper Constructs to fight against which only delayed their progress of travelling inside the Library. Finally after several tough battles, there was at last a period of peace and quiet to enjoy as they walked. It had been a while since Winston had talked over the radio and Michiru wondered if he was having a better time travelling from place to place than the rest of them had been.

"Hey Winston, haven't heard a word from you in a while. Where are you and how are you doing?" Michiru asked, following Ray as he walked.

"I'm doing just fine Mitch, no need to worry." Winston answered. "I'm inside the Library's periodical section checking the scores on the Knicks game last night."

"Could you tell us more information about this "Collector" so we can possibly find out his connection with the Gray Lady?" Ray asked.

"Well, according to these old newspaper clippings that I'm reading now; this Collector seduced and used Eleanor Twitty to gain access to all of the rare books in her care." Winston answered as he continued reading. "More specifically a single rare book titled, dig this Ray; the Gozerian Codex. Once she discovered that he was just using her as a pawn for his own ambition, she dumped him. Unfortunately he murdered her for taking that course of action and he killed a number of other people shortly afterwards as well. Oh hell, this is spooky. It says here in this last newspaper article that before he was hanged, he said that he would return from the dead as some sort of god named Azetlor and keep watch over the Library and all of the rare books in its collection."

"Wow, nice ugly history." Ray commented. "Thanks for filling us in Winston, Mitch and I are both heading for Special Collections to meet up with Egon. If you need to join us, that is where we'll be."

"Roger that Ray, over and out." Winston replied.

After a few more minutes of travelling through more rooms filled with books and battling a few Paper Constructs who got in the way, Ray and Michiru finally reached a staircase leading down to what looked like a tiny living room; with a couch and a dresser for people to relax comfortably and read. Instead of following Ray through the door to the left, Michiru halted when he noticed his PKE meter was beeping which could only mean one thing; another active sample was nearby inside of this tiny room. Given how small the place was, it didn't take more than a minute for the teen to find out where the artefact was hidden; he could see it through the glass window of the other door over in the far right hand corner. Once he moved the leaning chair aside and opened the door, Michiru stepped inside to get a closer look of the object before he would scan it; it a pin-up girl calendar which was something that Miroku would probably find an interest in if he ever lived in the Modern world.

Now that he identified it, Michiru scanned the artefact and then left once it was gone; following through the other door where Ray had taken several minutes earlier and found himself inside an enormous area which was as just as large as the room where the Shikigami user had fought against the giant Book Golem inside of. The floor was completely covered with a dark luxurious red carpet at one end of the room which in addition to all the book shelves everywhere along the walls almost gave the new inside environment a late nineteenth century look to it. There were small lights in the ceiling with a few lamps on the walls which lit up and showed off various paintings hanging from certain walls where no book shelves were located. Large support columns made and beautifully carved out of wood held up the ceiling and there were tables and chairs sitting in an open space close to the entrance which Ray and Michiru had entered through. At the far end of the room, the floor was tiled and there were globe lights hanging from the ceiling which lit up that section more brightly. All the furniture pieces were levitating off of the floor, behind them stood Egon holding his PKE meter as he tried getting a full scan of the Gray Lady who also levitating near a bookshelf.

As Michiru quietly approached to join Egon and Ray, he could see that the ghost seemed to be searching for a book of some kind even though she was already holding one. The beeping noises coming from Egon's PKE meter must have disturbed the spiritual entity, causing her to turn around and shush Egon before she levitated away to the other end of the immense room. The levitating furniture suddenly crashed to the floor, breaking and falling apart as the Ghostbusters chased after their elusive target who always manages to get away from them. Upon turning to the right once the three of them had reached the far end of the room, the paranormal eliminators suddenly halted after being confronted by more enemies. The spiritual entities which were blocking their path were humanoid shaped entities made of books, similar to a Book Golem and yet different since they weren't as large and didn't have a culmination point for their heads. On top of that, they carried their own weapons; a lance and a shield which made them more formidable. Everyone spread out to do battle and avoid getting caught in each others fire as the armed and dangerous opponents prepared to attack. After taking a quick scan and identifying one of these new adversaries as a Book Centurion, Michiru pulled out his positron collider and opened fire.

"Dawn these things are tough to take down!" Ray exclaimed, as he struck an attacking target with his discharged proton stream. "My proton stream can't blast through its shield!"

"What?" Michiru asked in disbelief as he fired a boson dart at a Book Centurion in an attempt to blast it apart before it attacked him.

"The shields! Use your capture streams on their shields, and then you can beat them!" Egon shouted, disarming a Book Centurion by pulling it's shield away so it couldn't protect itself from any attacks and soon Ray and Michiru followed his example until all the other opponents were quickly defeated.

"Okay that takes care of them, but where'd the Gray Lady disappear too this time?" Ray asked as everyone looked around the room.

"Hey Ray, I…I've picked up some sort of anomaly here." Michiru said, lowering his PKE meter as he approached a book shelf. "I can't see anything, but my PKE meter is really acting up."

"You're right; one of those books is producing paranormal readings." Egon said, holding his instrument close as the teenager pulled on one of the books and suddenly caused the entire book shelf to lower itself down into a hole underneath which revealed a hidden doorway built into the wall behind where it once stood.

"A secret passage! That's great! Ray said in excitement. "Now we can pursue Eleanor Twitty's ghost, let's go!"

The three Ghostbusters made their way down a small winding staircase and upon reaching the bottom; they were attacked by a Paper Construct. The opponent was annihilated quickly and they moved on until they entered another large room similar to the one where they had first encountered the Book Centurions. Because this room was farther down and hidden by the secret passage they had just uncovered, it wasn't lit up very well which made it very dark in some areas inside of it. There were book shelves all along the walls and there were support columns made of bricks to hold up the ceiling so they must be far underground by this stage. Boxes were located here and there, so these books must be extremely rare if they had been so well hidden and this deep underground. As everyone walked around, Ray's PKE mete detected an anomaly located at the far end of the room and upon arriving there; they saw it was a rare book resting on top of a podium.

"Ray, I'm not sure that touching the book is a good idea." Egon advised cautiously, as Ray stretched out his arm to grab the book.

Before he could grab it however, the bookstand levitated off of the concrete floor and floated off into a corner of the room as the orange and red light emitting from the book which rested on it changed to a bright green light. Suddenly dozens of Book Bats appeared and soon the three paranormal eliminators found themselves being attacked from all sides from various spiritual enemies. Swarms of Book Bats attacks from the air while Paper Constructs and Book Centurions roamed around all over the floor, hungry for a fight which made this particular battle a very tough one indeed. Michiru decided that his attention should be focussed on the ground targets rather than the flying Book Bats which were more difficult to hit and take down. If he could eliminate them first, then they would stand a better chance of walking out of this mess alive so they could continue their search for the Gray Lady. This was easier said than done however since they were vastly outnumbered and there were only three of them since Winston was located somewhere else in the Library.

"Egon! Ray! Don't stand still in one spot and let them attack you all at once from all sides!" Michiru shouted, moving around to avoid being hit. "Stay on the move and try to mesh with the ground opponents so that the Book Bats can't ram you without hitting their fellow entities moving about on the floor. While you do that, take them down with your weapons as best as you can and try to survive until the battle is over!"

Egon and Ray followed their friend's instructions as they continued firing their proton streams at various opponents while trying to avoid being targeted by flying Book Bats. The Kururugi boy was moving about the subbasement blasting everything in his path that was trying to attack him as he kept his eyes looking back and forth from his enemies to his friends to ensure that he could lend a hand if they ever needed his help during the battle. While Egon was cutting down attacking Book Bats with his shock blaster, Ray and Michiru had their hands full trying to take down all the Paper Constructs and the few Book Centurions which were trying to attack each of them head on. After Michiru destroyed several Paper Constructs and was about to take on a Book Centurion, he glanced at Ray and noticed that he was preoccupied with fighting two Paper Constructs as another Book Centurion was advancing on him from behind. To make matters worse, Egon's actions were provoking more Book Bats to conduct their ramming attacks and there was no way he could stop them all since he was outnumbered. After ripping away the shield from the Book Centurion he was currently fighting, Michiru darted around to get in a closer position so he could support his friends who were now in grave danger.

"Behind you Ray!" Michiru shouted, causing Ray to turn around just in time to see the shield slam into the floor and stopping the Book Centurion's lance from stabbing Ray in the chest. "I'll disarm it, then you take it down!"

"Thanks for the assist Mitch!" Ray gratefully shouted taking several steps back as the Kururugi boy tore away the attacker's shield and left it helpless so Ray could finish it off with a deadly boson dart. "I owe you one!"

"Duck down Egon!" Michiru yelled as he swung the second shield he had captured through the air, just missing Egon's head and striking an entire swarm of Book Bats that were attempting a ramming attack on the man. The Book Bats were knocked out of formation like a bunch of bowling pins, leaving them momentarily dazed and motionless which allowed Egon to take them out with his proton stream. "Sorry for nearly hitting your head there."

"No apologizes necessary Mitch, you saved my neck with that little stunt of yours." Egon replied gratefully as he finished off the spiritual entities. "I'm glad we made the decision to hire you even though you're an illegal alien, I don't how we would ever manage without you being here."

"No kidding, I'm sure Ilyssa would say the same thing." Ray added, blasting a boson dart and frying a Paper Construct as he talked. "Too bad Winston and Venkman aren't here to see this battle; they would be missing out on one hell of an entertaining brawl."

"Winston would miss out, but Venkman probably wouldn't want to be here." Michiru said, taking down some Book Bats with some boson darts before they could attack anyone. "There aren't any pretty ladies to rescue or impress so it wouldn't be worth the effort right?"

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! You said it!" Ray laughed after hearing his young friend's little remark. "Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!

After several more minutes had passed, the remaining spiritual entities were all defeated and the levitating book stand made an appearance again. It emitted a bright red light as it started spinning around and before anyone could guess what would happen next, the book and the podium exploded; revealing a Cruster ghost as part of the ceiling above it clasped down and more Book Bats appeared. It was a good thing that this ghost arrived too late to take part in the battle they had only just finished moments ago; otherwise it would have been a more difficult and dangerous fight to survive. All three Ghostbusters destroyed all the Book Bats while the Cruster ghost was on the defensive, and now it was a three on one battle. Unlike in the other battle which Ray and Michiru had fought some time earlier, there was only one opponent with such an advantage to use so this battle wouldn't be difficult at all. Both Michiru and Ray were now already experienced in fighting an enemy like this and they had Egon with them as well which only tipped the advantage even more in favour of the Ghostbusters.

"That's a nice trick, I didn't see that coming." Egon commented after seeing a Cruster ghost summons a protective screen of old books for the first time.

"No need to worry Egon, Mitch and I successfully beat two ghosts with that ability in the same battle together." Ray replied. "There's three of us and only one of them. Let's bag this ghost so we can find the Gray Lady already."

As the Cruster ghost moved about while it was attacked, its protective screen was loosing books which were being destroyed by the combined proton streams. A few minutes later, the Cruster ghost had exhausted its energy and became ensnared in all three capture streams. Michiru tossed out his trap and the spiritual entity was vacuumed up and imprisoned inside of the compact storage device. As he retrieved it, Ray noticed the appearance of Eleanor Twitty's ghost floating near the long right hand wall. Once the three of them got close, she shushed them before disappearing yet again; making Michiru felt very annoyed at the repetitive pattern. But it wasn't a waste, there was a hallway hidden near the spot where they were standing which must have been hidden by the darkness inside of the room. After travelling down to see where it led, they entered another room with a similar appearance. However, there was a large entrance ahead which was easy to spot and the three Ghostbusters knew where they had to go next. Unfortunately, there were four large horizontal beams blocking it off and preventing anyone from going in or out of where ever it led too. Michiru had detected another cursed artefact when they had walked in and so he turned left to go locate it while Egon and Ray examined the blocked off doorway to see if they could find a switch to move the beams aside in order to open the door, the artefact leaning against the wall at the left end of the room was a chair; nothing was paranormal about it other than its PKE reading and so Michiru scanned it so he could rejoin the others at the large entrance.

"Those beams are wedged solid, but not solid enough to withstand the force of a capture stream." Egon said. "Let's pull them out of our way, the sooner we find and capture the Gray Lady; the better."

While Egon and Ray stood a safe distance away, Michiru used his capture stream to remove each of the heavy beams one at a time until the entrance was clear. Once they passed through, they found a narrow hallway with brick walls and a small doorway on the right hand side at the end of it. Next they went down a short winding stair until they reached the bottom of a dark brick and concrete room mysteriously filled with nearly ten inches of cold water. To add to their discomfort, the power switch which Michiru had found and turned on at the top of a small catwalk on the other side of the room only lit up the environment for several seconds; leaving it dark once again. Suddenly, another light appeared and in a matter of seconds a large pile of old books which had been stacked in the room formed into a giant Book Golem. Michiru sighed with regret; they now had to fight a large and powerful being like this inside of such a small and enclosed room which was dark and partly filled with water. Unlike the earlier battle, he didn't have a whole lot of room to move around in and avoid being pummelled to death. There was nothing else to do but to get this battle over and done with ASAP before getting killed, so the Japanese student discharged a Stasis stream at the approaching giant while Egon and Ray used their proton streams.

Luckily, the young boy's Stasis stream slowed down the monster and made it easier for Egon and Ray to attack it together. After a few minutes, Michiru switched to using the capture stream and severed the head of the Book Golem and causing its body to explode apart. Once that was over, the three Ghostbusters went through another small door and down more stairs until they found themselves standing on a small catwalk which leads into another large room. This room must have been an underground maintenance area to keep the Library's utilities running properly, there were lots of large turbines and power generators and heating ducts in the ceiling above their heads. It was also lit up so any maintenance workers that had to come down here had plenty of visibility to see what they were doing. Once they reached the floor after following the catwalk down, they noticed the Gray Lady hovering above a large round grating in the middle of the floor beside a large turbine. Unfortunately, she escaped through it before anyone had the chance to try and capture her. Suddenly multiple rocks appeared and gathered themselves together and formed two giant monsters, Michiru identified both of them as Coal Golems by using his PKE meter before quickly pulling out his positron collider and aiming it at one of the new foes.

These new opponents had bodies made up of burning hot coals which would explain why they glowed bright orange, and a grate perched in front of their heads made up the face and the Achilles heel of each monster as Michiru was soon about to discover for himself. Since they would be roasting hot, it was logical that they would slow down if struck by something cold which was why the Shikigami user decided to fire a Stasis stream at one of the attacking giants. Half a minute later, the teenager switched to a capture stream and yanked the grate free; turning around to shield his face as the colossal coal creature burst in pieces and sent sparks and burning coal fragments all over the place. Now that one was destroyed, the Kururugi boy ran ahead and assisted his two companions in destroyed the second monster.

"When I pull the grate away from the Coal Golem, turn around and duck to avoid getting burned or blinded!" Michiru warned, discharging a capture stream and pulled away the entity's grate which caused the now lifeless body to explode violently.

"Phew. Thanks Mitch, I didn't think we'd survive that one." Ray said, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "Let's cap and trap the Gray Lady before this campaign escalates any further."

"I think we may have missed that window of opportunity Ray." Egon replied. "We can't follow her through that grate so there must be another way to follow her or at least find out where ever she fled too."

"I think I found another hidden passage Egon, my PKE meter picked up something behind this chunk of ruined wall." Michiru said; blasting a boson dart and destroying the thin layer of bricks which revealed a hidden tunnel dug into the earth going slightly down and curving to the left as it went. "There is black slime flowing in there so we can't go in without burning ourselves."

"Not to worry Mitch, I upgraded more equipment to each of our proton packs." Egon replied, showing the new parts and controls on his own equipment so that Michiru and Ray could get a good look and learn how to use them. "This is the Plasm Distribution System; PDS for short. Basically, it's a Mark 2 slime blower; heavily modified from the earlier model which was much bigger and bulkier than what you see here. You can see the positively charged plasm banks on the upper and lower left side of your proton packs and to access them so you can use them, you just press this little button to activate the green light below the centre of the function control console which both of you already know is located on your positron colliders by the firing switch."

"Oh, I was wondering what that green light was for." Ray said as he examined it on his positron collider. "I guess I just forget to ask you about it."

"The Mark 2 slime blower uses a base culture of positively charged ectoplasm that can impair paranormal entities, make hazardous black slime to become harmless; and reveal hidden or otherwise invisible ethereal structures that reside on this plane." Egon continued. "Care to give it a try and test it out on the black slime cutting across our path?"

"With pleasure Egon, I am the Experimental Equipment Technician after all so I'm required to test it before anyone else does." Michiru answered with a smile, aiming his positron collider and discharging some green ectoplasm at the black slime and causing small puffs of stream to rise from it until it became inert and safe to tread upon.

"Our own private short cut to hell, how convenient for us." Egon commented as the three of them entered through the long tunnel and slowly descended further and further underground beneath the Public Library.

"If we're going to hell Egon, it's supposed to be easy. The tough part will be trying to escape from it, especially if it's filled with an infinite number of restless souls and evil spiritual entities." Michiru replied, suddenly dreading the thought of having an unfortunate encounter with the evil spirit of Naraku who must be in hell after all the horrific fates and unspeakable scenarios he inflicted on others while he was still alive in the feudal era. "I hope we don't run into Naraku's evil soul while we're down here, because I know he'd be might pissed at me for helping Inuyasha kill him before I was summoned back to the modern world and I'm sure he'd be thirsting for revenge right now."

"I don't think you have to worry Mitch, we are in the United States right now which means we're thousands of miles away from Japan and I don't think this Naraku has the ability to travel freely while he's trapped in hell for all of eternity." Ray cut in, trying to cheer up his young friend. "Besides, Egon was just joking about all of us having our own private short cut to hell."

"Yeah I know Ray, but after everything I've experienced ever since I was summoned back to the feudal era; I've tried telling myself to expect the unexpected so that I can be prepared for the very worst in any sort of dangerous situation." Michiru replied, looking carefully ahead as he walked with Egon in front of him and Ray following behind. "This tunnel reminds me of the underground tunnels that soldiers dug on the Western Front during the First World War; I once saw a few documentaries on the history channel whenever I had the chance to watch television."

"Hold up guys." Egon cut in, coming to a halt and causing Michiru and Ray to stop walking as well. "There's a light ahead of us, we could be arriving at the gates of hell after; let's stay calm and see what hell has in store for us."

After a short pause to steady their nerves and mentally prepare for the worst, Egon; Michiru and Ray continued walking down the tunnel until it expanded so that it was wide and tall enough for a large doorway which led into a large round room built by brick with piles of books stacked on top of each other. In one corner of the round room was a large fire pit which served as a light source and as a means to keep warm or cook food if anything living thing actually dwelled down here inside of this hell hole. There was a rotunda built into the roof above the round room and there were flaming torches positioned evenly every six feet or so apart along the walls. All over the walls were sheets of paper which could have been torn pages from books given the immense number of them piled nearly everywhere on the floor. There were a few shelves here and there against some of the walls and it served as the perfect sanctuary for any restless ghost to pass the time since there were plenty of books to read and amuse themselves with. After entering inside, a large metal gate slid down; blocking the only doorway and trapping the three paranormal eliminators inside of the room.

There was another, more important matter to deal with which the Ghostbusters now had to face. In the middle of the room, sitting at a desk with two stacks of books resting on the surface; was the Gray Lady. As they cautiously approached her and trying to be quiet, they noticed she was flipping through the pages of a rare book that she was reading. Suddenly a bright light appeared on one of the pages and a cruel and pale looking hand shot out from the book, grabbed the Librarian ghost's face and lifting her into the air and shaking her violently. The old lady's spirit was screaming cried of agony as she glowed purple, blue and white while being swung and shaken back and forth until she was slammed into the chair a few seconds later. Once the Gray Lady lay there quiet and motionless, the mysterious hand which had come out of the book went back inside; causing the book to close itself up. The book continued to hover until Eleanor Twitty's ghost regained consciousness and began reading it again, as if she was completely unaware of what it had done to her just moments ago. Perhaps it was the book that was responsible for all the paranormal activities taking place inside of the Public Library and not the Gray Lady as everyone had thought earlier.

"That must have been painful." Michiru commented. "Scary that she revives and reads that book after being physically abused by what ever entity is inside of it."

"No kidding, I wonder if this is the location where the Collector murdered the Gray Lady after she dumped him for using her to get to the rare books in her care?" Ray asked curiously.

"I'd say that's a good guess, that book she's reading is emitting massive amounts of paranormal energy." Egon answered, holding his PKE meter and taking a scan; which miraculously didn't seem to disturb the Librarian ghost seeing as how she didn't shush them.

"Egon, what would happen if we were to take the book that she's reading away from her?" Will she be released from this world and rest in peace afterwards?" Michiru asked curiously, getting an I don't know look from both of his companions which caused the Japanese student to ponder for a moment. "Well then, I guess there's only one way to find out.

"Be careful Mitch, we don't know what's going to happen if you take away that book of hers." Egon warned, as the Kururugi boy pulled out his positron collider with his right hand as a precaution before cautiously approaching the desk from the opposite side of where the Gray Lady was sitting.

"I apologize in advance for this ma'am, but I'm going to take away this book." Michiru said quietly before carefully grabbing hold of the book with his left hand and pulling it slowly out of her hands as he walked backwards to join his fellow Ghostbusters. A moment later, her spirit evaporated into thin air and vanished without a trace; leaving the room completely quiet and still except for the three Ghostbusters who were still trapped inside of it. After looking at the front and back of the rare book for a couple of seconds, the Shikigami user handed the Gozerian Codex over to Egon so he and Ray could examine it themselves.

"She took that pretty well, which was a far better reaction than what I was certainly expecting." Egon commented, taking a closer look at the mysterious book now that Michiru had given him.

"It all makes sense if her spirit is tied to the Gozerian Codex." Ray stated. "Now that we've taken it away from her, her echo must have been freed from the book's hold over her. She's gone, which means we must have helped her to cross over and rest in peace."

"And she just crossed right back Ray." Egon said after seeing the Gray Lady reappear floating above the floor and groaning while she was holding her head as if she was in pain. "Uh oh, this can't be good."

Suddenly the Gray Lady's spiritual entity was transformed into a completely different form, one much larger and scary looking which lead Michiru to believe that she was very pissed off for having the Gozerian Codex taken away. The glowing purple spiritual entity was a ghost so it had to be captured and sealed inside of a trap if they were to have any chance of defeating it. Unfortunately, the ghost in question used the same defensive trick that the Cruster and Crusto ghosts liked to use only it used a hundred times as many books as a protective screen to shield herself from attack. It was completely surrounded by levitating books and its immense power meant that she could continue to generate enough energy to keep the screen around her for as long as she wished which made this enemy almost untouchable. The Ghostbusters fanned out as best as they could inside of the round room in order to divide the entity's attention if she ever decided to attack them, but unfortunately; their proton streams weren't powerful enough to penetrate through the floating umbrella of books which protected her.

"Those bookstands are generating her protective shield of books that are surrounding her, concentrate your fire on taking those out first so she can't regenerate or repair her shield." Egon advised, trying to take one of the six levitating podiums spinning around back and forth; emitting a green light which fed energy to the spirit's shield.

"There, that's one down." Michiru replied; destroying a bookstand with his proton stream and causing the emitting light from the others left over to change colour which indicated that the regenerating process grew weaker for every podium that was destroyed. "Keep striking the podiums, it's our only chance of bringing down the shield!"

The ghost was fully aware of this as well and wasn't about to let several mere mortals get the better of her just because they had exploited a weakness in her shield. As the three paranormal eliminators continued their attacks on the hovering bookstands, swarms of Book Bats were launched from the shield in an effort to fell and disrupt each of the entity's enemies so that they couldn't destroy the remaining objects which supplied her the necessary power to keep her protective shield up and spinning around her. However, it would take a lot more than just Book Bats to prevent the Ghostbusters from losing a battle against a paranormal opponent like this. As Ray and Egon attempted to divert and destroy as many Book Bats as they could, Michiru used his proton stream to line up his positron collider with each podium one at a time so he could aim and strike them with a boson dart; destroying them with a single shot. After a time, Michiru became the ghost's primary target of interest since he was the one destroying the precious bookstands which kept regenerating her shield. For every podium destroyed, she also lost Book Bats as well as books to generate her shield. Unfortunately, her efforts of pummelling the Shikigami user were in vain since the young boy had plenty of stamina to endure a tough battle such as this one. Finally after much toil, the teenager discharged a well aimed boson dart; striking and destroying the last podium and turning the tables on this powerful enemy.

"Spectacular job Mitch! Ray shouted, firing his positron collider as he talked. "Now we can attack her straight on and bag the hag!"

"About time too Ray, I've had enough of being pummelled by books." Michiru replied, firing a proton stream at the now exposed ghost; only to watch in astonishment as she vanished into thin air. "What happened? Where did she go?"

"Above you and to the left!" Egon warned, pointing out the ghost as she reappeared to the left of Ray and Michiru before she struck at them and knocked them on the floor. "That's a clever trick, hopefully the last one she has left to use anyway."

"Alright, as Venkman would say; this chick is toast!" Ray shouted angrily as he helped Michiru to his feet. "If she has any brains left in her spiritual form at all, she would have fled by now."

"Sounds to me like she's just made her last big mistake." Michiru commented. "Egon, Ray; let's finish this."

The three Ghostbusters spread out accordingly and kept looking upward as they fired their weapons at the ghost who was vanishing and reappearing elsewhere inside of the round room. This only delayed her inevitable defeat since she was outnumbered three to one fighting inside of such a small area so that no matter where she reappeared, one of the human beings would spot her and alert the others so everyone could readjust their fire. In addition to that, this little trick of hers used up valuable energy which might have been better spent in an all out attack against the three mortals who were already starting to show signs of exhaustion after fighting numerous other spiritual entities over the passed three to four hours or so throughout the Library before they even came down here. On the other hand, she could flee and attack them at a later time after resting herself and possibly have the support of an army of other entities to overwhelm the Ghostbusters with. But that window of opportunity disappeared as soon as she became entangled in all of their capture streams, and a minute later; she was sealed inside of the trap which Ray had tossed out earlier.

"This might sound weird, but that almost felt like it was too easy." Ray commented as he recovered his trap from the floor.

"You think so?" Michiru asked curiously as he took a breather.

"It's as if she wanted us to gain possession of the Gozerian Codex, and to blast this underground room apart." Egon added suspiciously.

"But why?" Michiru asked, turning around to see a round orb of yellow and green light floating above the floor in front of them as they stood near the middle of the room. "Uh, Ray? What's that orb of light?"

"A cross-dimensional portal from the fifth to the fourth; a whole world of ghosts." Ray answered. "I've always dreamt at encountering one since my days in College, its all in the Monarchia Daemonum. A world inhabited entirely by ghosts, fantastic eh?"

"I wouldn't get too excited Ray, I have a feeling she did it so we could meet an old friend of hers." Egon warned. "We don't have much of a choice; it's the only way we have to get out of here. It looks like you were right after all Mitch, getting to hell is easy; but leaving it is far more difficult. You'd better take the lead since you can take care of yourself in any kind of dangerous situation whether or not you use your magic."

"I don't understand Egon, you don't expect me to walk into that tiny orb of light and wind up back inside of the Library all safe and sound do you?" Michiru asked in disbelief.

"No I don't, just stand right over here as if you're going to walk into it and you'll see what I mean." Egon instructed. "Don't worry, Ray and I will be right here with you."

As the Michiru stepped forward to the spot where Egon had pointed, the tiny orb of light rose above to the top of the ceiling; causing the entire room to shake violently like there was a massive earthquake or something. Before anyone knew what was coming, the whole environment around them except for the floor and the closed gate shattered apart like broken glass. Looking around, the Kururugi boy's eyes widened with shock, fear and disbelief; he wasn't in the mortal world anymore. Above and below the floating floor which was all that remained of the room they had entered earlier was a giant round black hole surrounded by lots of heavy clouds coloured pink, purple, and red. It was almost as though they were inside of a giant Nebula floating through outer space, except for the fact that they could breathe and survive in this paranormal environment which also had its own pressure and gravity. Beyond the gate where the underground tunnel used to be was a narrow flight of stairs leading up inside of what could only be described as a freakish looking haunted house which was built like an old castle.

The abnormally coloured clouds began to echo with loud sounds of heavy thunder, even though there was no rain or lighting to accompany them like in an ordinary thunderstorm. But this paranormal environment was anything but ordinary, it was nightmarish and terrifying. It would be the perfect place to condemn evil souls like Naraku for all eternity. Even more terrifying was the thought of being forever trapped inside of this paranormal world and unable to get out or escape while Naraku toyed and hunted you until you were so frightened that you died of fright if he didn't kill or torture you slowly and horrifically first. In all his experiences, the young boy's mind was completely unprepared for a supernatural event of this sheer magnitude. How would they ever fight their way out of this place? And if there was a way out, would they survive all the dangerous entities that lurked and lived in this dimension long enough until they could escape? The troubled teenager's mind was interrupted as he heard Egon and Ray talking to each other, completely calm and unconcerned about their predicament.

"Hm, so this is what the Public Library looks like on the far side of a cross-dimensional portal." Egon stated, looking around at the change of scenery which surrounded him and the other two Ghostbusters.

"Its one of infinite potential configurations, you know…theoretically speaking." Ray added. "Although, this looks like it would be best described as the Gozerian configuration."

"Egon, how do we get out of here and return to our world?" Michiru asked, hoping that the scientist had an answer that his mind could grasp.

"We have to find another cross-dimensional portal similar to the one we first saw before our surrounding environment tore itself apart." Egon answered. "Let's start looking inside of this haunted house, and try to stay balanced so that you don't fall off into the abyss. You could end up falling into that black hole underneath us and wind up lost inside of this dimension until the end of your natural life."

"Got it, I'll follow your lead this time since you seem to know what to look for and where to go inside this nightmarish place." Michiru replied, trying to stay calm despite his fear of heights in addition to the new environment where he and his friends were trapped.

"Alright, through the gate and up the stairs to that main doorway." Egon instructed as he took the lead, followed by Michiru and Ray did their best to keep up.

After walking through the gate, the three of them ascended up a short flight of stone stairs until they arrived at the main entrance to the so called haunted house as Egon had called it. Two giant pillars of stone stood on either side of the front porch and beyond that was front doorway which was covered in a dark slimy substance. Although the Ghostbusters could use their slime blowers to render black slime harmless, their positively charged ectoplasm didn't have any effect on the paranormal liquid which was all over the door. However, they were rewarded when a tiny orb of yellow light like the first one they had seen earlier appeared in the doorway. A few moments later, it transformed the entire doorway into a bright white and blue light which must act as a means of travelling from either one dimension to another or from one place to another inside of this dimension. They really didn't have any other choice so one by one, Egon, Ray; and Michiru passed through the door of light in the hopes that they would eventually find a way to return to their own world safely. After being transported elsewhere, Michiru found himself standing at the top of some stairs leading down into a large room that looked as though it was the grand hall of a castle. This large and spacious room had not one, but five doorways of light which made choosing that much more difficult. Before he could take anymore time to observe and study his new surroundings, he saw Egon and Ray below him walking towards the closest door in the middle of the room which was directly ahead of where the stairs ended.

"Alright guys, let's keep our minds sane and keep trying each of these portals; one of them is bound to lead us back home so let's get going." Ray said, as he and Egon walked it the portal and vanished from sight.

Michiru had been running fast trying to catch up to them, but the portal suddenly fell apart before he got the chance to use it. To make matters worse, a Book Golem manifested itself in its place and was preparing to attack the Kururugi boy. As the terrified teenager rapidly ran away to the left until he stood by another portal which was a short distance away, the abominable anomaly charged forward; roaring angrily. The Kururugi boy wanted to move but was worried about getting even more lost and separated from his friends as he was already, should he take another portal or fight it out first before deciding which door he should take? There wasn't time for rational thinking as the massive monster forced the unprepared boy to step backwards into the portal just behind him, and after coming out of another doorway; Michiru blinked his eyes in disbelief thinking that he was hallucinating. The portal he had passed through had only taken him to the opposite side of the room, he had come out of the right hand portal and was looking at the Book Golem which was standing where the young boy had been a mere moment ago. Since the gigantic Golem was obviously distracted and confused by his sudden disappearance, the Japanese student decided to use the advantage he had gained in order to defeat this opponent and allow him to explore the other two portals located higher up at the back of the room.

"Alright Book Golem, its time to play hide and seek." Michiru whispered to himself as he discharged a proton stream at the giant adversary who suddenly turned around after being struck in the back. "And guess what, you're it."

Although the Book Golem had no idea what kind of trap was being set, it reacted exactly the way Michiru had wanted; roaring angrily as it charged towards him. Michiru waited until the last moment while the gigantic monster had raised its fists and vanished into the portal before he could be struck. After being relocated on the other side yet again, the excited Kururugi boy fired his positron collider at his intended target. Once more, the Book Golem turned around in anger and confusion after being struck in the back from behind. After spotting the young lad again and becoming angrier with every passing minute, the infuriated entity moved forward as the proton stream struck its head causing the being's energy to dissipate. Finally after a few more trips, the Shikigami user made a stand and fired his capture stream at the abominable adversary; pulling the head clean off of the body once it was ensnared and vulnerable. The rest of the body burst apart until there was nothing left but lots of books, Michiru felt much better now that he had survived and single-handedly defeated an opponent like this inside of such a paranormal environment. Although he was far from home and his own world, he felt more at ease than he had when he first discovered the predicament he was in. Now that the battle was over, it was time to move on; Michiru decided to had up the stairs and try the left hand portal located at the back of the room where he had just finished beating the Book Golem. He mentally prepared himself as he inhaled a breath of air before stepping through the cross-dimensional doorway.

After passing through and arriving at another location inside of this abnormal castle which dwelled inside of this paranormal plane of existence, Michiru's PKE meter which he had ready just in case any new enemy entities surprised him out of nowhere began to beep; he confirmed that there was a cursed artefact located somewhere nearby inside of this giant area but would he be able to find it given that he felt like he was travelling through a giant labyrinth full of paranormal twists and turns which made him a prisoner inside of this alternate dimension. But at least there were no foes on the levitating brick pathway he was walking on for the time being, so he decided to try to find the artefact before anything unexpected could make his predicament worse than it felt already; and he was relieved that he didn't have far to look because it was laying at the end of the path where it joined a brick balcony. Just off to the right of where the path connected was a long roll of carpet which was in fact the very artefact Michiru's scanning instrument had detected; this was a very peculiar find given that the young boy had found it inside of this alternate dimension of the Public Library rather than the in the Library which existed in his world where all living people dwelled in. Eager to see where the other entrance led to, the Kururugi boy retraced his steps until he re-entered the portal and arrived back in the area where he had been separated from Ray and Egon; now he raced over to where the right hand portal stood and stepped through to find out where he would wind up next.

As he looked about and saw his new surroundings, he felt as though he really was inside of a haunted house; even though the building's interior looked more like a castle rather than anything else. The interesting thing is that went he looked more carefully, he discovered he was now up a hell of a lot higher and down below to the right was the room he had beaten the Book Golem just a few minutes ago. There was a long concrete and brick walkway ahead of him and at the far end of it was a short staircase leading up to a platform. If he could get to there, he would have more visibility and access to the portal on the platform which he could already very easily because of how bright it was despite the how far away it was from the Kururugi boy. So Michiru made up his mind and trot along down the walkway, looking carefully around him as he approached the middle. The visibility was incredible from right here, but unfortunately his relaxing walk was cut short as another Book Golem appeared coming down the stairs at the far end of the walkway. Not wanting to waste a moment of precious time, the determined young boy fired a stasis stream at the colossal giant; hoping to slow it down before it noticed his presence. Although it was slowing down, Michiru had to change equipment if he was to dissipate the entity's energy so that he could eventually defeat it and there in lay the problem.

"Time for a game of tag, you're it." Michiru said, firing a proton stream at the Book Golem's head and watching carefully in case the creature recovered its original momentum.

The Book Golem moved slowly until the stasis stream's effect wore off, then it charged forward roaring with rage as it bore down on the lone paranormal eliminator. Michiru was standing at the middle section of the walkway which was slightly wider, and once his opponent came to a halt and raised its fists in the air; the young boy dodged to the side just in the knick of time to avoid being struck down and crushed by the colossal strength of this abominable anomaly. After turning around and aiming his weapon, Michiru discharged a proton stream at the Book Golem's head in an effort to weaken it before it could about turn and attack him. As the proton stream took effect, the infuriated entity charged again; forcing the Japanese student to race around and get behind before it could strike him. After redeploying with a portal at his back and his foe was in front of him, the courageous combat soldier fired his weapon again. A short while later, his opponent was weak enough which allowed Michiru to remove its head with his capture stream and bring the battle to an end. Now that his path was clear, the Shikigami user continued his journey and trotted along until he reached the stairs at the far end of the walkway. After going up the stairs and arriving on the platform, the unprepared teenager was met with an unexpected surprise; Ray had come out of the portal and landed on his arse right in front of the young boy.

"In a little bit of a hurry aren't we?" Michiru asked sarcastically with a goofy smile on his face as he helped his companion get to his feet. "It's good to see you too Ray, I thought you and Egon were long gone and far away from here by now."

"In this dimension, it's difficult to get anywhere that's far from here." Ray replied. "We got separated shortly after losing you, some of these portals don't last long and before you know it, you're stuck where you are while you're friend has gone elsewhere."

"Believe me, I know." Michiru said before asking. "So where do we go from here?"

"Let's try using this bridge here, it lead us in the general direction of where we're trying to get too." Ray answered as the two of them approached the bridge which had both ends raised up so no one could use it without lowering them down first. "This looks like a good place to test the slime tether from our proton packs, to test a slime tether; you have to aim and shoot one end at a time. Think of it like a strand of spider silk, one end attached to something acts as an anchor and the other end with do the same; causing the entire strand or tether to contract and pull on what ever both ends are temporarily attached too. The more tethers you use and attach to a specific point, the stronger the resulting reaction will be. But since the ectoplasmic charge of each tether has only a half-life, every tether you discharge will become brittle over time and then break. If you encounter any tethers that you wish to sever or destroy, you can blast it with pretty much any time of your existing equipment that you have on you right now. Okay enough lessons, start lowering both ends of the bridge."

One or two tethers caused the first section of the bridge to lower itself, after they reached the edge and lowered the other section of the bridge down; Ray and Michiru scurried across and entered a narrow hallway until they came inside of a round room with a spinning wall built in the middle which blocked them from the portal on the other side of it. Luckily, the two of them just used their slime tethers to gradually pull an end of the wall and spin it around until the portal could be seen and accessed. After passing through, they continued down an awkward hallway that seemed to fishtail from side to side as they walked on. As Ray and Egon were discussing possible causes and origins of all the paranormal activities they had encountered in the passed day and a half, Michiru was looking at all the strange patterns and artwork covering the walls. Suddenly, he noticed Ray was missing and after turning left; he saw his friend walk into a portal which had been located through a small opening in the left wall. Racing towards it, Michiru stopped just in time to avoid slamming himself into the end of the short passage once the portal had vanished. Upon turning around to find a way out on his own, his eyes widened as he saw that the wall outside was completely covered in glass mirrors.

"Hey Mitch! Are you there?" Ray asked over the Kururugi boy's radio. "Be on your guard, the mirrors aren't what they seem."

Michiru didn't like the idea of being shut inside a confined hallway with mirrors all around him; they made him feel like he was being watched by someone or something he couldn't see. He already knew of one way mirrors which existed in his own world, but this was a paranormal dimension where everything wasn't always as it looked. Unable to shake off the fear of being watched by his own reflection or by someone else entirely, the teenager began firing boson darts at the walls; blasting and shattering each and every mirror he could see into broken shards of glass. After a minute or so of venting his anger and frustration, Michiru arrived at the end of the hallway and pulled out his PKE meter in case anything abnormal were to come out of hiding. A moment later, a hovering ghost armed with what looked like either a long sceptre or a trident appeared. This spiritual entity which was dressed in purple and white almost like the Gray Lady had been launched a bright pink ball of energy at the young boy who cleverly destroyed it with a proton stream before it could strike him. After taking a quick scan and finding out that his new enemy was a Cultist ghost, the Shikigami user discharged a proton stream at the paranormal person. Several minutes went by of exchanging fire and dodging each other's attacks, but now the Cultist ghost became entangles inside of Michiru's capture stream and realized what its fate would be as it saw him throw out his trap. After half a minute of wrangling and useless struggling, the Cultist ghost was now imprisoned and the interior of the hallway returned to normal.

"Now that's more like it, back to normal at last." Michiru said in relieve as he turned around and saw another portal appear just behind him at the end of the hallway where he had fought and caught his most recent opponent. "Finally things are looking up, time to go."

After stepping through the portal, Michiru found himself standing on a flat narrow stretch of curving rock which ran from the exit portal he had just come out of and another one located and the other end about fifty feet away. Book shelves hovered on either side, but were at least seven feet away from both sides of the rock path, giving a great view of the world above and below. The scariest sight of all was that below him was a bottomless abyss with the same black hole and red, purple and pink clouds all around him. There were no railings on either edge of the stretch of rock and for all he knew both of the portals could vanish at any given moment which would trap and maroon him in this place. Being trapped on this particular location of this dimension was the worst fate he could imagine, so he ran as fast as he could until he leapt through the other portal and arrived at a much less dangerous environment. What looked like the outside of a town hovering thousands of miles above the earth stood around Michiru, but it was less frightening than the place he had just come from. Not wanting to waste a moment, the Shikigami user decided to follow the red carpeted path which was turning off to the right and going uphill. This would allow Michiru to check his bearings and hopefully catch up to where ever Ray and Egon were heading.

"This dimension is extremely volatile; it seems to be tearing itself apart." Egon deduced after exploring as much of the existing landscape as he could.

"If anyone ever asks me what I think hell would look like, this world would be it." Michiru commented as he saw another portal in the distance at the top of the hill he was climbing. "We all need to get out of here right now; I'm starting to feel a bit claustrophobic if you know what I mean."

"Homesick would be the better word your looking for Mitch, and I'm feeling that way too." Ray replied over Michiru's radio as the teenager stepped through the other portal.

The new area of the dimension which Michiru had arrived in was inhabited by various entities, including Book Bats and Paper Constructs. There was another narrow stretch of rock that served as a path like the small one he had encountered earlier, only this one was a lot longer and it curved to the right as it raised upward heading for some unknown location. It was very dark which made Michiru's visibility more difficult and to make matters worse, it was crawling with Paper Constructs. The teenager had come so far already and wasn't in the mood to be delayed by a bunch of paranormal entities, for all he knew there could be a portal located where the path ended at the top and he had to get there before it dissolved into nothingness. After pulling out his positron collider and taking a few breaths, the young boy readied himself for the challenging climb ahead of him so that he could advance while dealing with anything and anyone that got in his way. As he approached the turn which lead straight up, Paper Constructs began to take notice of his presence and moved about to get in front of him so that he would have no choice but to fight if he ever wanted to make it out of here and return home alive.

"I haven't got time for any of you right now so if you know what's good for you, back off and get out of my way." Michiru declared in an angry voice, causing the Paper Constructs to be infuriated at being insulted by a mere mortal human who didn't even live or belong in their world. "No? Well then don't say that I didn't warn you. Oh flame burning bright! Turn into a sword of wrath! Raging flame!"

The unusual familiar which he still couldn't identify yet appeared for a few moments before turning into an energy ball of orange and red light before it magically entered into the proton pack to infuse with its energy and come out of the positron collider when it was fired. The Kururugi boy summoned his Shikigami magic and tried infusing it with his positron collider as he had done once before during his battle against Stay Puft, only this time, he was using a less powerful attack spell. Nevertheless, the combined firepower was nothing short of astonishing as a flaming orange proton stream shot out of the Neutrona wand and scorched everything it touched. Each and every Paper Construct which approached from the top of the hill was set afire until not even ashes were left. Those that had tried to pursue the teenager from behind and overtake him were also struck down by a molten hot boson dart made of lava which rolled down the path and melted anything and everything that got in its way until it landed on the bottom and came to a halt. As the Japanese student made his way up to the top of the hill, he could see the portal much clearly now since it was closer. After barbecuing some more Paper Constructs which had gotten in his way, Michiru passed through the portal and found himself on another short and level narrow path with a portal placed conveniently at the end of it. Although it was dark again, there were other structures below on both side of the stretch of rock. There wasn't time to look at the scenery however as Michiru's mind was focussed on only one goal, finding a way out so he and his friends could return to their own world where they belonged. In a minute or so of quick walking, the teenager made it to the end of the path and crossed into the other portal.

"This pattern is starting to make sense; I think I'm close to finding the exit." Egon said over the radio. "Okay, I'm through."

"Glad to hear it Egon, please send a signal that Mitch and I can use to track you with." Ray replied.

"I'll try Ray, but it might not work." Egon warned. "The last portal I went through was at the top of a very long flight of moving steps, I even had to use slime tethers to connect the points together so that I could move from one staircase to another without falling into the abyss below me."

After the young boy had destroyed five more Paper Constructors, the magic infused with his positron collider had worn off; which meant that it was functioning on its own again without any magical boosts to increase its firepower. But that didn't bother Michiru; he was suddenly thinking of another idea to try out after hearing that Egon had supposedly found a way out of this world. His arms were tired of carrying and using his weapon as he ran from one place to another and he needed to give them a break. He placed the tool back in the holster located behind his right shoulder and gave his arms a much needed stretch before deciding what to do next. The Kururugi boy pulled out his PKE meter and looked at it curiously as he activated it and started thinking of another useful way to infuse his magic. Although he had a basic idea of what he wanted to try and accomplish, he didn't have any spells which were used for the same purpose as the tool he was holding in his hand. After taking another minute to rethink the matter over, Michiru finally made up his mind.

"Shikigami please help!" Michiru shouted, causing a red pentagram to appear beneath his feet as he walked.

The PKE meter started making strange sounds as if it was malfunctioning or operating abnormally, this continued for about half a minute until a swarm of tiny green fireflies suddenly appeared flying out of the small slits on either side of the scanning instrument so that the two antennae could move up and down when it operated. The swarm of numerous winged insects flew onward ahead and left a trail of invisible vapour behind, which was visible to the PKE meter and easy for it to track as the Japanese student walked forward and followed it. Michiru pulled down his goggles and was relieved to find that he could also see the otherwise hidden vapour trail which his tiny little familiars had left behind as a guide for him to use so that he wouldn't get lost as he travelled. After a matter of minutes, he was travelling inside of a building which looked like a section of the Public Library even though it was arranged upside down and he was walking on the ceiling where the round globe lights were suspended from, his PKE meter went off and Michiru realized that a cursed artefact was hidden around here somewhere; though he wouldn't be able to see it that well given the arrangement of the room's interior.

But Michiru didn't really care at this point what the artefact was, his tool said that it was a chair; but he was far more interested in successfully navigating through this hovering hellish like castle in order to escape from this alternate dimension and return back home to his own. And so after scanning the chair, the frustrated teenager continued along following the vapour trail which was guiding him; making a few turns to stay on course until at last he exited the upside down looking Library room and found himself travelling outside in the open where he could see the red coloured atmosphere of the abyss in which this giant castle complex resided. The Shikigami user silently prayed for a miracle, for he didn't want to be left behind or trapped here for the rest of his life or for all eternity either; he would feel entirely cut off and alone from every single person he knew including Sango which would be a fate worse than death for in his mind.

Suddenly Ray's voice came over Michiru's radio, confirming that Egon had successfully found a way out of this nightmarish world.

"Hey Mitch, Ray here. Listen, I made it out as well. Just thought that I should tell you that Egon and I won't leave until you've joined us." Ray said. "If you're having a bit of trouble, look for the long staircase; follow it and you'll find the exit portal at the very top."

"Thanks Ray, I hope to see you guys in a few more minutes or so. Stand by for my arrival, over and out." Michiru replied gratefully using his own radio as he continued walking.

After looking around to get his bearings, Michiru discovered the long flight of stairs which Egon and Ray had told him about. Half a minute later, he was already starting to climb the first flight as a flock of Book Bats flew over top and forced him to slow down a little. His biggest fear was that each flight of stairs was made up of nothing more than levitating stones which looked more like just cluttered heaps of rubble that could fall apart beneath his feet as he walked; not to mention that he could see the Abyss of red sky and clouds right through them thanks to the gaps in between each and every stone. The second and third flights of stairs each turned to the left one after the other so that Michiru found himself travelling in circles as he got higher up. He had to move very carefully however because their were swarms and swarms of more Book Bats flying and darting here and there all over the second and third flights of stairs, if he wasn't quick enough; he could be attacked and knocked off the edge which would either kill him or trap him for all of eternity inside of his hell hole. But he eventually overcame them until he arrived at the fourth stair which suddenly moved upward and was too high for him to reach. With no other means at his disposal, Michiru put away his PKE meter and pulled out his positron collider so he could use some slime tethers to help reconnect the fourth stair with the third.

Six shots and several tethers did the job of pulling the stairs back down to the platform so he could resume his journey upward, but he still had to move slowly with caution since there were still swarms of dangerous Book Bats flying about. As he travelled from one stair and platform to another, Michiru was forced to rely on using slime tethers even more than anything else his proton pack presently had in its arsenal. The higher he got the more scared of heights he became; even though it didn't look as though there was a bottom surface for his body to splat itself on if he did lose his balance and fall. Because he was inside of another dimension which was inhabited entirely by spiritual entities and ghosts, the memory of hanging thirty stories above the street from the roof of the Sedgewick Hotel seemed a lot less frightening compared to this new predicament. Each and every new area of this world he had travelled while trying to get from one portal to another was part of a giant levitating mid evil maze filled with decayed ruins and rotting landscapes. If this entire paranormal world were to collapse on itself or tear itself apart, one would think that every being which resided in this hell hole would be falling into the abyss below until they found themselves sucked into the black hole like void which lay at the bottom. There was also another one above the decomposing environment which could be where victims fall out of after plunging into the first one below. Perhaps after suffering that misfortune, they would only find themselves in another reconstructed Gozerian configuration and survive in it as long as possible until the whole place falls apart again; only to relive the same unchangeable fate as the endless cycle repeats itself over and over again.

Michiru now found himself standing on a flat surface which was built on top of a floating boulder, all the flights of stairs were behind and below him. He now only had to get from one platform to another by using his slime tethers until he reached the top were he could clearly see the exit portal. After several more minutes of work and concentration he had at last arrived at his intended destination where the exit portal sat eight feet ahead of him. Taking a minute to pull his goggles down, the Kururugi boy confirmed that this was the portal he was looking for because he could see the vapour trail left by the fireflies he had summoned to help him find his way here. Once he flipped his goggles back up to rest them on his forehead, the Shikigami user took one last look around at the surrounding environment, it would feel so good to leave this all behind. And so with a sigh of relief, Michiru walked forwards into the exit portal and was transported somewhere else. After a moment or so, the Japanese student found himself reunited with Ray and Egon who were both standing just a few feet away. Although he was glad to see his companions again, another look at his surroundings told the teenager that they weren't home yet. It looked like the three of them were standing inside of the main room of the New York Public Library, but there was no ceiling and there were giant black spike structures built all over the top edges of the walls which looked abnormal and nightmarish. The fact that they could still see the red sky with red, pink and purple clouds with occasional bolts of blue lightning striking down from them was proof enough that they were still trapped inside the Goxerian configuration as Egon had so named this dimension.

"I do like the interior look of this place, but I had hoped that the exit portal would have taken us back to the Public Library." Ray commented as he surveyed the scenery around him.

"Believe it or not Ray, the three of us are back inside of the Public Library." Egon replied. "The dimensional membrane must be extremely thin here which is why this particular room looks so familiar to us."

"Someone or something must be holding us here so that we can't return to our world yet." Ray predicted. "It must be the Collector; we did take the Gozerian Codex after all."

"Yes, Azetlor wants to add it to his collection of rare books and I don't think he's very happy about us taking the Gozerian Codex with us." Egon summarized. "That's reason enough to keep us trapped in here until he can steal it back from us. After all, he murdered Eleanor Twitty so he could get his hands on it when he was alive and he also murdered about a dozen other people just to cover up his first little crime."

"Really? Well we're Ghostbusters, and if we can defeat a manifestation of Gozer; then one lesser paranormal god like entity shouldn't give us too much trouble." Ray commented before shouting out loud. "Hey Collector? We've got your Gozerian Codex with us and we're taking it back to our world so we can keep it permanently! Whaddya think about that? Great huh? Uh, he's right behind me isn't he Mitch?"

"Yeah, you may wanna watch what you say from here on in now that you've got his attention." Michiru answered, looking at the giant squid head shaped structure which rose out of the pool of immensely bright light covering the floor.

This golden coloured object looked served as a giant mask or helmet because of the round green eye of light which stared at them from out of the hole which was carved into the levitating structure as it hovered and fixed its gaze on the Ghostbusters. Suddenly all of the neatly arranged wooden tables and chairs began to tear themselves apart and assemble together around a giant blob of black slime substance which took shape underneath of the golden mask which continued to levitate even higher as it seemed to be constructing its own physical body out of multiple objects in the same way that a Book Golem would do. This new body which stood at least forty feet tall or more was spinning around like a tornado with the golden mask perched at the top of the colossal spiritual entity. It also had arms which would only give it the ability to fight in more way than one, and the rest of its spinning body acted as a giant rotating suite of armour which gave it perfect offensive and defensive capabilities. If anyone got too close and was struck by the spinning body, they would be very badly injured; not to mention lucky to be alive after taking a hit from that. It seemed fairly obvious that the being's giant green eye of light was its weakness and if it was severed, than it could be vanquished. This was easier said than done however since the head was perched forty feet high above the ground at the top of the massive moving body, not to mention that it was now protected by the huge golden mask which now acted as a helmet. Before the Ghostbusters could think of an attack strategy, they were forced to scatter as the new opponent summoned a supernatural ball of energy and hurled it at them in a throwing attack; sending what looked like bright purple flames followed by spikes of black solidified slime that instantly shot up from the floor like giant stalagmites which then shattered and vanished as quickly as they came.

"That's a nice trick to have up your sleeve." Michiru commented, putting away his PKE meter after taking a scan and just barely moving out of the way as the paranormal pulse of energy shot passed him in a straight line.

"I don't know how we're going to survive this one, its unfortunate that Winston isn't here to back us up." Ray said as everyone fanned out to avoid the first attack. "We could really use his help right now, Venkman's too.

"Venkman and Winston wouldn't want to be with us right now Ray, but yes; five of us would be a lot better than only three of us facing off against an enemy as powerful as Azetlor." Egon commented, firing a proton stream at the monster's head as he ran about the room.

"Well we can't let Azetlor get this Codex so I guess we'll just have to take him down if we all want to safely return home." Michiru stated, dashing to the side to avoid another attack as he discharged a stasis stream in an attempt to strike Azetlor's head so he could slow down his movements. "The stasis stream isn't powerful enough to slow him down Egon; we'll have to wear him out somehow before we can rip away his mask!"

"He's resisting my proton stream!" Ray shouted in a panic, wondering how they would find to a way to defeat this opponent now that ordinary combat methods couldn't work. "I can't make a dent in this dude, he's too well shielded!"

"Guys, Azetlor's body is made up of solidified black slime!" Michiru shouted after taking a long and careful look at their adversary once he moved closer. "The spinning tables and books are just protecting his lower body, so concentrate your attacks on his head and face!"

"You're right Mitch! Look at his face; it's protected by black slime!" Egon pointed out as he started switching the equipment on his proton pack.

"That must be the key to his weakness! Switch out your equipment and give Azetlor a slime shower!" Ray yelled, trying to humour Egon and Michiru with his little joke at the end of his sentence to keep their morale high even though they were in for a hell of a fight.

Once they had activated their Mark 2 slime blowers, the three paranormal eliminators advanced on Azetlor from several different points so that they weren't close together which denied their enemy of striking them all at once with one blow by throwing a powerful pulse of paranormal energy at them. Although they got close enough to spray and soak Azetlor with the slime, they had to be extra careful to avoid being struck by his rotating lower body if he suddenly advanced on them. It was a miracle that they were actually able to hit Azetlor's face with the positively charged ectoplasm that they were all spraying considering how tall he stood and how high his head was above the floor on which they stood. The powerful monster continued sliding from here to there on the floor as they continued they're attacks on his face and head, the paranormal energy pulse attacks that Azetlor was using against the Ghostbusters wasn't enough to halt their attacks thanks to their wide deployment and constant repositioning as they dodged each of his attacks during the battle. While the conflict continued, Michiru took a few spare moments to look around the room and view the surrounding environment so he could think of a way to best use it to his advantage if the battle suddenly escalated out of control. He saw that there were five more cross-dimensional portals like the same ones he and the others had used to travel through this world, one at the opposite end of where they had entered this room from and two more evenly spread out along the side of each wall.

"Those might come in handy if things get out of hand in here, I wonder if one of them will lead back home to the world we come from?" Michiru said to himself until his concentration was interrupted by Ray's voice.

"His face is now clear of black slime and exposed!" Ray shouted. "He looks more vulnerable now; let's try ripping his golden mask off!"

"You're right Ray!" Michiru replied with a confident smile, looking at his target's head after aiming and discharging his weapon at the towering Azetlor. "My capture stream is already entangling it!"

"It's working! Keep pulling as hard as you can until the mask is ripped off!" Egon yelled, trying to be loud enough so his companions could hear him over the noisy destructive sounds which echoed all around the battlefield. "That's it! Just a little bit longer now!"

"That's it! We did it!" Ray shouted excitement as the giant squid looking masked was torn clean off Azetlor's body and tossed aside like a piece of junk.

"Oh no, I think we just unleashed his angry side." Egon warned, as the infuriated entity roared louder and spun around more ferociously than it had done before; almost quaking the floor with its movements. "Keep shooting him in the eye as best as you can, he's got no protection against our attacks now!"

Azetlor was now more angry than he was before after being weakened so easily by the same three mere mortals who had taken his precious Codex from him and he wasn't about to let them get away without a fight. And if he was going to lose this battle, he wanted to take all three of them down with him before he could be defeated. After venting his anger by roaring loudly, the towering monster suddenly lashed out at his enemies with his powerful arms; slamming one fist on the ground trying to strike one of his foes while preparing to throw another pulse of energy at the others as he spun around advancing from here to there in the room. This new aggressive attack caught the Ghostbusters of guard as Azetlor suddenly changed his targets several times in each passing minute, causing the three friends a great deal of trouble now that their lives were in much greater danger. Ray was momentarily knocked to the ground when the entire floor shook from Azetlor's fist slamming into it, Michiru was about to rush over and help out his friend when he was forced to run in Egon's direction as Azetlor moved between them and advanced on the Kururugi boy; which allowed Ray to get back up on his feet. Although Ray was fine, the recent events distracted them so that they weren't aware of Azetlor's paranormal pulse attack which he was able to launch until it was too late. Michiru turned to the left and saw the danger that they were in as the powerful energy burst bore down on them like a race car.

"Egon watch out!" Michiru shouted, pushing his colleague aside and then stepping backwards just moments before the purple flames passed right between them; followed swiftly be the solidified black slime stalagmites which shot up from the floor seconds afterwards. "Ahh!"

Michiru and Egon were suddenly sent flying into the air by the impact of being hit with one of the energy pulse attacks which Azetlor had thrown between the two of them, they both landed on the floor in the middle of the room about twenty-feet away from each other; and they were both sore from the fall. The Kururugi boy had been struck once in his left leg and twice in his left arm by several of the long and deadly sharp spikes which had emerged, each one had sliced a cut in one of his limbs before they dissolved and vanished; causing fresh blood to come out of the painful wounds which were both about an eighth of an inch deep. He had been very lucky that the explosive shockwave from the purple flames had catapulted him into the air and prevented him being impaled by more of the stalagmites which would have killed him if he had been closer to the ground. Although Michiru was sore and hurt from the injuries he had taken, he was still concerned for his friends which drove him to lift himself up so he could crawl on his hands and knees in order to see how Ray and Egon were doing. Ray was trying to distract Azetlor's attention in order to give his two companions some precious time to recover themselves before they could be attacked again; but it wasn't working unfortunately. Egon wasn't injured like Michiru, but the sudden impact against the floor after being sent flying into the air from the explosion had stunned the older man and left him momentarily dazed. Michiru gathered his strength and slowly got to his feet so he could run over and assist his older friend who was still lying on the floor. As the young boy approached, Egon suddenly started looking about on the floor around him with a panicked expression on his face; the Gozerian Codex wasn't in his possession. After quickly looking around in all directions, the scientist spotted the rare book laying forty-feet away from him beside one of the portal doorways on the right hand side of the room; and Azetlor was looking for it.

"Michiru! Never mind me! Get the Codex!" Egon shouted at the top of his lungs in alarm, pointing at it and causing Azetlor to spot it with his single large eye.

Michiru broke into a run, ignoring any pain his body was feeling in an effort to recover the valuable item which Egon had lost possession of while he was thrown into the air. Azetlor roared in anger, spinning around faster than usual as he manoeuvred his massive body to get to where the Shikigami user was running too; he also threw another pulse attack in the direction of where the book was so that it would be on a collision course with the young boy and kill him in case he got to the book first. As the tired teenager saw the approaching threat, he realized that he had to hurry if he was to recover the book before Azetlor and escape with his life; failure to accomplish both of these tasks in this race would spell doom for Egon and Ray who wouldn't survive the battle if Michiru was killed. The Japanese student suddenly had an idea, he aimed and sprayed his slime blower on the floor ahead between himself and the Codex and to everyone's surprise; made a running jump into the air. Azetlor roared in a fit of rage as he realized what was happening in front of him, the Kururugi boy was now sliding across the floor on his chest and stomach in the direction of the prize which lay at the end of the slime slide which Michiru had created. Upon reaching the end, the Kururugi boy snatched the Codex with his outstretched hand and slid into the portal a moment before the purple flames and black slime spikes could fell him. While Azetlor was looking around behind the portal for any sign of his target, Michiru slid out of another portal located in the same position but on the left hand side of the room; a fair distance away from the opposite wall where his enemy was searching for him and the Codex.

"Hey Azetlor! You want your Codex?" Michiru yelled in a taunting voice as he got to his feet, weaving the prize book in the air and drawing Azetlor's attention just before he unzipped the upper part of his uniform; tucked the book against his chest and closed the zipper shut to prevent the book from falling out or getting lost. "Well you can't have it unless you come over here and take it by force!"

Azetlor roared angrily as he was struck by a proton stream from the Shikigami user's positron collider, charging forward to attack the young boy who had both provoked and outsmarted him. As Azetlor's attention was now focussed on Michiru, Ray came by and helped Egon get to his feet so that they could both support their young friend who had rescued the Codex from the clutches of their enormous enemy. Once his opponent was nearly about to hit him, the Japanese student simply backed up several paces and reappeared at another portal located on the opposite side of the battlefield as he fired his proton stream; striking his unsuspecting opponent in the back just below his head. Michiru repeated this tactic several times and was so successful, that he was able to keep Azetlor's attention away from Egon and Ray who were also doing damage; causing more paranormal energy to dissipate. The battle waged on and Azetlor gave up on moving back and forth across the room to attack Michiru and was now just throwing paranormal energy pulse attacks of purple flames and black slime spikes at the boy when ever he saw him on either side of the room. By now, Azetlor was so angry that he took out his rage on structural objects rather than trying to strike directly at his enemies. He moved around still throwing pulse attacks to disturb them and rammed his lower body into each of the portals along the left wall so that Michiru couldn't use them anymore, which he soon discovered after coming out of one near the right hand wall. As the towering monster approached to destroy the other two portals, Michiru ran into the middle of the room to rejoin his companions who were now just as exhausted as he was.

"We've got to finish him off before our strength runs out, hit the eye with everything you've got! Now! Egon shouted; firing his positron collider at the colossal creature as the three paranormal eliminators spread out once again to divide Azetlor's attacks as they engaged in battle.

"I think its working Mitch! He's out of control! Keep blasting him in the eye!" Ray yelled as Azetlor launched more pulse attacks at a faster rate and hurled them down at the Ghostbusters, showing that he was now relying on killing them without having to move around so much since he already lost a great deal of energy. "Uh oh, we've really pissed him off now! He's unleashing his rage with every one of those deadly energy pulse attacks he throws at us!"

"If he wants to turn up the heat, than so will we." Michiru replied as he began invoking his Shikigami powers, trying to combine them once more with his positron collider as he had done before once or twice. "Oh flame burning bright! Turn into a sword of wrath! Raging Flame!"

Egon and Ray suddenly turned and looked at their young friend as they realized he was using his Shikigami magic to bring an end to this battle, bright orange and red light emerged from the Japanese student as a glowing red star shaped pentagram appeared on the floor beneath his feet and started spinning. The Shikigami familiar which magically appeared to assist him in casting the attack spell took form about ten feet above their feet a short distance ahead; giving all three of the Ghostbusters a perfect view of its appearance. As he eyed the familiar's face carefully trying to think of what kind of animal it was, Michiru was suddenly reminded of the marble lion statue which he had enjoyed seeing when they had first arrived outside of the Public Library, and then it dawned upon him. The familiar that he couldn't recognize, was in fact a lion, he had finally figured out what kind of animal it was now that he saw the resemblance between its face and the statue. After smiling at the familiar who had helped him many times before during the countless battles in feudal Japan in addition to the two uses during his campaign at the Library in the United States, Michiru could have sworn he heard the lion growl affectionately at him just before evaporating into a ball of light and entering into his proton pack. Once that was done, the Shikigami user aimed his weapon at Azetlor who was still throwing more attacks of his own in a fit of rage which thankfully was about to come to an end.

The two Ghostbusters silently watched in excitement while they fired their weapons as a bright flaming orange proton stream emerged from Michiru's positron collider and struck their opponent's body, setting it on fire once it had touched. All the wooden tables and chairs which were spinning around the entity's lower body instantly became engulfed in flames and began to start falling apart in a matter of seconds, slowly exposing its naked body of solidified black slime which was now unprotected against the scorching heat from the flaming proton stream as well as the building heat from the burning wooden still spinning around him. Although the solid black slime wasn't being penetrated or destroyed, the surface of it was being burned and heated which was not only painful on the outside; but was causing excruciating agony on the inside because the interior was filled with liquid black slime that was now being boiled thanks to the surrounding heat spreading from the outer body. Azetlor was now emitting a very high pitched scream of agony as his internal suffering increased with each passing second. Michiru now elevated his weapon, moving the end of the magically enhanced proton stream at the entity's single eye which was now helpless as the rest of its body. As the Kururugi boy switched over to discharging a capture stream, the large glowing green eye became ensnared and Michiru started to pull back. Once the slam meter was charged, the Japanese student pulled back even harder; causing Azetlor to let out one last unearthly scream just as his eye was torn away. As the loud scream echoed around the room, Azetlor's overheated body suddenly exploded in pieces as the over boiled black slime burst through the shattered fragments before they all fell on the floor leaving a large trace of steam rising from the remaining black shards of solidified slime that lay cluttered everywhere.

"Look over there behind us! The portal we entered this room earlier has reappeared again! Ray shouted, causing Michiru and Egon to turn around. "It's the only portal left to use so it's got to be the way out of here and back to where we belong."

"Let's hope it works this time, I've had enough of this Gozerian configuration for one afternoon." Michiru commented, walking towards it with Ray and Egon.

"With Azetlor defeated, we should be able to return back home now that he's now longer around to hold us here." Egon replied as the three of them stepped into the cross-dimensional gateway.

Winston Zeddemore was presently inside of the immense room surrounded by bookshelves with a balcony running above them on the sides of both walls where Michiru had fought and defeated his first Book Golem. Once he had lost radio contact with the other Ghostbusters, he began searching the Library in an effort to find them and see if they were all okay. He had been searching for them for quite a while completely unaware that he wouldn't be able to find them because they were presently trapped inside of an alternate dimension. After a long while without any success, he returned to the main reading room since it was where they had split up; so it was a logical place for them to return once they had gotten out of trouble or finished with catching ghosts downstairs in the lower levels of the Library. Just when the man was nearly tempted to go and start another search, a gigantic portal doorway appeared near the middle of the room; and his worries were gone when his three lost colleagues were all back and alive.

"Where the hell have you guys been? I've been searching all over this Library for all of you for nearly an hour an a half." Winston asked as he came over to find out where they had been, what they were doing and how they somehow entered into the main room of the Library using paranormal means of transportation. "It's now 4:40p.m. in the afternoon and it's almost time for dinner. I've been calling for you, looking for you; without hearing or finding a thing. And now you all suddenly show up here right before my eyes in the blink of an eye, that's not normal. Will someone tell me just what hell happened here please?"

"We followed the Gray Lady all through several hidden passageways as we went deeper underground and eventually passed through a cross-dimensional portal that transported us to an alternate version of the New York Public Library infested with paranormal entities bent on attacking us." Egon explained. "After much travelling and getting separated along the way, we had to fight a giant forty-foot tall monster named Azetlor who wanted to kill us for taking an ancient magical book that we recovered during our battle with the Gray Lady who we finally caught and trapped. Once we defeated Azetlor, we found another portal that we used to return here; and that's basically what happened."

"Oh…well…that would explain it, then" Winston replied. "Next time leave a note, all that info would have been a lot more helpful to me so I could tell Janine and Ilyssa what was going on; the two of them were worried sick about you guys."

"We're really sorry Winston; we didn't even know that we had even crossed into another dimension until after it was too late." Michiru apologized, feeling guilty for causing Winston, Ilyssa and Janine to be so worried. "We're Ilyssa and Janine really that worried?"

"You bet they were; Ilyssa even warned me that there would be hell to pay if you didn't return safe and sound." Winston answered. "And when Venkman tried to cheer her up, she told him to get his ass over here and help me look for you guys. But as you can see, he's not here."

"Did Ilyssa kill him?" Ray asked sarcastically. "Or was hit Janine?"

"Nobody killed him Ray, but Ilyssa did threaten to set Slimer free and sic him on Venkman if he didn't go back to work." Winston answered with a chuckle.

"Now that's funny, I can't wait to taunt him about it." Ray replied with grin. "By the way Winston, Egon and I got to see Michiru use his magic again; he helped us defeat that forty-foot monster Egon just told you about. On top of that, he also saved both of our necks and stopped the monster from snatching the ancient rare book we recovered during our fight with the Gray Lady."

"Oh, you can have the Codex back now Egon." Michiru cut in, pulling it out and handing over once he unzipped the upper part of his work outfit. "The upper front of my suite is still soaked in slime; it'll definitely have to go in the wash tonight."

"Not a problem, we've all gotten our work outfits dirty or slimed on a number of jobs so it's normal." Egon answered, taking the Codex from the teenager and suddenly noticed a strange paranormal anomaly located on the wall above the main room's entrance. "Ray, does that anomaly above the doorway look familiar to you at all?"

"No, and it wasn't here the first time we came into this room either." Ray answered, as everyone gathered close to the doorway so they could all take a look at what Egon had found.

"Ray's right, otherwise my PKE meter would have detected it as I came down the hallway when all of us split up earlier to track down the two ghosts that were hiding inside of the lion statue." Michiru added, looking at the strange paranormal pattern on the wall. "That almost looks like a constellation or a system of planets revolving around a single star."

"Yeah, wonder what it really is." Winston said, looking as well.

"I don't know." Egon stated, noticing that one of the three glowing signs inside of each one of the inner circles close to the centre suddenly disappeared. "But what ever it is, I think we may have just turned it off. Perhaps the Codex will reveal some information that can answer our questions about this pattern or symbol. Let's get back to the lab so we can read through this Codex and analyse all the data we've collected."

"Sounds good, it could prove helpful to us when we go to the museum tomorrow night with Ilyssa during the opening of the new Gozer Exhibit." Ray added.

"Well then, why don't we order a large pile of takeout food for tonight's dinner?" Winston suggested. "You know, to celebrate a successful mission of capturing the Gray Lady and defeating that forty-foot monster you told me about."

"Great idea Winston, we should have a small party back at the lab; and we'll get to see Venkman trying to flirt with Ilyssa again." Ray replied with a grin, causing Michiru to chuckle as he just shook his head at listening to his two colleagues plan some sort of scheme. "That's always fun to see, especially when his moves backfire."

"You did an outstanding job this afternoon Mitch, excellent work even when you didn't use your magic." Egon said, holding out his hand to show his appreciation.

"Uh, thanks Egon; no trouble at all." Michiru replied gratefully while shaking the man's hand. "Just glad I can earn my keep while I'm working and living with you guys."

"You've been doing a great job Mitch ever since you first started, and don't you forget it." Ray added, giving the Kururugi boy a pad on his left arm which he had no idea was injured in the battle against Azetlor.

"Ow! Geez!" Michiru cussed, covering his injury with the palm of his right hand in an effort to make the sharp stinging pain go away.

"Uh oh! I'm sorry! I'm sorry Mitch! I had no idea you were even hurt or injured!" Ray blurted out, feeling very sorry for what he had just done. "How bad is that? Mitch you're bleeding! Why didn't you tell us sooner?"

"We were in the middle of a battle at the time when it happened and once it was over, it just slipped my mind because it didn't bother me as much once the pain had subsided." Michiru answered, still holding his arm.

"What other injuries do you have besides the one on your left arm?" Ray asked with concern.

"Actually, I have two cuts on my arm; there's also another cut on my left leg." Michiru answered, showing the other torn areas in his uniform for Ray to look at which all had small blood stains on them from the bleeding wounds.

"That's it, Ray; we're going back home." Winston replied, pulling the Shikigami user by his right arm.

"I'm alright Winston; I can patch them up when we get back." Michiru protested, trying to break free of the older man's grip.

"No no, Ilyssa will be the one to patch you up." Winston said with a grin as Ray carefully grabbed the Kururugi boy's other arm which was injured so that he could help Winston lift him off the floor and carry him outside to Ecto-1. "That'll give you an excuse to spend some time together, right Ray?"

"Yeah, and make Venkman jealous." Ray replied with a mischievous grin. "There's nothing better than receiving medical treatment from a beautiful lady who has all of her undivided attention focussed on the guy she's trying to nurse back to health."

"Winston, Ray this isn't funny. Come on, let me go." Michiru asked. "If you won't let me patch myself up, than you can at least let me use my magic to accelerate the healing process if you guys are that concerned about me."

"Absolutely not, you've performed enough magic acts for one day magic man; and that's the end of it." Winston countered as the grin on his face grew wider. "Besides, you'll ruin our plan of trying to get Venkman stop slacking off once he sees Ilyssa patching you up."

"I'm dead serious! Let go of me! I can walk perfectly fine on my own! I don't need to be carried around like a cripple! Michiru protested while Ray and Winston both had each of the young boy's arms held behind their necks so they could lift him off the floor as they walked. "Ray, you did say that you owe me one and this is not the way to return a favour. Egon, help out here; these two schemers can't take a hint! I'm begging you; order them to let me go! I don't want to be a pawn in their plan, I just want to walk out of here on my own so I don't look like a casualty when we go outside and especially when we arrive back home. Please…"

Unfortunately for Michiru, his words were all in vain; Egon didn't utter a word. Although he could hear the Kururugi boy quite clearly since he was walking two meters ahead of the others, he was deliberately staying quiet as he was trying to contain an enormous amount of laughter that threatened to burst out of his mouth which only grew more difficult with every new protest he heard from Michiru. As the four Ghostbusters exited the main room and came to the hallway, Egon continued chuckling quietly to himself; still listening to his fellow employees talking behind him. Because Winston and Ray were both carrying Michiru, Egon was the only one left to carry the Codex which was miraculously dry even though it had been kept underneath Michiru's upper suite which was still wet from the slime. As he spent the next five minutes flipping through its pages and quickly making mental notes of which page numbers to remember, the four paranormal eliminators arrived in the main area which leads outside the main entrance of the Library. Since Michiru had done such a great job today, the scientist felt that it was only fair to reward the Shikigami user and grant him at least a little mercy and spare him the humiliation which he feared.

"Alright, that's far enough guys." Egon declared, turning around to address his companions. "Winston, Ray; you can put Mitch down now so he can walk out on his own. I think you two have given him enough embarrassment to last the rest of the day, which I'm sure you'll both agree with."

"Aw come on Egon, your no fun." Ray countered with a fake pout. "We were just playing around, weren't we Winston?"

"What he said, we wouldn't embarrass him as bad as Venkman did that one time when all you guys were going to the Sedgewick hotel." Winston replied. "Can you forgive us Mitch? Come on, you know we're all pals."

"I forgive you, both of you." Michiru replied still being held off the floor. "Now can you put me down now please? Thanks."

"Oh by the way Mitch…" Egon said, drawing the young boy's attention. "We let you walk out of here like normal, but you still have to get patched up by Ilyssa."

"What?" Michiru suddenly yelped, turning a little red as everyone broke out laughing for a few seconds until all four of them left the building and walked down the steps towards Ecto-1; waving at the crowds of cheering people who were still there showing the Ghostbusters all the morale support they could give.

Author's note: I apologize for the long delay and for the fact that this chapter might have been a bit too long for some of you to read. This chapter had a lot of different rooms and realms to describe and I hope that everything I typed in this chapter made sense to everybody given the fact that my writing skills aren't that good. Some of the fight scenes were also difficult to describe and write about so I hope everyone enjoyed reading them regardless of how repetitive some of them might have seemed. Since this chapter took place entirely at the Public Library, I tried adding some humour every now and again to make this part of the story worth reading seeing as how it mostly involves just travelling and fighting. To those of you who have suggested that I give this story two different endings, I have finally thought of a way to properly solve that dilemma in a way that I think with satisfy all of you. I hope that this chapter was worth reading since some of you have been waiting nearly two and a half months for it to be uploaded. Once again, thank you all for taking the time to read and review this story.

Orionpax09, I hope everything is going alright and that the summer holds some spectacular experiences in store for you this year. The battles were tough to write about because of the challenging task of describing the changing environments where they were fought as the Ghostbusters travelled throughout the Library and inside of the alternate dimension. This chapter was already too long just to include the campaign inside of the Library; I couldn't add any sections with the Inuyasha cast members in it. There should be plenty of room for Inuyasha scenes in the sixth chapter since Michiru and the Ghostbusters will have nearly a full day off until they have to go to the museum which will also leave room for Michiru and Ilyssa to spend time together researching information about his Shikigami magic. During this time, he and Saya could also try talking to Slimer and try to befriend him; if Venkman doesn't discourage them first.

Jetty1, I regret to say that I really don't have much to say here since you always seem to enjoy each chapter that I write. Nevertheless, your reviews and suggestions are just as valuable and appreciated as all of the others. I don't think that anyone in the crowd would get jealous of Michiru; they are just fans after all so I think they would just cheer him on like they would for the other Ghostbusters. And if anyone were to see him, they might just assume he's only there working part time just for the summer since he's a teenager. I'm glad you enjoyed the scene where I included the phone messages; I found them very entertaining when I played the Xbox game. I have a question to ask you about the Vigo painting that you can see and talk too while you're in the firehouse, I thought that Vigo was destroyed in the second Ghostbusters movie. Was he just reinserted and imprisoned inside of the painting that you see in the game?

Master of Death and Darkness, I hope that everything is going great for you. I hope that your Inuyasha cursed mask story with Michiru and Kagome paired together is coming along, it has been over a year since I last had the chance to read it and I really hope you can upload it again since you are the only author I know of who has written a story with that pairing. I had a great time at the Calgary Odafest after I first met you and your friends during the Inuyasha photo shoots that we were involved with, especially when I discovered that I met another fan fiction author who has written Inuyasha cursed mask stories. Of all the anime conventions that I have been too, Calgary Odafest is probably my most favourite; I can't wait to see you and your friends at the Calgary University next year. I apologize for my errors in regards to the Shikigami familiars and I will try and correct those in the next chapter. I hope you enjoyed the long weekend and had a happy Canada Day, thanks again for reading and reviewing my work. Good luck on your writing your stories as well.

AeropostleKeyblade, I'm happy that you are enjoying this story and I am especially delighted that you have added this piece of work to your favourite stories list. You mentioned that you loved both games which means you've played and beaten them as well. I am a beginner when it comes to writing and my experience in the field isn't all that talented, which is why I'm trying to improve my skills as I continue this story. Because of this, I would very much appreciate it if you could add more to your reviews and say what scenes you enjoyed the most as you read through each chapter. Feel free to make suggestions regarding future events in later chapters and say what you didn't like about a certain situation and so on. As I said before, I'm trying to improve myself so any and all information that you include in each review is useful. I don't have a lot of fans so thanks again for reviewing and I hope that this chapter was worth reading.


	6. Hurt, Comfort and Friendship

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, Ghostbusters, or anything associated with either of them. This story is being written just for fun and enjoyment.

Chapter #6: Hurt, Comfort, and Friendship

Before their drive back to the Firehouse, all of the Ghostbusters including Michiru got to experience a grand farewell exit as they departed from the New York Public Library. Once they had come out of the building, each of them were waving at the three crowds of cheering people which had been allowed to get closer now that the danger was gone and the ghosts had been dealt with. Although their were media people among the crowds, Michiru wasn't as worried as much as he had been before because he felt that he had been appreciated for the work he and his colleagues had done for the city so the praise was a rewarding experience. After taking several minutes to wave back at the people and enjoy the spotlight, the Ghostbusters took off their pieces of equipment and loaded them inside of Ecto-1 before getting in and driving away with the most energetic fans chasing after them on foot as fast as their legs could carry them. On the way back, the Kururugi boy carefully used his Shikigami powers without being noticed in order to heal the cut on the side of his left leg so he could walk without any pain or discomfort like he had done when he exited the Library building. Although he still had the two cuts on his left arm, it was his leg that was the most painful and was even more aggravating when he was walking since the pants fabric would still rub against the open cut even though it was torn.

Now that they had returned, everyone could finally rest and relax after finishing today's work; it was a few minutes after 5:00 in the afternoon on November 20th and it was nearly supper time. While the four grown up Ghostbusters were debating about what take out food they should purchase as they unloaded the car, the Shikigami user snuck upstairs as quickly and quietly as possible so he could go have a shower and get himself clean after the long battle he had been through. After grabbing his ablutions kit, he realized he had forgotten to wash his other work outfit which meant that he would have to change into other clothes until both of his suits were washed clean and dried. Once he had gotten some of his own clothes from his duffle bag sitting on his bed, Michiru returned to the washroom and organized his belongings before removing his dirty outfit and tossing it into the washing machine with the other. Once all his other damp clothes were off and thrown in as well, the teenager made everything ready and turned on the machine so it would wash and clean everything for him. Now that he was undressed, he stepped into the shower and turned on the warm water to help clean his body as he rubbed the bar of soap against himself once he was thoroughly soaking wet from head to toe. The warm water did feel very nice, the only downside was that both of the cuts on his left arm were stinging like crazy when they were struck by it so Michiru had to move around very carefully as he washed himself in order to avoid causing any more unwanted pain in his left arm than what he was already feeling. After his body was washed and clean, the teenager proceeded to clean his injuries, rubbing the bar of soap ever so slowly against the two open cuts as he stood underneath the spraying water coming out of the shower head directly above him.

Saya had woken up from his nap feeling somewhat refreshed, considering out old and ancient he was. Although he was a spiritual entity, his age would always make him feeling fragile and tired if he moved around or exerted his energy too much. The old geezer was woken up after hearing the noise of Ecto-1's siren as it returned back to the Firehouse, which was a sign that all of the Ghostbusters had returned from work. After floating outside of an open window from the top floor, Saya descended down to the ground and entered through the gate to welcome back everyone who had left for work; the fresh air outside helped to wake him up a little more which was an added bonus to gain on the way down. Unfortunately for the friendly ghost, all of the other Ghostbusters were currently unloading the vehicle so they could transfer all of the captured ghosts that they had caught into the containment unit sitting inside the basement one level below the main floor of the building. Once he had observed all of their faces, Saya realized that Michiru had raced upstairs so he could get first dibs on having a shower before the other Ghostbusters while they were preoccupied with unloading the car and imprisoning all of the spiritual entities. After figuring this out, the lone spirit hovered up the stairs to return to the top floor where he could hear the water running inside of the washroom located at the opposite end of the Firehouse. Not wanting to disturb his friend, Saya just floated in the middle of the doorway which separated the bedroom from the lab while he patiently waited for his teenage friend to emerge after he had finished cleaning, drying and dressing himself inside of the washroom.

Meanwhile, Ilyssa and Janine were both down inside of the subbasement meticulously inspecting the room's interior to make sure that Venkman had done a proper cleaning job and that everything was spick and span. They were down there for about five minutes checking over every nook and cranny until they were both satisfied, considering how much time their colleague had taken in order to tidy up the place. The lone worker was constantly taking a brake and coming upstairs to flirt with Ilyssa which not only annoyed her, but also interrupted her and Janine from their work around the office. When Michiru and the other Ghostbusters had gone missing a while ago, the two of them were really worried and wanted to send Venkman over; but only after he had finished cleaning everything first; which is why they were telling him to hurry the hell up so he could help Winston search the Library. Ilyssa had even more worried about Michiru since the Kururugi boy was in a foreign country and that he would be arrested if he was found out. And as if that wasn't bad enough, Peck might even call again and ask where the missing Ghostbusters were located; which would make the tension even worse since they were currently missing in action. She was having flashbacks of listening to the young teenager tell her of his feudal era adventures and how he had been summoned back in time in an instant, and how he had travelled and lived in that period for a very long period of days before being magically sent back home. Was it possible that another paranormal event had caused Michiru to vanish? Were Ray and Egon taken with him at the same time? And how long would it be before the three of them could return? Luckily for the two women, they would quickly discover in a couple of moments that everyone was fine again and that their worries were now over.

"You two have been nosing around down here like a pair of environmental perfectionists for the fifth time already." Venkman commented with an annoyed tone, leaning against the wall with a mop in his hand. "I've spent nearly four hours down here cleaning by myself. Now how much more cleaning do I have to do until both of you are satisfied?"

"We'll let you know in a minute Venkman after we've covered everything down here, it's really difficult to see every nook and cranny when the subbasement isn't very well lit up like the main floor is; that's why we have to look extra carefully." Janine answered, pacing around slowly as she observed everything in her path just as Ilyssa was doing.

"Well I think you've covered everything Venkman, I only wish you would have finished sooner so that you could go help Winston look for Michiru and the others." Ilyssa added, satisfied that Venkman had cleaned everything up by himself without anyone's help; especially after ducking out of hunting for ghosts with the others once lunch was over. "That's what you get for constantly neglecting your work just to interrupt us while Janine is trying to train me in the office."

"Come on, I was only trying to strike up a conversation." Venkman countered innocently. "I just cleaned up everything like you asked, without any complaints. Would it kill you to show a little gratitude? A simple thank you coming from you would be very much appreciated."

"Thank you Dr. Venkman for a wonderful cleaning job, you make a great janitor." Janine cut in before Ilyssa could respond. "There, happy?"

"You always enjoy ruining my fun, don't you?" Venkman said sarcastically giving Janine a look while the intellectual lady gave him a brief grin to get even. Suddenly, the three of them could faintly hear Ecto-1's siren as the car arrived and parked inside of the building and all of them realized that the rest of the Ghostbusters had finally returned; Ilyssa and Janine raced up the stairs to get back to the main floor to greet their lost comrades now that their worries were dispelled. "Hey wait Ilyssa; don't I get a thank you from you too?"

Ilyssa didn't even bother to look back or answer as she sprinted up the stairs with Janine following behind, getting to the main basement eventually to the main floor where they were both overwhelmed by a wave of relief at seeing Winston return with the missing Ghostbusters safe and sound. Egon, Winston and Ray had just finished unloading all of the equipment from inside of Ecto-1 as the two ladies came scurrying over to ask what had happened and how each of them were doing. Janine didn't even give any warning as she threw her arms around Egon in a tight hug which lasted for about ten seconds, causing the tall man a little embarrassment after seeing Ray and Winston give him a playful grin. Ilyssa came to a halt and looked around inside of the car, thinking that the Kururugi boy had outdone himself yet again since she didn't see him unloading the vehicle with the others. As she glanced inside of the vehicle to locate the young man, she was surprised to find that he wasn't with them at all. Wondering where her young friend had disappeared too, Ilyssa turned to ask the three paranormal eliminators what had become of Michiru and when they had last seen him since she assumed that he must have accompanied them in the car when they returned to the Firehouse together.

"Where's Michiru?" Ilyssa asked with concern, turning to Winston and then Ray for an explanation why the young man wasn't with them.

"Judging by the sound of the running water coming from the washroom upstairs, I believe he's having a shower to clean himself off after a hard day's work." Saya answered after floating down to the main floor through one of the sliding pole exits running down from the top floor. "You'd better stay outside though; otherwise you might startle him if you intruded."

"Good call; otherwise we might cause him to accidentally cast a magic spell that could blow us all to bits." Ray joked.

"I wouldn't mind being blown to bits as long as Peck gets blown to Kingdom Com in the process; Mitch would be doing us a favour if that ever happened." Venkman added, causing the other Ghostbusters to burst out laughing since they all despised the guy. "Ha! Ha! Ha! HA! HA! HA!"

"Thank you Saya." Ilyssa replied with sigh of relief now that she knew her teenage friend was alright.

"He saved our necks back there, and helped us to take down a forty-foot tall paranormal monster by fusing his magic with his positron collider again!" Ray said in excitement. "We got an up close view of the climactic battle this time and we were also involved in it! You should have seen it Ilyssa! First we fought our way to the lowest point underneath of the Public Library, and then we…"

"Wooah, Ray; slow down man." Winston interrupted. "Before you start telling ghost stories, we should order our take out food while Mitch is in the shower. Now what are we going to eat? Thin crust pizza with no visible anchovies?"

"No thanks. Would you like Chinese food instead?" Ray asked. "Or why don't we get both?"

"Why not get a little bit of what everyone would like to eat?" Ilyssa suggested. "Then no one can complain."

"Sounds good, but I'm going with Winston to pick up the grub, because I like my pizza without any anchovies." Venkman said.

"Fair enough Peter, But I'm driving and you're buying." Winston replied with a grin. "Its only fair since you skipped out of busting ghosts today."

"Don't push your luck Winston, I did do of all the cleaning here while you guys were gone." Venkman warned. "I'll pay half the bill, you cover the rest. That's the deal, let's get in the car."

"Wait, how will you know what food to order for Michiru if he doesn't tell you what he'd like?" Janine asked.

"Saya, you better fly upstairs and tell him to get down here." Venkman suggested, holding out a small piece of paper in is hand. "And while you're up there, could you please do me a favour and follow these instructions as well?

"Alright." Saya replied, taking the note. "And exactly how am I supposed to make him hurry if he's still having a shower."

"Tell him that Tubby Soft Squeeze has comeback to life again and that he's attacking Ilyssa, that'll get him moving, trust me." Venkman answered, trying to suppress a grin as everyone turned to look at him after hearing his instructions. "What? We need him here now don't we?"

Saya did as he was told and zoomed upstairs to go see Michiru who had already gotten out of the shower and had only just finished getting changed into some clean school clothes after drying himself off. Since both of his work outfits were still in the washer, he might as well wear his school clothes since he wouldn't be seeing any combat or catching ghosts until tomorrow. However, as he was getting his runners on; his spiritual friend Saya entered the washroom and told him just what Venkman had instructed. The Kururugi boy's eyes widened in a panic, this wasn't good news. How could Stay Puft have been resurrected again after only destroying him a little over half a day ago? There was no time for questions, Ilyssa's life was in danger and he had to go try and save her; but he needed to go retrieve his proton pack first. After racing out of the bedroom, the Shikigami user slid down one of the firemen pole exits cut into the floor and landed on the floor right by the bottom of the stairs leading up to the top floor above. Before he could react, Ilyssa threw her arms around him and gave the unprepared teenager a bear hug to show how relieved she was to see him safe and sound again like she had before he had left with the others after lunch earlier in the day. As Michiru's face turned red, Ray and Winston were both trying to suppress a grin as they looked back and forth from Michiru to Venkman who was just as stunned as the Japanese student was.

"Um, Ilyssa? Everyone's looking." Michiru mumbled, unable to stand the embarrassment any longer as Saya returned with a pillow case and handed it to Venkman has he had been instructed to do.

"Sorry Michiru, I was just so worried when we heard that you had vanished along with Egon and Ray." Ilyssa replied sweetly, backing up and resting her hands on the young boy's shoulders after releasing him from the tight hug she had just given him.

"Am I missing something here? I thought that you were in danger and that Stay Puft was back causing havoc again." Michiru asked in confusion since there were no noises of panic or destruction at all in or outside of the Firehouse. "That's what Saya just told me before I rushed down here."

"Stay Puft is back, he's just hovering behind Ray's head right now." Venkman answered, causing Ray to turn around and suddenly stagger backwards after seeing Venkman wave the small Stay Puft doll right in his face which nearly frightened him for a few seconds. "Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! This is all that's left of him Ray, but at least he looks like the harmless guy you always remember him to be. Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! By the way Mitch, that was just a ploy to get you down here so we could find out what you wanted to eat for supper. Boy, did you ever fall for it; the old damsel in distress trick."

"Think fast!" Ray yelled, splashing Venkman with a full bucket of water which Venkman himself had used earlier in the afternoon to mop the floor, thus getting revenge on the man for the little prank he had pulled just now; while Egon pulled the Stay Puft doll out of the man's hand so he could get a good look at it for himself. "Venkman, don't you ever pull a prank like that on me, Mitch or anyone ever again."

"Why you..." Michiru responded, as Winston and Ilyssa grabbed his arms to stop him from charging over and tackling his fellow co worker. "Watch where you're grabbing Winston, my arm still hurts you know."

"Sorry Mitch, I thought you would have taken the opportunity of healing it with your magic while you were having a shower." Winston replied with a tiny grin as he watched Ilyssa switch sides and so she could examine the Shikigami user's other arm. "It looks as though I was mistaken, wasn't I?"

"Michiru, did you injure yourself during a battle inside of the Library?" Ilyssa asked with concern as she pushed up the boy's shirt sleeve and saw the two cuts he had gotten from one of Azetlor's paranormal pulse about an hour ago. "Let's go find a first aid kit; I think I saw one in the lab upstairs."

"Hey Mitch, do you want Chinese food or Pizza?" Winston asked. "Tell us now, Peter and I are going to buy and bring back tonight's supper."

"Oh, um…I'd like a little bit of both if you wouldn't mind." Michiru answered, looking briefly at Winston and Ray as they each gave him a quick funny grin while Egon and Janine just shook their heads, feeling sorry for the poor boy's embarrassment for being in such a predicament. "Would you guys drop it already, Ilyssa and I are just friends and that's the end of it."

After turning away and walking up the stairs to the top floor, Michiru just shook his head in an effort to stay sane as he tried to ignore the funny grins he had seen from his co workers just a moment ago. Although Winston and Ray weren't bothering him even half as bad as Venkman had done yesterday on the way to the Sedgewick Hotel, Michiru was still a little annoyed since he was always easily embarrassed when it came to talking about girls, or worse; flirting and interacting with them. Ilyssa was no girl, but she was a beautiful young woman who had caught his attention even though she was nearly twice is age. She was also a true friend since she decided not to rat him out after discovering his real identity which was a shock for him after he found out that she had been told everything about his predicament by the Ghostbusters early in the morning after the battle against Stay Puft was over. The Kururugi boy cleared his head of all thoughts as he arrived up at the top floor since he would have to pay attention to Ilyssa when she spoke to him while she dug through the first aid kit for some bandages. Once he arrived at the lab, the teenager took a seat and waited patiently for the older woman to finish getting the first aid materials ready on the table so she could tend to him. Although he had already washed them properly and stopped them from bleeding any more, he still hadn't taken the time to bandage the two cuts on his left arm which is why Ilyssa was going to bandage them up for him; this would unfortunately give Winston and Ray just one more thing to tease him about later on which would make the Kururugi boy feel uncomfortable about.

"How did you manage to injure yourself anyway?" Ilyssa asked curiously as she rolled up the young man's shirt sleeve so she could tend to his upper left arm without it getting in the way.

"It wasn't my fault, I was trying to save Egon and I just happened to be standing in the wrong place at the wrong time." Michiru reluctantly answered. "You asked me to come back in one piece without being unconscious and I have, so please don't be angry."

"I'm not angry with you Michiru; I was just worried about you." Ilyssa replied, cupping his face with both of her hands and turning his head towards her so she could look him in the face. "Do I detect a look of annoyance on your face?"

"I'm not annoyed with you Ilyssa, I'm just a little annoyed because Ray and Winston have been bugging me about the fact that I now have you for a friend and that we get along really well with one another; that's all." Michiru replied.

"And why should that bother you, apart from being bugged about it I mean?" Ilyssa asked curiously, applying some medicine over each of his cuts so that the skin and flesh would close up and heal faster.

"W-Well, I-I suppose it's because we've only known each other for one day." Michiru nervously answered, looking away so avoid seeing Ilyssa's face in order to avoid being anymore embarrassed than he already was while he spoke. "And that I'm a boy and you're a..."

"Oh I see what you're getting at, so that's why you're annoyed with both of them." Ilyssa replied with a giggle at seeing the boy's cheeks heat up as she applied two large band aids side by side over each of his cuts so that they were both covered up. "They're teasing you about having me as more than just a friend aren't they? Even though you've already told them that we're just friends right?"

"H-How do you know that's what I said to them?" Michiru burst out, his eyes widening and his face reddening even more as he turned and saw Ilyssa's adorable smiling face looking right back at him. "Oh no, you overheard me before I followed you up the stairs didn't you?"

"Relax Michiru, I'm not upset by what you said." Ilyssa said with a smile, trying to comfort him as she held each of his shoulders with her hands. "And I'm not embarrassed by what they were saying so you shouldn't be either, especially after you tried to discourage them from teasing you."

"I wasn't embarrassed, I was annoyed; there's a difference." Michiru replied, trying to deny it.

"Oh?" Ilyssa asked, giving the troubled teenager another sweet smile as she rolled down his shirt sleeve now that she was finished treating the cuts on his left arm. "Then why are you still blushing?"

"I-I-I'm not blushing." Michiru replied, lying through the teeth in an effort to end this subject of discussion.

"Yes you are, and you're turning redder." Ilyssa pointed out, but then decided to change the subject to make her young friend calm down before supper time so that he wouldn't be embarrassed at the table when Winston and Venkman returned with the food. "We can talk about something else if you'd like, I'll stop being a tease. But before we that do you have any other injuries besides the two cuts on your left arm just above your elbow?"

"I did have another cut which was on the side of my left leg just below the knee, but I healed it with my magic while I was in the car on the way back because it was causing me discomfort when ever I walked." Michiru answered, quickly pulling up his pant leg to show her that the wound was completely gone. "You can ask Winston, Ray or Egon about it if you don't believe me."

"No that won't be necessary, I believe you." Ilyssa replied, as a look of confusion came over her face. "But um, why didn't you take the time to heal your other two cuts after you finished healing the one on your leg?"

"Well, none of the others in the car wanted me to use my magic at all." Michiru answered with a chuckle as his female friend eyed him suspiciously. "I managed to heal my leg injury without being noticed, but I couldn't take the chance of using my Shikigami powers on my upper arm since I would get caught."

"Oh really?" Ilyssa responded putting on a devious smile as she moved her head closer to look the helpless teenage boy right in the face. "Then why didn't you take the opportunity of healing both of your other cuts while you were in the shower? Did you leave them alone so that you could spend some time with me while I bandaged them up for you?"

"N-NO! Honestly, I just forgot okay!" Michiru burst out in denial as his face once again turned red with embarrassment. "I cleaned them with soap and water while I was in the shower, but I was more focussed on cleaning myself than healing two minor cuts! A-And the warm shower was very nice to have after a long tough afternoon of fighting ghosts and other paranormal monsters, so I was caught up in enjoying it!"

"Sure, a likely excuse. You really shouldn't be embarrassed so much Michiru, you make it so easy for someone to tease you; though I admit you look rather cute when you turn red and blush." Ilyssa replied as her devious smile was replaced with just an innocent one that she always gave the Kururugi boy to cheer him up. "Alright, I'll stop with the teasing if that will make you feel any better. We can take the time to talk with one another until Winston and Venkman return with tonight's dinner. How does that sound?"

"Thanks, but what would you like to talk about Ilyssa?" Michiru asked, calming down and looking at her as he wondered why she was pausing for a few moments after he had asked her such a simple question.

"Would it be alright if I asked you a personal question?" Ilyssa asked quietly, catching Michiru's full attention as his face suddenly had a look of hesitation.

"What sort of personal question?" Michiru replied, trying to figure out what Ilyssa wanted to know.

"First off, I want to tell you that I'm not trying to tease you; I'm just asking out of curiosity. Do you like one of the two girls you made friends with while you were travelling throughout Feudal Japan? " Ilyssa asked, looking the Shikigami user in the eyes with a serious face as she sat down in a chair opposite him so that they could face each other. The sudden silence combined with the shocked and nervous look on his face told the older woman that her young friend was having trouble deciding whether or not answers her question. "Michiru, I'm sorry if I'm asking something so personal, but I thought that you might be interested in one of them after you showed us a mental image of each of your friends whom you met and befriended on Egon's machine earlier this morning during those tests that you and I took. If you're uncomfortable with talking about it, then I'll understand if you don't want to discuss…"

"No, it…it's alright…as long as…" Michiru answered quietly. "As long as it's just with you and no one else. It isn't something I can talk about easily, except maybe with someone I can really trust and feel comfortable with."

Ilyssa smiled, finding out that she had become such a valuable friend to this young man who was sharing something so personal with her; even though they only knew each other for perhaps a day. She gave him her word that she would keep his identity a secret so perhaps he trusted her enough to also talk about something else that was just as important to him. "Well then, which of them is it?"

"Its Sango, the demon slayer I told you about who also has Kirara; a two tail cat demon as a loyal friend and companion." Michiru answered, taking a moment of pause to think of the right words to use his next sentence. "You already know how the two of us spent some free time together during the days we took off to relax and rest while we travelled from village to village, I remember mentioning that when I told you my adventures early this morning after breakfast."

"Yes you did, please go on." Ilyssa asked politely as she nodded, waiting patiently for the Kururugi boy to let everything out as she could tell that he had been keeping it bottled up inside of him for a long while now even though she didn't know all the details regarding the boy's situation. From the look in his eyes and the sound of his voice, Michiru was trying to over come some emotional pain as he sought for the right words to use in each and every sentence in an effort to accurately piece everything together in what he was telling her.

The Shikigami user finally came out and told her how he had fallen in love with Sango and how some incidents had caused him some pain during the time when he was still in the feudal era as well as after he had been summoned back to his own world. To start off, Michiru told Ilyssa of one such incident he couldn't shake off which occurred in Minamo village; he had gone out for a walk to clear his head since he couldn't bear seeing Sango together with Miroku when the demon slayer was simply showing concern for the monk after Miroku had got a little fever earlier in the day. Although Miroku's lecherous ways always made Sango angry, the fact that she still cared for the monk was evident enough to prove that she also had feelings for the monk even after all the womanizing he had done during their travels thus far. Michiru had slowly fallen in love with Sango as time passed between them when they spent time together as friends and how they fought together with Inuyasha and the others countless times against numerous demons during their journey from one village to another. He couldn't help it, and he also couldn't avoid being jealous of someone else who held a special place in the demon slayer's heart which is why he left to take a short walk; anything to get away and safe himself the pain of seeing the two of them together back at the inn where he and all of his friends were going to stay for the night.

And the internal pain Michiru was feeling was about to get a whole lot worse, it was when he thought he had run into Sango alone on the village outskirts. She had unexpectedly declared her feelings for him even though he could have sworn that she still liked Miroku. Unable to resist the opportunity to let her know how he felt about her, Michiru overcame his nervousness and replied back by telling her that he liked her too. After they broke apart from a brief hug that they had shared together, he quickly found out he had been tricked by a demon named Mahoro whose strange powers gave him the unique ability to transform himself into the physical appearance of a person's affection; this shattered the poor boy's heart in an instant as what might have been the most happy moment in his life was just a fake scenario used against him. Ilyssa listened intently, understanding how painful it must have been for Michiru to experience something like that after believing that he was in the arms of the person he loved just a moment ago. Although he eventually defeated the demon with some help from Miroku after the monk appeared just in time to stop the demon from attacking while the Kururugi boy was vulnerable in his state of depression, Michiru couldn't handle the fact that he felt sad about seeing Sango together with Miroku since he wasn't able to change the way he felt about the beautiful demon slayer. Feeling guilty about being selfish as well as all the combined pain from both incidents, Michiru ran away so he could hide his suffering from the others until he felt better again at a later time.

The Shikigami user skipped forward to the point where his feudal era adventure came to an end after he had just finished burying Utsugi inside of the Kururugi Cemetery once his great ancestor had passed away. When he was slowly being summoned back to his own time in the modern world, everyone; especially Sango wasn't ready to see him leave yet. He wasn't ready to leave yet either after making so many friends in the feudal era or after falling in love with a wonderful girl who he had become attached too. Michiru knew too well that he didn't have the power to travel back in time like Kagome could and he also didn't figure out how Naraku and Utsugi had managed to summon him to the feudal era in the first place, which meant that he might never be able to return here again or even see the friends he had grown close too. After taking a moment to gather his strength and steady his nerves, Michiru told Sango in person that he did love her; and he said it just as he vanished from the feudal era and returned to his own world in modern day Japan. Since he felt sad at being separated from the demon slayer, that's when he decided to write her name on a doll and burn it in the fire during the Doll Festival of Wishes in the hopes that he could see her again even if for just a moment. Miraculously, the Kururugi boy's wish was granted and he caught not one, but two glimpses of Sango on that fateful day. She was walking peacefully and gracefully like there wasn't a worry in the world, and she was smiling happily to herself in the last glimpse he caught when he looked up in the sky and that made him feel so much better even though he was still far apart from her now.

"I've spent four and a half months trying to dig up research on my Shikigami magic so I can find a way to travel back in time and return to the feudal era, but so far I haven't had any success." Michiru wrapped up after he had told Ilyssa everything else first. "And I'm really worried that I may have made a mistake when I told her I loved her, she does care for someone else after all. And even if she loves me back, what good is it if neither one of us can see each other? Because of what I said, s-she could be in pain right now; knowing that I can't return to her. And if that isn't painful enough already, she now has to choose between Miroku and I just because of what I had said. I remember seeing how sad Sango looked when ever her younger brother Kohaku was being used by Naraku to keep us at bay during a battle or some other incident, I don't want to be responsible for causing her to suffer again after all that she's been through."

"I want you to listen very carefully alright Michiru?" Ilyssa interrupted, gently taking hold of his shoulders with each of her hands and causing the troubled teen to look at her face while she spoke in an effort to make him feel better and let go of his worries. "You've suffered enough from this burden that you've been keeping to yourself all this time, no one your age would ever be able to endure everything that you've had to experience; especially travelling back in time or around the world and fighting battle after battle along with everything else. You shouldn't have to suffer like this just because you feel guilty about being in love with someone you care deeply about, being in love is supposed to be a happy feeling. A feeling that warms you up from the inside, a feeling that can't be described or put into words. You fell in love with Sango and you told her you love her because you were afraid that you might never see her again, it was the natural thing to do since you wanted her to know how you felt so that she would wait for you to return one day if she ever felt the same. And it's true that love triangles cause pain for those involved in it, but that doesn't mean that you're to blame. You were honest with yourself and you were also very brave when you said those words to her, and that's nothing to be ashamed of. So try and cheer up okay, we're all going to have supper soon and none of us want to see you down or depressed. Tonight is supposed to be a happy occasion, for all of us; and especially for you since you're the one who helped Egon and Ray return safely from a battle inside of the Library."

"Thanks for listening Ilyssa; I guess I just feel that much farther away from Sango now that I'm in the United States." Michiru said with a small smile now that he felt a little better after hearing the woman's kind words. "But perhaps it's a good thing that I came here, I made friends with the Ghostbusters and I got to meet you as well."

"Yes you did, and I am very glad I got to meet a nice hansom young man like you; especially after being hit on by Venkman one minute and then being attacked by Gozer a short while later." Ilyssa replied with a smile, causing both of them to laugh together after hearing the last part of her sentence. "Look at it this way Michiru, you spent a long period of days in Japan's feudal era trying to find your way back home and then at a certain point; you were unexpectedly returned home as easily as you were summoned from it. Now you're here in the States, knowing your luck, you'll probably find a way back to Japan when you least expect it and maybe you might wish to stay a while and have fun with all of us. Until that time comes, just try and be patient while you survive catching ghosts here in New York; good things come to those who wait."

"With all due respect Ilyssa, that saying depends entirely on the situation that a person is currently experiencing; not everything can come to someone unless they go out and gain it for themselves." Michiru responded. "I have to find a way back to Japan and back to the feudal era as well, it won't come to find me; do you understand?"

"Yes I understand, and in your case; what you're saying is true." Ilyssa answered as she gave Michiru a gentle hug to make him feel better after having shared the troubling matter on his mind which he'd been forced to handle alone all this time for four and a half months. "And that's why I'm going to help you try and dig up some research info about your Shikigami powers so that I can help you find a way home and hopefully reunite with your special someone."

"Thanks again, just don't lose your marbles okay." Michiru joked after swearing that Ilyssa's mind had momentarily gone off into matchmaker mood or something, his intension wasn't to make fun of her; but to bring her back to reality.

"I won't lose my marbles Michiru, how did you suddenly come up with that silly idea?" Ilyssa asked in confusion, wondering about the meaning behind the Kururugi boy's words.

"I'm sorry, I just wanted to see if you were drifting off to dreamland or something." Michiru answered in an apologetic manner, getting a giggle out of Ilyssa who was totally unprepared for hearing a joke from this shy young man sitting in front of her. After the giggles and laughs were over, Saya floated up a minute later and informed the two friends that Winston and Venkman had returned with the take out food and that everyone had to wash hands before sitting down at the table to eat supper. As Michiru followed Ilyssa to go wash up, his mind flashed with images of his feudal era friends; and then made him wonder how Sango was doing right about now.

Meanwhile, hundreds of years back in the feudal era; it was a bright summer morning as the sun rose up over the top of the thick green forest which surrounded Kaede's village. Everyone inside of the village was still asleep in their huts and dwellings, except for a few who had just arisen moments ago to get a head start in their daily work routine. Sango's eyes slowly opened up as she awoke to the faint sound of birds chirping somewhere outside, looking around; she could see the sun's rays shining through the open doorway of Kaede's hut which told her that it was now morning. Kaede was nowhere inside, which meant that the wise old woman was already up and about since the doorway was left open. After sitting up and having a quick yawn while she stretched her tired limbs, the demon slayer glanced beside her to see her younger brother still lying fast asleep. A brief smile crossed her face, it made her happy and relieved that Kohaku was finally back by her side; safe from harm after so many days from being a prisoner of Naraku. Once she had grabbed a small bag and her Hiraikotsu, Sango walked outside and found that it was very quiet, nearly everyone was still sleeping; except for a few people who had gotten up early.

Upon arriving at the area where she had eaten supper last night, the beautiful warrior saw that her companions had stayed out the whole time and that they were all still asleep in spite of the warm and bright sunshine beaming down on them. Shippo, Kirara, and Miroku were all unconscious lying around the burned out campfire; snoring as each of them bore a smile which meant that they were all pleasantly dreaming. Although the three of them were here, there was no sign of Inuyasha; which made Sango wonder where the he had wandered off too. It was an early morning so perhaps the half demon had gone to hunt for a meal in order to satisfy his hunger. After a short pause, the demon slayer continued on towards the mysterious fields where she quickly spotted Kaede inspecting the crops which had grown to see if they were ready for harvesting. As she approached the old women, she noticed a bag hanging from her shoulder which was nearly filled up with various herbs and vegetables that she must have picked from the village garden located nearby. Not wanting to startle or alarm the village leader as she was busy working, Sango said good morning as she strolled over to accompany Kaede in the field for a few moments before going off to begin her own daily routine.

"Well hello Sango, did ye have a good sleep?" Kaede asked with a smile after turning around to greet the young woman.

"Yes, thank you." Sango answered with a sigh as she suddenly wore a sad expression. "But Kohaku is still asleep and probably won't wake up for a little while longer, he's still very vulnerable and weak."

"There there my child, try not to worry so much." Kaede said in a comforting manner, trying to make the demon slayer feel better. "I've just finished gathering some medicinal herbs and garden vegetables, so I can prepare a healthy breakfast for all of us. I can also make some medicinal broth for Kohaku so he can recover his strength a little quicker. All of your fellow companions wouldn't want to see you look so sad with worry and pain; they would want you to be happy now that you have your little brother back safe and sound; so try to be happy for their sakes as well as your own."

"Thank you Kaede, thank you." Sango replied with a smile as she briefly hugged the elder women to show her gratitude for the kindness and support she had been given. "By the way, have you seen Inuyasha anywhere this morning?"

"Hmm, come to think of it; no I haven't." Kaede answered, trying to think of the half demon's whereabouts. "Its early in the morning so perhaps he's run off to pick a fight with some demons or to go look for a meal even though he already knows that he'll be getting some of the breakfast which I am going to prepare for all of us. I'm sure Inuyasha will return quickly as soon as his nose picks up the smell of cooking, ye know how big his appetite is don't ye?"

"Yes, I do." Sango replied with a smile as she momentarily giggled. "I'm going to the river to wash myself up, I'll help you prepare the breakfast you've got planned for everyone if I comeback quickly enough."

"Oh nonsense, you've got enough on your mind already; ye do what ye have too and I'll get breakfast ready by myself." Kaede countered with a grin, not wanting to trouble the demon slayer. "Go on and enjoy your bath, I'll see ye when breakfast is ready."

After saying goodbye, Sango left Kaede to tend to her work and continued walking down the path which leads to the Bone Eater's well. Upon arriving, Sango halted and looked at the well for a few moments before moving on. While she was walking further away from the village in order to get to the river, her mind once again recalled the memories she had spent with a certain young boy who had come from the same world as Kagome lived in. Michiru Kururugi, a boy who had been transported into Sango's world under mysterious circumstances just like Kagome had been long ago. A boy who managed to adapt and survive in the feudal era even though he belonged in a completely different world. Aside from his powerful Shikigami magic which had only just awakened within him, Michiru didn't possess any other combat skills for fighting and defending himself; which is why he had asked Sango if she could help train him so that he wouldn't be a burden to Inuyasha or the others. Although he needed to build up his strength, his stamina was already very impressive. He had shown her numerous times in countless battles that he wasn't one to give up even while he was nearly exhausted, especially in the battles when he was fighting against Naraku or one of his incarnations. The demon slayer wondered if he had gotten stronger now that he was in a foreign land, far away from his own home. Suddenly, Sango's concentration was broken as the sound of rushing water triggered her senses; she had arrived at the river.

The clear cool water was flowing by at a quick speed, but there was a small cove where the water slowed down and stopped which provided the perfect location for Sango to bathe herself in. As she approached the spot and inspected the area, she saw that it was shallow enough for her to use and deep enough so she could submerge her entire body underneath when she so desired. After setting down her Hiraikotsu, she emptied the contents of the bag she had also brought along with her, digging out a towel, some washcloths and bar of soap; all of these had given to her by Kagome sometime ago during their travels together. Once she retraced her footsteps for a minute or so to ensure than no one had followed her through the forest, she returned to the spot where she had left her belongings and began to undress herself. After removing her clothes and leaving them on a flat slab of rock where her bag was resting on, Sango sat down on the edge of the ground and slowly lowered herself into the water where the small cove was located. The water was a little cold at first, but she quickly got used to it; and the sunshine beaming down would gradually make the day hotter as morning dragged on towards the afternoon. Once she was comfortable enough with the water's temperature, Sango grabbed the soap and a washcloth so she could bathe. After scrubbing her face and head, she momentarily submerged herself underwater and ran her fingers through her hair in order to remove all the soap suds from it before resurfacing.

A short while later, the demon slayer had finished washing the remainder of her body so that she was clean. The soapy water and the suds floating on top were gradually pulled out by the current of the flowing river and in a matter of minutes, the water inside of the cove where Sango was bathing was perfectly clear again as it was before she had started. Now that she was washed and clean, the young woman could relax and enjoy the calm environment for a few minutes before stepping out to dry off and get dressed. It was still early in the morning and Kaede would still be preparing breakfast for everyone, so she could afford to take a short break. As she sat down on a large flat stone beneath the water and tucked her legs together so she could pull her knees against her upper body, Sango was now comfortable so she could relax in the water and admire the view around her; listening to all the birds and other forest creatures lurking about. The level of the water was just below her shoulders and her arms were wrapped together around her knees so she could sit still and enjoy the peaceful scenery for a short while. As she continued to hear to the noises echoing around her from the calm environment, her thoughts suddenly returned to the subject of Michiru; who she had befriended as the two of them travelled the lands together with Inuyasha and the others in search of Naraku.

Sango's heart began to beat uncontrollably as she recalled all the memories she had shared with the Kururugi boy from the day she had first met him in Kaede's village to the day he had slowly vanished before her very eyes in a magic cloud of ascending light inside of the Kururugi Cemetery. In all the times they had shared together, he had always shown her kindness; even when the situation was either awkward or painful. When ever she encountered Kohaku while Naraku used her younger brother as an expendable pawn to keep her in check; Michiru always tried to comfort her in order to make her feel alright even while she was on the verge of sinking into depression because of Naraku's cruelty. She was patient with Michiru when she began to train him in the art of physical combat, using each and every weapon in her arsenal during the days when the two of them would practice together. Although he wasn't all that strong at the beginning, the Shikigami user gradually made progress just as he did when ever he discovered new magic spells to use in the field during their travels together. In addition to the time spent in training, Michiru increased his endurance and improved his combat fighting skills with every new experience as he fought with Inuyasha's group of friends against hordes of demons that they encountered as they travelled across the lands from one village to another.

Aside from taking time to do combat training, Michiru and Sango also relaxed and spent time together during their days off in a village when everyone was taking a break at the same time. She always felt at ease with the Shikigami user by her side even though she hadn't known him for very long compared to the time she had spent with her other companions, which was quite a surprise since she didn't open up or socialize that much. When Sango thought about the matter a little more, she realized that she had more in common with Michiru than she had originally predicted; regardless of the fact that both of them lived in different worlds. Michiru was just as shy and nervous as she sometimes was when ever it came to interacting with new people; perhaps that was why the two of them could get to know each other so easily because they were both so similar. Michiru had found himself alone in the feudal era which he found completely different from his own home, cut off from his family when he was first summoned from his own world where Kagome had also come from, which is why he needed friends in order to survive. Sango herself had joined Inuyasha's group of companions not just to help kill Naraku and rescue Kohaku, but to help herself find a new and happy life with friends she could share it with now that she had lost her entire family except for her younger brother and her loyal childhood companion Kirara.

Michiru's great ancestor Utsugi was used against him as a means to end by Naraku in a similar way that the demonic monster had also used Kohaku to fight against Sango or to keep her at bay so that she couldn't play any part in deciding the outcome of an important battle, of which there were many; the last few battles included Michiru in Inuyasha's group of friends as they all fought for their lives against Naraku. Although Sango now had her younger brother back, Michiru had lost both his great, great grandparents on the same day which was a tragic experience for the Kururugi boy, nearly as tragic as when Sango's entire family was slaughtered by a horde of demons which had been sent by Naraku for the sole purpose of committing murder. The two of them had each lost a family relative to Naraku and they also shared the same motive for training hard to become strong enough to protect their friends and family against anyone or anything that dared to harm them regardless of risk. There was one such occasion on Asagiri Island, just off the coast in the ocean from Shiyosai village where Michiru had stood his ground in order to protect Sango from harm since she was too badly injured to walk or run away. Michiru's opponents were Kagura, the wind sorceress, and Utsugi, another wielder of Shikigami magic whose power was nearly as great as Naraku himself. In a one on one fight against either of these adversaries, the Kururugi boy didn't have a chance of survival; let alone against both. And yet, Michiru refused to run away as Sango had told him too; he stood his ground refusing to leave her at the mercy of these two enemies. Although he didn't have to fight since Kikyo had mysteriously appeared and drove them away, Sango was still stunned by his actions.

Immediately after the danger was over, Sango was in for another shock when the Shikigami user had picked her up in his arms to carry her even though he was still sore from an explosion which had separated the two of them from Inuyasha and the others a short while earlier. To have enough strength left to carry her even after everything that had occurred so far told the demon slayer that Michiru had indeed gotten stronger and that her teachings had paid off. But choosing to stand and fight rather than run away had changed Sango's view of the teenager; he was a very brave young man. Although he was being a little more forward than usual by picking her up in his arms, he was doing it out of concern so as to prevent her from worsening her injuries by trying to get up and walk herself. There was also an unexpected incident which had accidentally taken place thanks to bad timing on both Sango's part as well as Michiru's. During one of the days off, Sango had told Michiru that she was going to a nearby river just outside a village they were currently staying at to wash her laundry. When he offered to assist her, she informed him that she could manage by herself; but that he could help her carry some kimonos afterwards later on in the day. Unfortunately, she had neglected to tell him that she was also going to the river so that she could take a bath as well. She had feared that he might take the opportunity to spy on her like Miroku usually would which is why she had kept it a secret in the first place, but she had mistaken Michiru to act the same way that the lecherous monk would have done; which she eventually found out later on.

After walking around and exploring the village for a short while to pass the time, Michiru had wandered over to the river in search of Sango so that he could help her carry the kimonos as he had agreed. He had expected to find Sango washing her laundry as she said she would be doing, but when he had accidentally caught a glimpse of her completely naked taking a bath instead; he was unprepared for that embarrassing situation. Sango clearly remembered that both of their eyes widened as their faces turned red at the exact same time, but the shock was gone once Michiru had turned around and faced his back toward her with his head looking the other way. After apologizing once before and after a brief chat, Michiru left quickly in order to give Sango her privacy so she could get out of the river before drying off and putting her clothes back on. Although Michiru had his back turned while the two of them talked for a bit, Sango was keeping her full attention on watching her friend; she could tell by the sound of his voice and by looking at his fidgeting body that he had been unprepared for such an embarrassing situation and that he was still very nervous about the whole thing even though it had just been an accident. Sango quickly figured out that Michiru was an honest and well mannered individual who would have acted politely and stayed away unlike Miroku who would have been spying on her naked body like the lecherous monk he always was.

Sango suddenly gasped in surprise as the other young man she cared about came into her mind, Miroku; a Buddhist monk who still had a place in the demon slayer's heart regardless of his lecherous behaviour. Miroku was well mannered enough when ever there was a serious situation to deal with such as a battle where their lives or other peoples' lives were in danger, but other than that the simple minded monk acted just as he always did during their travels; taking every opportunity to flirt with every pretty girl he laid eyes on. The main dilemma that troubled Sango's mind was that she had no idea which young man to declare her feelings for; she had spent more time with Miroku than she did with Michiru and yet she didn't know whether or not Miroku's own feelings were sincere enough since he kept on flirting with other girls he would meet. Although Michiru was far more honest in spite of his own shyness, the Kururugi boy was now back in his own world and separated thousands of miles from his own home according to what Inuyasha had told her. Although Michiru had told her that he did love her before he returned home, she knew that he didn't have the power to travel back and forth between worlds as Kagome did; which meant that they were unable to see each other. This caused Sango to worry even more about the matter, since Michiru was possibly suffering on the inside just as she was; being cut off and separated from someone you deeply cared about was probably the worst fate anyone would be forced to endure now matter how strong willed or powerful you might be.

Besides being afraid of hurting who ever she didn't declare her feelings for, she was even more afraid of making a decision before finding out whether or not Michiru could even return at all. If she chose Michiru and the Shikigami user could never return to her at all, then she would be left entirely alone for the rest of her natural life aside from her friends and her brother Kohaku. And if she chose Miroku, she was worried that she would shatter her friendship with Michiru if he suddenly returned without warning only to see her in a relationship with another man; which would tear him apart from the inside out just as it would do to her in the same painful way. That left only one option open to the demon slayer, and that was to avoid making a decision until she could figure out her feelings and wait for Michiru to return so she could face him as well as Miroku. It was the only way she could avoid causing pain to herself and to those around her, but she still felt troubled on the inside when ever she thought about the matter. Unable to stand the tension any longer, Sango cupped her hands into the water several times and splashed her face in an attempt to wash away her worries so that they wouldn't bother her while she relaxed. Once she calmed down enough, she felt better and her heart beat returned to its normal rhythm.

"Meow!" Kirara purred, coming out of nowhere and crawling on top of Sango's head, startling the demon slayer momentarily who was too deep in her thoughts to notice the two tail's call.

"Oh, I'm sorry Kirara; I didn't realize it was you. I-I was deep in thought and got scared when you surprised me like that." Sango replied, relaxing her hands to hold Kirara comfortably after snatching the two tail off of her head in a panic not realizing who it was until after getting a look at what had crawled on top of her. As she began to pet her loyal companion with one hand while she balanced her on top of her knees with the other, Kirara leaned forwards and proceeded to lick Sango's face to show her forgiveness. "Good morning to you too, you must have had a good sleep. Ha, ha, ha."

"Meow! Meow!" Kirara replied, licking Sango's nose one last time before rubbing her tiny and furry body against Sango's face.

Sango smiled at Kirara, being reminded of the time when she had found the two tail feasting on some dried fish that Michiru had given her for breakfast. It was nice to see Kirara taking a liking to someone else other than just herself and Kohaku, which told the demon slayer that Michiru had made Kirara very happy by showing her such attention and taking the time to feed her even though he was trying to find Sango. During their last day off, both Sango and Michiru got to ride on Kirara's back as the demon cat flew through the sky in her fighting form high above the ground; giving a great view of the landscape below. Michiru had asked out of concern if the two of them were too heavy for Kirara to carry at once, but Sango reassured that Kirara was fine and that she was also happy to have fun and play with them; Kirara's purring confirmed this as they continued through the air together without any worries to trouble them on this special day. A small tear escaped from each of Sango's eyes as she stroked Kirara's soft fur, both of them slowly rolling down her cheeks until they fell into the water below her chin. Although she couldn't control her tears, she was crying happily now that the wonderful memory of Michiru, Kirara and herself had cheered her up. Once she noticed Sango's teary eyes and face, Kirara meowed in a tone of concern as she rubbed her head against Sango's cheeks to dry them up in the hope that she could cheer up the demon slayer. Sango held Kirara closer so that the two tail could also wipe her eyes as the athletic woman continued to pet her loyal and furry friend.

"It's alright Kirara, I feel better now; but thanks anyway for being here with me and trying to cheer me up." Sango said reassuringly as she gently hugged Kirara with both of her hands, holding the two tail cat demon against her face with a smile. "I was crying because I was reminded of the happy memory when Michiru and I were flying through the sky together with you as we both rode on your back, you remember how much fun all three of us had together during that day off don't you?"

"Meow! Meow! Meow!" Kirara purred again, recalling the same memory as she snuggled up to Sango while she was being embraced.

"Kirara? Where are you Kirara? Have you found Sango yet?" Inuyasha called out in a loud voice, walking through the forest and entering the small clearing near the river where his friends were both located, snapping Sango and Kirara out of their hug. The two tail leapt out of Sango's hands and landed on the ground with the left side of her body facing the half demon and the right facing the river, transforming into her fighting form in the process as the demon slayer turned around to respond to the voice of who ever was looking for both of them. "Oh, there you are. Why are you in your fighting form?"

"I-I'm right here Inuyasha, I-I was just relaxing in the water after taking a bath." Sango called out with a little hint of embarrassment in her voice as she was still naked even though she was hidden in the water and behind Kirara who was helping to shield her from Inuyasha's view as he approached the cove. The demon slayer sighed in relief that it was Inuyasha who had come looking for her and not Miroku.

"Oh…sorry, I just came by to tell you that Kaede's done making breakfast for all of us." Inuyasha said, stopping dead in his tracks and turning around, realizing that Kirara was keeping Sango hidden because the demon slayer was naked. "You can come out and dry off now, I'm looking the other way. We can't eat yet until you come and join us so you'd better hurry before Kaede sends someone else out to look for you."

"I'm sorry Inuyasha; I didn't mean to keep all of you waiting." Sango said in a guilty tone of voice, climbing out of the water and grabbing her towel as she stood up to dry herself off. "I was thinking to myself while I relaxed in the water, I didn't realize that so much time had gone by."

"Thinking huh? I see…" Inuyasha replied in a soft tone as he kept watching the spot where he had emerged from the forest, thinking to himself quietly.

"Is there something troubling you Inuyasha?" Sango asked with concern as she was covering her chest with the towel, figuring out that Inuyasha was worried about something judging by his sudden silence.

"Yeah, but I can't talk about it with you until after you've gotten dressed." Inuyasha answered, wondering whether or not he should talk to Sango about the problem which was bothering him.

"Very well then, I'll let you know when I'm done." Sango replied as she just finished drying her whole body.

"How's Kohaku doing?" Inuyasha asked, trying to strike up a conversation to pass the time while he waited patiently for the demon slayer to put her clothes on.

"He's still weak and needs time to recover his strength, he sleeps through most of the day and doesn't wake up or get up except to eat a meal or to go somewhere private outside and…you understand what I mean." Sango answered while she got changed. "But his memories will take even longer to recover, being under Naraku's control for such a long time probably put too much strain on his mind. Perhaps after his strength is completely recovered, he can return to his daily routine of training with weapons or playing with animals and flowers just like he did while we both lived together with our family and Kirara in Demon Slayer village. If that were to happen, maybe all of his memories will eventually return to him someday and then the two of us along with Kirara would be a family once again."

"Yeah, that would be nice for all three of you." Inuyasha commented, knowing that Sango would be very happy if Kohaku could recall his memory and return to the way he once was before Naraku had abducted him.

"Alright Inuyasha, you can turn around." Sango said, causing the half demon to turn around and walk up so he could speak with her. "Now what it that you need to talk about?"

"Sango…I know what Michiru said to you before he returned to his own world. I overheard it because of my superior hearing thanks to my half demon form, but no one else knows as far as I can tell for the moment." Inuyasha declared, causing a look of shock to appear on Sango's face as he continued. "I asked Shippo and Miroku if they heard his words too, but they both say that they were too preoccupied with watching Michiru vanish to even notice that he was speaking. They also told me that Kagome was also too distracted to notice as well, but I still have to ask her myself in order to confirm that. I just wanted you to know that I haven't told any of them what Michiru had said to you and that I'll keep it a secret if you'd like me too. My problem is how to ask Kagome whether she heard anything without causing her to become suspicious or curious, you already know how nosey she is and how she likes to involve herself in other peoples' business. Shippo and Miroku aren't as bright as she is, so you don't have to worry about them because they didn't ask me what Michiru had said when I brought it up and even if they did; I wouldn't have told them. I'm planning to go visit Kagome after all of us have breakfast together so I can be at her home in case Michiru tries to contact her again, and that's why I needed to talk you about all of this so that you would know everything first."

The athletic woman processed every word of what Inuyasha had told her as she listened to him speak, worried of how this new development might affect everyone in the group that she regarded as her new family. Although she was worried after finding out that someone else besides herself had heard the Kururugi boy's farewell sentence before his sudden departure, she was glad that Inuyasha had brought this to her attention first before going to ask Kagome about the matter. Sango knew too well that Kagome was a very smart and determined individual, when ever the reborn priestess figured out that something was bothering one of her friends; she could easily figure out the cause of the problem and even find a solution just as quickly. When ever Inuyasha was being interrogated by her, she could easily make the half demon spill everything with one or two sit commands if he refused to tell her what she wanted to hear; which made Sango understand why her loyal friend needed to speak with her first before he left to deal with that risky confrontation. He needed her help to find the right words to use in order to ask Kagome about whether or not she knew about Michiru's parting words without giving anything away that would make her suspicious or cause her to dig deep into the matter herself just because of her nosey curiosity.

"I-I understand…" Sango replied, trying to remain calm as she talked with the half demon. "T-The best way to find out what you want from her without arousing her suspicions is to ask her casually while saying that you were also distracted by Michiru's sudden disappearance just as everyone else was. Then she'll think that you remember just as much as she does about the matter and she won't bother you for an explanation. But if you suspect that she'll question you about it after she's finished giving you an answer, ask her another question about an entirely different subject so that she'll avoid the matter and concentrate on your new question. Do you have an idea what I mean?"

"I think so; we'd better get back to the village before Kaede's breakfast gets cold." Inuyasha replied, turning to go back to Kaede's village. "Otherwise she'll send someone else to look for us."

"Wait Inuyasha!" Sango said, tugging on the half demon's red kimono to prevent him from leaping away. "Thank you for coming to see me alone and telling me everything that you know about…this matter. And I really appreciate that you're keeping all of this a secret from everyone else even though you overheard what Michiru had said to me before he returned home."

"Sango, before he left; Michiru said that he loves you." Inuyasha stated before turning around and asking. "I know it isn't my place to ask but, do you love him? I'm only wondering because he's a friend of mine, just as you are."

"I-I don't know…" Sango answered, her eyes threatening to water again as her mind and heart were both felt as though they were torn in half by the question she was pondering. "I always thought that I would eventually be with Miroku after we defeated Naraku and rescued Kohaku, but…now I-I'm not so sure. A-And if I choose either one of them, then I would be h-hurting who ever I don't…"

"Stop, I know what you're getting at." Inuyasha interrupted as he looked Sango in the eyes and put his hands on her shoulders, not wanting to put her in any more pain than he had already by asking her such a personal question. "I feel the same way you do right now when ever I encounter Kikyo and Kagome is always hurt inside when ever I go see her. I know that Kikyo's no longer a living person like Kagome is, but I still care for her because of all the times we shared together before Naraku destroyed both of our lives fifty years or so ago. I care about Kagome just as much, but I just don't know how to tell her just yet. No one is pressuring you to make a decision Sango, that's for you and you alone to decide when ever you're ready; remember that. I think Michiru wanted you to know that he loves you because he was afraid that he would never see you again, and now that he's far away from his own home; I'm pretty sure he's under just as much stress as you are right now. I'm going to do everything I possibly can to help him come home even though he's in another world thousands of miles away in another land right now and I'm positive that his new friends are doing the same thing, so just hang in there until he finds a way to come back. I don't know if he'll manage to return here to our world, but I'm pretty sure he's capable of finding a way if he's able to survive in the far away land he's currently living in. He isn't going to give up finding a way to return home or to return here, don't you give up either; neither one of us or Kirara for that matter want to see you sad. You finally have Kohaku back now, so you should be happy; for all of our sakes and for Michiru's okay?"

"Thank you Inuyasha, thank you Kirara." Sango said, taking the half demon by surprise as she hugged both him and Kirara at the same time. "Thank you, both of you."

"Kirara, your stepping on my foot so would you please move it?" Inuyasha asked, suddenly getting kicked in the side by the giant two tail cat as she broke both of them out of Sango's embrace. "Wooah! What's gotten into you all of a sudden? Hey, that's my hair!"

"Kirara, let go of Inuyasha right now." Sango ordered, wondering what had provoked her loyal companion to bite on to Inuyasha's long hair and drag him around through the dirt as if he was a cat toy or something. "Kirara, heal!"

"Sango!" Miroku's voice suddenly called out as the monk entered the clearing where the three friends were located, causing everyone to freeze and look in his direction even though Kirara and Inuyasha were still on the ground in what looked like some sort of wrestling match. "Would you mind telling me why Kirara is dragging Inuyasha through the dirt with his hair inside of her mouth?"

"Oh, um…" Sango replied, looking at her two companions in order to think of a logical explanation that would satisfy Miroku's curiosity. "I suggested that Inuyasha take a bath in the river before breakfast just as I had done, and Kirara bit his hair and dragged him around in the dirt when he refused. I think she was trying to motivate him to take one since he rarely bathes at all, you remember how Kagome always complains that he doesn't bathe enough when ever we travel together don't you?"

"Yes, I remember." Miroku answered, as Kirara released Inuyasha and allowed him to stand up now that he was all dirty. "I was just curious when I saw them wrestling like that, it did look pretty funny."

"If you think that was funny Miroku, I'd be happy to drag you through the dirt and see if you change your mind." Inuyasha sneered, wiping off what ever dust he could from his dirty kimono.

"Did you say earlier that you had a bath in the river? Your skin must be as soft as silk." Miroku said coping a feel as he slid his hand around Sango's waist and then lowered it to stroke her posterior. "So smooth and exquisite, just like a goddess."

Sango stepped back and pulled out her Hiraikotsu which was slung around her shoulder and behind her back as Miroku realized what was coming. After calling him a lecherous pervert, the demon slayer swung the weapon in an attempt to bash the monk in the face without letting go. Unfortunately for Sango, her target ducked just in time and she spun around and landed the flat end of the giant boomerang square in Inuyasha's face. The half demon staggered backwards until he lost his balance and fell in the river with a big splash of water while Kirara chased Miroku away before the perverted young man could grope Sango a second time. After telling Kirara to heal and return to her side at once since Miroku had been scared off, Sango approached the river to see if her half demon friend was okay from the blow she had accidentally given him. Inuyasha leapt out of the river and crouched down to shake the water from his body like an ordinary dog would have done, still holding one of his hands to his face which was undoubtedly injured from the hit he had taken.

"Sango, you just broke my nose!" Inuyasha stated painfully, causing Sango to momentarily giggle since his voice sounded high pitched; almost like a little kid. "What are you laughing at? You think this is funny?"

"Ha! Ha! Ha!" I'm sorry for hitting you and for laughing at you Inuyasha, but your voice sounds so hilarious." Sango burst out, unable to contain herself as she held both of her arms around her waist. "Don't worry; I think I have some medicine to help heal your broken nose."

"Forget it; it can heal quickly in no time on its own." Inuyasha replied. "I am a half demon remember? Let's go back to the village and eat some breakfast before it gets cold, if there's anything left to eat anyway. By the way Kirara, you wrestled me on purpose because you could see Miroku coming through the forest behind me and didn't want him to see Sango hugging us; am I right?"

After Kirara growled while she nodded her head up and down twice in response, Inuyasha and Sango both petted her head to show their understanding. Inuyasha was still damp from falling in the river but he didn't mind, he was more concerned that there wouldn't be any food left to eat if they all arrived late seeing as how he didn't want to miss the morning meal. The three friends made their way back through the forest, talking as they walked while on their way to the village; Sango was in a cheerful mood now thanks to Inuyasha's words and his temporarily changed tone of voice due to having his nose broken. Inuyasha felt good that he had cheered up his female friend; he only wished he provide just as much help for his friend Michiru who was still far away. A few minutes later, the trio entered the village where they found Kaede, Miroku and Shippo already eating without them. As soon as Inuyasha opened his mouth to ask why they started eating without him, Sango, Shippo, and Kaede just burst out laughing; which caused the humiliated half demon to rant and rave angrily. Although this only made them laugh harder, Inuyasha took advantage of their vulnerability and helped himself to more food when some of them weren't looking.

"Your new voice sounds funny Inuyasha, imagine how Kagome or Kouga would react if they could hear you right now. Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!" Shippo said before laughing as he rolled backwards on too his back and laid there laughing even more until the young fox demon shot back up when he saw Inuyasha steal some of his food. "Hey, no fair Inuyasha! That's my meat! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine!"

"You shouldn't have let your guard down, Shippo. As a demon, you have to fight for own food so let that be a lesson to you." Inuyasha sneered momentarily, stuffing the cooked meat into his mouth and taunting Shippo while he talked with his mouth full of food. "Hmmm, that tastes really good."

"Now now Inuyasha, there's no need to tease." Kaede said, passing a pot of rice across the table so Sango and Miroku could fill their bowls and eat. "And that goes for you too Shippo, you did eat Inuyasha's cooked fish while he was out looking for Sango so this makes it even."

"What was that?" Inuyasha replied, glaring down at Shippo while the young fox demon had a guilty look on his face. "I was wondering why everyone else was served a fish except for me, and here I thought that maybe Kaede had forgotten to give me one. Well it looks as though I was mistaken; you're turning into quite the food thief."

"Hey, why are you now stealing my food?" Miroku asked in surprise, seeing his bowl of rice snatched out of his hand in a flash by Inuyasha.

"Why not? You owe me since you're responsible for having my nose broken; besides you're a monk so you should be putting the needs of others before your own." Inuyasha answered, gulping down the rice in a matter of minutes after shoving clumps of it into his mouth with his chopsticks."

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!" Shippo laughed again, amused my Inuyasha's unexpected comeback.

After a short while longer breakfast was finished and Miroku left to go wander around the village for a short while, Kirara stayed outside with Shippo; evidently the two of them were still hungry so they helped polish off any scraps of food that were left on the table while Kaede gathered all the dirty dishes so she could take them to the river and wash them. Sango had gone to feed Kohaku some breakfast and also give him some warm medicinal broth which Kaede had made especially for him to drink. Inuyasha was busy waiting around close by, thinking about the difficult task he would have to deal with once he arrived back in Kagome's world. If he wasn't successful, then he was dead sure that he would be interrogated by the reborn priestess. He was trying to think of possible excuses and reasons he could use to counter her questions, not to mention her sit commands if she ever saw through his facade. He was also thinking of whether or not Michiru would contact Kagome's house again, the half demon hoped that he would get the chance to speak with his mortal human friend once again just to see how the Kururugi boy was managing in the far away land he was trapped in. But before he left to go visit the modern world, he would have to do one small thing first.

"Kirara, Shippo; come over here would ya?" Inuyasha asked, drawing the attention of his two small companions who had just finished stuffing their faces with the last few table scraps of left over breakfast.

"What for Inuyasha?" Shippo asked curiously after swallowing everything down in one gulp so he could speak.

"Never mind what for! Just come here and follow me!" Inuyasha yelled back impatiently, walking off down the path which wound around the mysterious fields and lead to the Bone Eater's well in the small clearing of the forest. Upon arrival, Inuyasha crouched down so he could address both of his companions who were both curious why the half demon had summoned them here and away from the village. "I'm going to visit Kagome and try to find out how Michiru is doing, I don't know if I'll be back until late in the evening so I've got a job for each of you."

"A job? F-For us?" Shippo asked in surprise, taken aback by the fact that Inuyasha was giving him and Kirara a job instead of Sango or Miroku who were both much older and therefore more dependable in most ways than himself.

"That's right Shippo, I need you to keep a close eye on everything while I'm gone; also watch how Sango and Miroku are doing until I come back." Inuyasha continued, staring the fox demon in the face. "And when I do come back, report everything that has happened to me. There could be hordes of demons attacking now that Naraku is dead and gone, so I don't know if Sango, Miroku or Kirara will be able to fend them off on their own so all three of them will be relying on your help to protect the village while I'm away. I'm counting on you Shippo; will you do that for me?"

The young fox demon had never been asked such a task from Inuyasha, nor did he ever expect a task such as this one since he was so young and small compared with every other member in the group. Was Inuyasha turning over a new leaf or something? Or was this just an act to mask some mischief that he was getting involved with? Which ever it was, Shippo always dreamed of the chance to prove that he was just as valuable and reliable as any other person was in Inuyasha's group; and he didn't want to pass this up. He remembered from his countless battles where he and the others, Michiru included; were fighting against endless hordes of demons while they all travelled the lands from village to village. Michiru had always advised Shippo on what to do in certain situations when ever his turn to take part came up every time during combat. While most of the others were busy fighting, Shippo; and sometimes even Kagome or Miroku would help to heal or recover anyone who was injured using some medicine or other items that they had collected and gathered. In the deadly decisive battle which all of them faced off against a powerful opponent such as Naraku or one of his reincarnations, it was always Shippo's job to increase everyone's defensive capabilities so that they wouldn't be killed from a massive attack directed against all of them at once. For without Shippo's fox magic to perform that role, everyone would lose their energy; becoming more vulnerable and unable to survive long enough to defeat all the enemies in a long battle of endurance or attrition.

"You can count on me Inuyasha!" Shippo answered, taking the opportunity he had been dreaming of for so long. "I'll help protect everyone in the village until you come back!"

"Good, just remember not to lose your head when things get out of hand." Inuyasha replied, "Now go back and finish off the rest of Kaede's table scraps before anyone else decides to get hungry."

"You got it, I need the extra food since I'm going to help Sango and Miroku fend off any demons who decide to attack the village while you're not around." Shippo replied, scurrying back to Kaede's village to eat up any morsels of food left on the table before anyone could get them.

"Kirara?" Inuyasha called, getting the two tail's attention now that Shippo was gone. "If any demons do attack the village while I'm away, you'll have to keep an eye on Shippo as well since he isn't exactly big and strong like I am. You should also keep an eye on Sango so that you can cheer her up like you did already, I'm going to visit Kagome's world now and I hope I can contact Michiru so I can find out whether he's made any progress on finding a way to return home safely. I'll see you and Shippo when ever I come back once I'm done my visit, okay."

"Meow." Kirara responded, letting the half demon know that she understood every word that passed between them.

"Thanks; see you when I'm back then." Inuyasha replied, just before making a leap and jumping into the Bone Eater's well.

Kirara sat still, rethinking over everything that Inuyasha had asked her and Shippo to do while he was away. The two tail understood everything that was going on after listening to everyone talking to each other ever since last night at supper when Inuyasha had mentioned Michiru and of the Kururugi boy's current predicament. Sango was now deeply troubled over whether she should choose between Michiru and Miroku now that one of them had actually told her that he loved her, and Kirara especially needed to be by Sango's side so that she could provide some comfort to her human companion when ever the demon slayer felt sad or lonely. Although Shippo had been asked by Inuyasha to keep on eye on everything during his absence, the young fox demon would also require her aid to bail him out of a tough spot whether it was in battle or in a situation which was simply to overwhelming for Shippo to handle on his own. She also remembered that Myoga had departed last night in order to look for Totosai so that the old man could provide some accurate information regarding the sword Sounga in the hopes that Inuyasha could somehow use that knowledge in order to help Michiru find a safe way to travel back to his own home without being caught by the inhabitants of the mysterious far away land that he was currently trapped inside off; according to Inuyasha's tale anyway. After another minute of pondering, Kirara trotted back to Kaede's village so that she could relax with Sango for the remainder of the day until dark when she would have to stay on guard in case any roaming demons or bandits turned up to attack while everyone was asleep.

Returning to the modern era, Inuyasha emerged from the well inside of the hut located at the Higurashi Shrine which was part of Kagome's home property. After exiting the small hut and darting from here to there, the half demon arrived at the front entrance of Kagome's house where he knocked on the door and waited patiently to be let inside. Michiru had done the same thing when he first visited them at lunch before the unfortunate incident with Sounga so perhaps he could impress Kagome by entering the house properly just like an ordinary human would normally do. But he would still have to carefully plan out his little scheme in order to confirm whether or not Kagome heard Michiru's farewell words without actually giving away the fact that he himself had heard them since he was a half demon hearing was superior to everyone else's. Although Kagome was undoubtedly very smart, Inuyasha knew that he could probably rely on her little brother Sota to help even the odds in his favour. Sota had already helped him get an apology out of the reborn priestess after he had shown Inuyasha the living room telephone which allowed the half demon to listen in on Kagome's conversation with Michiru while the two human beings were talking to one another, so this proved that Inuyasha could definitely use Sota's help in this battle of wits with Kagome. Before the half demon could think any longer about the important matter, the door opened and Kagome's little brother stood in the doorway; with a wide eyed excited look on his face at seeing Inuyasha return for another visit.

"Mom! Mom! Inuyasha's back! Inuyasha's back!" Sota shouted excitedly with his eyes and mouth wide open, drawing the attention of Kagome's mother and Grandpa who were both inside of the kitchen.

"Well don't just stand there, invite him inside Sota and let him come to join us in the kitchen for breakfast." Mrs. Higurashi replied with a chuckle at seeing the goofy impression on her son's face, causing Inuyasha to grin with delight at arriving in time to eat a second breakfast in the same morning which was a nice way to start off the day in his opinion. "Would you like to eat some left over noodles Inuyasha?"

"Huh sure, thanks." Inuyasha replied cheerfully, his mouth watering at the delicious memory of eating instant noodles from the modern era.

"So what brings you back for a visit?" Sota asked. "Did you come to apologize to my big sis for eavesdropping on the phone?"

"No, I came to try and contact Michiru and see how he's doing again." Inuyasha answered, causing Sota to laugh uncontrollably. "What's gotten into you all of a sudden Sota? Why are you laughing so hard?"

"Ha! Ha! It's the sound of your voice! Ha! Ha! Ha!" Sota answered, still laughing and holding his sides as he talked. "You sound just like a little kid! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!"

"So you only came back to talk to Michiru, but you didn't even think of coming back to say sorry to me; is that it?" Kagome said, giving the half demon a good scare from behind him since he didn't notice her presence as he was preoccupied with Sota's loud laughing; which only grew louder from getting yet another good laugh at Inuyasha's expense. "Okay Sota, we've all heard how loud you can laugh so stop it already. Honestly, how am I supposed to complete all of my summer homework with all the noise you're making?"

"You won't, not until Michiru comes back and helps you with it. Ha! Ha! Ha!" Sota countered, making Kagome mad and entertaining Inuyasha who tried not to laugh at her embarrassment. "It should be easy for him to find his way home now that he has that map you were looking for inside of Inuyasha's clothes which wasn't even there to begin with, HA! HA! HA! HA!"

"THAT'S IT!" SIP IT!" Kagome yelled out, turning pink in embarrassment for just a moment before her head burned red with anger.

"Sota, that's enough. Be nice to your sister, she has a lot on her mind besides catching up on homework you know." Mrs. Higurashi answered, trying to stop her children from fighting so that everyone could sit down and enjoy breakfast together.

"Yeah, I'll bet Michiru does too." Inuyasha said sitting down at the table with everyone else as Kagome's Mom served a bowl of mushroom egg fu yong to each person. Before sitting down herself, she also set down a second bowl of left over noodles for the half demon to eat in case the first bowl of food wasn't enough to satisfy his hunger. "Fighting ghosts, coming back home and guarding Sounga. He has all the fun, I wish I could be in that far away land with him right now; we'd both kick butt."

"What's wrong with your voice Inuyasha? Did something happen to you while you were in the feudal era?" Kagome asked curiously with a giggle, only just noticing the change in tone of the half demon's voice as he spoke briefly a moment ago.

"Not that it's a big deal or anything, but Sango hit me in the face with her Hiraikotsu and broke my nose." Inuyasha answered. "Don't worry; it'll heal by lunch time."

"And what reason did she have for hitting you in the face may I ask?" Kagome asked, hinting that he must be at fault as she usually did.

"It was an accident! Miroku groped her butt, and when she swung her Hiraikotsu to hit him; he ducked and she swung around and hit me instead! There, that's what happened!" Inuyasha answered with an angry tone, thinking that she was accusing him of wrongdoing.

"You don't have to get so angry; I was just asking a simple question." Kagome declared.

"Well I have a right to be angry, you're accusing me of being at fault for doing something wrong; again" Inuyasha shot back.

"I never said that, I was just trying to figure out why Sango hit you and broke your nose; you never mentioned that it was an accident until after I pressed you for more details." Kagome replied.

"So you got your nose broken by someone because someone else grabbed someone's butt? HA! HA! HA!" Sota laughed.

"Stop laughing Sota, it isn't funny!" Kagome demanded. "Why can't Miroku stop acting so perverted? He's always ruining every single opportunity to properly make a move on her; they would make such a romantic couple if only he wasn't so lecherous. Maybe Sango could always make a move on him since he's to distracted by dirty thoughts, not to mention by other women."

"At this rate, that'll never happen." Inuyasha added, suddenly silent as he realized what he had said in front of the reincarnated priestess.

"What's that supposed to mean Inuyasha?" Kagome asked with a sour expression on her face after hearing the half demon's disapproval of having Miroku and Sango together. "If you don't think that they'll ever be together, please tell me why you think that way."

"W-Well, Sango's finally got her brother Kohaku back now that we've defeated Naraku. I don't think she's ready for getting into a relationship with Miroku anytime soon until after her brother has recovered and that they've had the chance to make up for all the time that they both lost while they were separated from each other." Inuyasha reluctantly responded, hoping that his answer was enough to satisfy Kagome and keep her from prying any further into the matter.

"That's true, I hadn't thought of that." Kagome replied, calming down somewhat as she thought silently to herself.

As they continued to eat, Inuyasha was also deep in thought; possibly even more than Kagome was since he was thinking of a far more delicate matter than what she was thinking off. Although he was wolfing down his food quickly as he normally did, his mind was concentrating on how to figure out whether or not Kagome had heard Michiru's words without giving away everything that he had discovered. If Kagome found out about everything before Sango could figure out her own feelings or before Michiru could find a way to return home, than both of his friends would find themselves being interrogated by the stubborn and nosy reborn priestess even though she had no involvement with the matter which intertwined them as well as Miroku. This would be a very difficult test for the half demon to undertake since it involved using his mind and not his muscles, luckily Sota would be able to help him out; all Inuyasha had to do was ask so that was always an open option that he could try if he didn't think he could accomplish the task on his own. He would have to do it after talking with Michiru so that if things went bad, he could escape to the feudal era before Kagome could get the chance to question him about the matter which she wasn't privy too.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world at the Firehouse; every guest and employee of the Ghostbusters had just finished eating a huge supper. Needless to say, everyone had enough to eat. Venkman had ordered a huge amount of Chinese food with chow mein noodles, mixed vegetables, rice, sweet and sour pork, chicken; beef etc. Winston had ordered two large pizzas, one thin crust New York style with steak chunks, green peppers and no visible anchovies; the other was a pepperoni pizza with sausage and bacon bits. Everyone had a fair amount of what ever foods they preferred and they also drank pop, juice or coffee in order to help everything they ate go down their throats smoothly so that they didn't choke or eat too much too fast. The round table that they all had breakfast at earlier in the day was far too small to hold all of the food, let alone all the plates, cups and cutlery so all the food packages were placed neatly on one of the lab tables located nearby so everyone could walk up and take what they wanted like anyone would at a buffet restaurant; which made the private little party a much more enjoyable occasion for everyone that evening. At supper, Ray and Egon were both telling of their adventures with Michiru inside of the Library and of the alternate dimension in which all three of them had become lost inside of until after they defeated the forty foot tall monster named Azetlor. Of course, they both left out the teasing parts at the end to avoid embarrassing the teenager at the table. Once the story telling was over, everyone had finished eating. But the night was still young, and it was quite dull to have a party where all you did was eat and drink; which is why Winston and Ray had come up with some fun ideas to entertain everyone as the evening wore on. After all, they wanted everyone to have a good time; especially Michiru since his stay in the U.S. was going to be a temporary one and everyone would miss him when the time came for him to return back to his home in Japan.

"Alright everybody, who's up for another helping of food?" Winston asked, "Come on, after a hard afternoon of work; some of you must be still hungry?"

"Oh no, I'm stuffed." Ray answered, getting up from his chair to have a stretch. "Don't worry; I'll regain my appetite at breakfast tomorrow."

"Oh yeah, left over pizza and Chinese food for breakfast is always considered a feast compared with boring cereal or eggs and toast." Venkman added.

"Thanks for the offer Winston but I don't think any of us could eat another bite." Ilyssa answered. "That was a very tasty treat though, wasn't it Michiru?"

"Definitely, I'm afraid those two slices of pepperoni pizza filled up any corners I had left in my stomach after eating a whole plate and a half of Chinese food." Michiru answered, causing everyone to laugh. "I probably still look just as skinny as I did before eating don't I?"

"You're a growing kid Mitch, there's nothing wrong with eating a little extra food once in a while; especially on a night during a party." Winston replied with a grin.

"Speaking of party, we've got some more treats in store for all of you tonight so try not to fall asleep just yet." Ray added, walking away from the table briefly to go to the far corner of the lab where everyone was involved with conducting tests earlier during the morning. "How about a game of pool Winston, who ever wins two games out of three gets first dibs on the left over pizza tomorrow for breakfast."

"You're on Ray; loser gets what ever pizza is left over if any pieces are left over at all." Winston chuckled, grabbing the pool sticks and setting up all the striped and solid balls on the surface of the pool table.

"Egon, would you mind showing me how to operate the machine you used to scan my head during those tests this morning so I could learn how to use it for myself please?" Michiru asked, "I'd really like to try and look at as many images from my memory as possible so that I could find a clue or something which could help out Ilyssa's research since she's going to try and help me find a way to return home one day. Would that be alright?"

"Hmm, yes that would be fine as long as you're very careful while you operate it." Egon answered, getting up from his chair. "But unfortunately, we'll have to wait since it looks as though Winston and Ray have something they'd like to show you right this minute."

"Hey Mitch, do you remember when I told you the story of how we brought the Statue of Liberty to life using some paranormal pink slime?" Winston asked, getting Michiru's attention as he and Ilyssa noticed the Negro carrying a small plastic container and placing it on the pool table off to the side a short distance away from where they were sitting at the round kitchen table. Then Winston took an ordinary toaster and used a spoon to pour some of the sticky substance inside of the slots where bread slices are supposed to go, which made Michiru and Ilyssa curious enough to get out of their chairs and see what was going to happen. "This slime is the exact same stuff, come over here and check this out. You too Ilyssa, you'll both get a kick out of watching this. Ready when you are Ray, she's ready to rock and roll."

"Glad to hear it Z. Lights! Camera! And Action!" Ray shouted in excitement as he pressed the play button on a CD player which he had set up just at the other end of the pool table and waited patiently for the slime to react. In just ten seconds or so, the pink slime was imitating the fast paced rock music that Ray was playing which also gave an enhanced surround sound effect; making Michiru's eyes and mouth gape wide open in amazement. And as if that wasn't fantastic enough, the slime even caused the toaster to bounce up and down as it was also imitating the singing voices in the song coming from the CD player. After several more minutes, the song came to an end which allowed Ray to pause the machine for a moment so that he could answer any questions that Michiru or Ilyssa might have.

"Can the slime react the same way and imitate other songs as well?" Michiru asked.

"You name it, you got it." Winston replied with a grin. "Time for the second song Ray, everyone ready?"

Ray allowed the CD to continue and eventually the second song which he had burned on to it started to play, it was a relaxing slow song that made everyone hush and stay silent as they listened. Although the toaster wasn't moving this time while it imitated the music, it didn't really matter since Michiru was still enjoying every minute of this memorable evening. Before he could take the chance of asking Ray or Winston for the name of the song, Ilyssa took his hand and gently pulled him away from the pool table and towards an open area of the room between the stairs and the lab so that the two of them could enjoy a dance together. The unprepared Kururugi boy quietly whispered that he didn't know how to dance, so Ilyssa decided to make it easy for him by taking each of his wrists and positioning his hands gently around her slender waist; making him slowly blush in the process. The older woman gave him a reassuring smile that he just had to follow her lead as she rested both of her hands on each of his shoulders while the two of them slowly turned in a circle with every few steps that they took together on the floor. Ilyssa had to admit that Michiru looked so innocent when ever he blushed, but he also looked like a hansom young gentleman since he was dressed in his junior high school uniform; the same kind which he had also worn during the Doll Festival of Wishes which was just before he had been summoned back to the feudal era. The Shikigami user slowly got used to the situation he now found himself in and complied with Ilyssa while the two of them continued to dance; completely unaware that Ray and Winston were both recording them using a digital camera they had on hand to use specifically for this party that they had planned for tonight.

"Ray, you're never going to forget this are you?" Winston whispered quietly with a grin, trying not to draw anyone's attention.

"Oh no, not now; not ever." Ray replied, trying to suppress his laughter as he kept pointing the camera at Michiru and Ilyssa.

Winston cunningly repeated the same song twice in a row, thus keeping the two friends on the dance floor; Janine eventually pulled Egon in the middle of the room close to where Michiru and Ilyssa were so that she could have a dance as well. Of course, Egon shot a look back at Winston and Ray who both gave the tall man a funny grin just to tease him since they were now filming two dancing couples instead of just one. When ever a new song was playing and the music changed from slow to fast, Ilyssa had to show Michiru how they should hold one another as they adjusted their movements to keep pace which made the Shikigami user a little embarrassed due to his inexperience in dancing. But Ilyssa was definitely enjoying herself as she always wore a smile on her face while she was dancing with him, making the teenage boy feel a little embarrassed that he was actually dancing with such an attractive woman. Saya was relaxing on the pool table listening to each new song as he watched his friends dance the night away. After several more songs and dances, Venkman decided that he needed to join in on the fun as well since he was getting bored of just sitting down and watching. Once he got up from the table, he casually walked over to the pool table just as the last song was coming to an end. Venkman challenged Winston to a game of pool. The Negro agreed, but said to wait until after he had finished filming more of the party with Ray since they wanted to capture as many memorable moments as possible. Venkman took a glance at the two dancing couples and looked back at Winston and Ray, already figuring out that the two of them were scheming something sneaky. Finally after another song, the four dancers decided to take a break and have a drink while they all watched two of the Ghostbusters shoot some pool.

"Ray, Venkman told me not to tell you about the Stay Puft doll because he said it would give you a scare; I had no idea he was going to use it and pull a prank on both of us." Michiru said apologetically.

"Did he now?" Ray replied sarcastically, giving Venkman a grin before returning his attention to his Japanese friend.

"And while we're on the subject of cursed artefacts, you'll be interested to know that I've found and collected eighteen so far; two of which were located in the alternate version of the Public Library. Michiru continued. "I remember that you said we should have a look at all of them once we got back, so now that we're all here; how about now?"

"That's a fabulous idea, let's go get our PKE meters and look around; we'll be able to read the data for each one using Tobin's Spirit Guide as we come across them one at a time." Ray added, heading for the stairs as everyone followed him.

Once the group of friends had arrived downstairs and gathered their PKE meters and hand radios, Egon gave Ilyssa and Janine some spare head goggles and PKE meters for them to use so they could join in the event; Saya tagged along as well just for fun since he was also interested in seeing each of the cursed artefacts which Michiru had managed to find so far since the beginning of his employment. The whole group of people started out by looking at each of the huge paintings and portraits that hung on each of the building's inside walls, and moving on to look around for any other artefacts after studying the Tobin's Spirit Guide from the PKE meters so that they would know what to look for. After everything had been found on the main floor, the eight friends ascended upstairs to the lab to carry on in search of those that remained; they repeated the process of stopping to pause and admire each individual artefact while reading all the data that the Tobin's Spirit Guide had to offer for each of them as they were found. Finally, the group finished their little hunt and tour inside of the bedroom and returned to the kitchen so they could relax and have any drinks or snacks that they wished.

"That was fun, I never would have thought that there were so many active samples located in each of the places we've operated so far." Ray stated, sitting comfortably in his chair.

"I'll say, the amount of collected data just from those cursed artefacts alone is enough to create a timeline; very interesting indeed." Egon added.

"So how much extra pay do you think we're entitled to under our contract with the city regarding all the scans and active samples we collect?" Venkman asked, trying to imagine the enormous pay check that Peck would have to give the Ghostbusters on behalf of P-COC.

"Guys, I think the phone is ringing from the office." Janine pointed out, hushing everyone so they would quiet down and listen. "Mitch, could you please race downstairs and answer it before the caller hangs up?"

"Alright." Michiru said, rushing to one of the firehouse pole exits and sliding down to the main floor where he landed on the firm ground and raced over to Janine's desk; picking up the phone and answering it to find out who was calling. "Hello, Ghostbusters?"

"Hello, this is Walter Peck. Who am I speaking with?" a voice replied over the phone, making a chill crawl up the Kururugi boy's spine.

"Huh just a minute please, Egon? Could you come downstairs please? Walter Peck is on the phone!" Michiru responded, trying to stay calm since he was on the phone with the head of PCOC.

After a minute and a half, Egon scurried down the stairs; holding a plate with three pieces of green pepper and steak pizza. Michiru handed Egon the phone and was about to walk up stairs when one of the pizza slices suddenly fell off as the plate as the tall man was sitting down at Janine's desk. The teenager offered to clean up the tiny mess while Egon was busy talking over the phone with the man who obviously enjoyed sticking his nose into the Ghostbusters's affairs. Apparently Peck was calling to ask about their recent afternoon visit to the Public Library and was inquiring about all the damage that had been left behind after all the paranormal entities had been dealt with. Although Egon tried his best to explain what had happened there without mentioning Michiru of course, it was pretty obvious that Peck wasn't satisfied or pleased with Egon's answers. After cleaning up the fallen pizza slice and any sauce on the floor, Michiru was about to throw the dirty and spoiled piece of food into a garbage bag so he could take it outside; but a sudden moaning noise coming nearby caused him to halt his actions and look around for the source of the disturbance. The Shikigami user was surprised to find out that Slimer was the one who made the moaning noise, taking a few paces to get closer to the glass containment right by the stairs; which was the prison for the slimy green ghost. A moment later, Michiru was able to deduce that the spiritual entity was apparently hungry since it was staring at the single piece of pizza which the boy was holding in his hand even though it had fallen on the floor and had gotten dirty.

"Sorry Slimer, I'm afraid I can't give you this pizza unless there's a way to get it inside of your prison without allowing you to break free. I'll have to ask Egon if I can feed it to you once he's finished talking over the phone. So just sit tight okay?" Michiru apologized, feeling pity for the ghost who had escaped from him nearly twenty-four hours ago; causing the floating green ghost to give him a big wide smile and exposing his slimy wet tongue and all of his teeth. "You…you can actually hear me from in there?"

When Slimer nodded, Michiru felt a little excited that he was successfully talking face to face with another ghost other than Saya; even though the ghost he was talking with couldn't answer a reply except by making faces or moaning and groaning noises. He was so excited in fact that he went upstairs to ask Ray and Saya to come down and try to assist him with his problem since Egon was preoccupied on the phone talking with Peck. After Ray and Saya arrived downstairs by the containment unit, the Kururugi boy explained how Slimer had gotten his attention and how the ghost understood human speech; making both of his comrades to become very interested in this new situation that Michiru had discovered. Ray went over to Ecto-1 to grab a PKE meter while Saya observed Slimer through the thin layer of glass which imprisoned him inside of the containment unit. Ilyssa and Janine came down to join them to see what was going on while Winston was playing a short round of pool with Venkman upstairs. After debating over what to do next, Janine suggested that they all just wait patiently for Egon to get off of the phone so he could make the call about whether or not Michiru could feed Slimer. Egon had noticed everyone gathered nearby the containment unit and was wondering what was going on, which is why he was trying to bring the conversation to an end so he could join them. But Peck wasn't making things easy for the intellectual scientist; question after question came out of his mouth over and over again; until finally Egon had lost patience with the man.

"I understand the repair costs will be very expensive, that's why we bill the city directly so that everything is covered by an insurance policy. How many times am I going to have to explain this over and over until you…what? Egon asked. "Yes we hired our new employee yesterday evening and he's been working for us since then, no he wasn't trigger happy while inside of the Library; he's just as well trained as the rest of us. Where was who? Venkman stayed at the Firehouse this afternoon to protect Ilyssa Selwyn and to do some inside cleaning work while the rest of us were at the Library hunting down all the paranormal entities. So what if I've assigned a teenager the job of being an Experimental Equipment Technician right off the bat instead of giving him a mop and a broom? What business is that of yours to decide who does what job in our establishment? No, keeping the mayor and the city council informed of our progress, activities and concerns is your job. I'm the one who decides who does what, who works where; when and why. Get me? No? Well then, I'm afraid that this conversation is over. You can speak to us again at the museum tomorrow evening during the Exhibition Opening Gala if you have any other questions or concerns regarding paranormal occurrences, goodbye."

"What did Peck want this time? A warrant for our arrest?" Ray asked sarcastically, trying to humour Egon who clearly had enough of talking to Peck over the phone.

"No, he was asking who is going pay for all the repair costs to fix all the damages inside of the Library." Egon answered, shaking his head. "And why we've assigned our new employee the job of testing new offensive equipment instead of making him a janitor right from day one, Peck is just itching for any excuse to stick his nose in our affairs. And it's going to be worse if anything happens during the Exhibition Opening Gala tomorrow evening, so we'd better enjoy ourselves tonight while we still can."

"Try not to worry Egon, and don't let Peck get you down just because he's calling to ruin our party." Janine replied, trying to cheer Egon up.

"You know, Mitch and I could always sneak over to Peck's living quarters and let loose a few ghosts to give him a good scare." Ray suggested, causing a small laugh to escape from Michiru. "Then he'll be begging us to help save his hide and he'll have no choice but to take back all his threats and stop pestering us, wouldn't that be nice turn of events?"

"Sounds great, but I'd much rather see Mitch use his magic on Peck and pretend to be possessed by an evil spiritual entity. Then when Peck tries to accuse us of bewitching Mitch, we can all just laugh in his face like he's an idiotic lunatic." Janine added, making Michiru laugh again. "After all, Mitch can easily pretend that he's an ordinary person just like us and Peck won't be able to prove otherwise."

"That would be very funny, especially if Peck called the police and then he made himself look like a fool for wasting their time." Egon commented. "I would like nothing better than seeing him being dragged away from our property in handcuffs and sent to jail afterwards. Ray, why do you have a PKE meter out right now?"

"Oh, well um…Mitch discovered that Slimer understands human speech and he was wondering if he'd be allowed to feed him a piece of pizza that had fallen on the floor." Ray answered. "I was just going to stand by with my equipment so I could take some new readings or collect any new data."

"Really?" Egon replied, eyeing Slimer inside of the glass prison and looking back at Michiru who was still holding the dirty piece of pizza which was sticking out of a wrapped up paper towel. "Interesting, let's feed him then."

"How can we?" Michiru asked, looking at the containment unit. "I don't see a door anywhere on the side of the containment unit."

"Look up at the far right end of the ceiling and you'll see a round hole like a hatchway, the other unit behind us on the other side of the main room has the same feature." Egon said pointing at the hole in the roof, completely shocking Michiru. "Don't worry Mitch, Slimer can't use it to escape because there's an invisible paranormal energy field that's keeping him locked up inside. Physical objects can pass through the opening, but no ghosts or entities can get out unless the power is shut off using the controls on this machine. If you look over on this side just by where the basement staircase is, you'll see some monitors and sensory indicators. By using a special command system which is similar to the controls from our main containment unit from down in the basement, we can flush out or summon any ghost we like into this glass prison at any given time. We chose Slimer because he's the most harmless entity and also because he's the most easily recognized thanks to his green appearance. So if you'd like to feed him, just go run up the stairs until you're above the hatchway in the ceiling of Slimer's cell and then drop the pizza slice you have in your hand."

"Alright, thanks." Michiru replied excitedly, taking off and racing up the stairs until he arrived just above where the round opening was located in the roof of the glass prison. After leaning over just a little, the Kururugi boy held out the slice of pizza as he looked down below and saw Slimer hovering inside looking up at him with his mouth panting like a hungry dog. "Don't wolf this slice down in one gulp, take your time and enjoy the flavour while you eat it. Ready Slimer? Okay, catch."

The teenager let go of the pizza slice and watched it fall through the opening, Slimer caught it with his hands and unwrapped the paper towel from around it before stuffing it in his mouth; licking his fingers as he chewed on the food with a satisfactory smile on his face. Ray and Egon immediately wanted to see if Slimer would actually follow orders just to get anymore food, so they each grabbed the other two pizza slices and walked up to where Michiru was still standing and watching. Janine, Ilyssa, and Saya were still watching from the main floor while the three guys crowed together on the stairs as they leaned over the railing just above the opening so they could watch and feed the hungry green spiritual entity. Ray told Slimer that he would feed him at breakfast and supper everyday from now on if the green ghost promised not to escape again, letting the second pizza slice fall and land right into the entity's open mouth. Egon held both of his arms out above the opening, holding the last pizza slice in one hand and a simple English dictionary in the other. Once Slimer was finished consuming Ray's food treat, the green ghost looked up at Egon with his full attention; waiting for the third helping of food to be given to him.

"I'll give you this last slice of pizza if you promise to try and read through this dictionary while you're inside of your cell. We need you to learn how to read and pronounce our language so you can communicate back and forth with us in a simple conversation. Once you know how to talk properly, you can bring any questions or concerns you may have to our attention; which in turn will help all of us to cooperate with one another in a much friendlier manner. Do we understand each other?" Egon declared, waving each of the two items one at a time so that Slimer could distinguish one from the other. When the hungry ghost nodded over and over again, panting like a dog with his tongue hanging out of his open mouth; Egon let go of his pizza slice which fell into Slimer's mouth while the dictionary landed in both of the entity's cupped hands. After the three Ghostbusters returned to look inside from where Janine, Ilyssa and Saya were located, Slimer waved back at all of them with a grin and opened up the book so he could begin reading. "And I thought I'd seen everything, we'd better keep this to ourselves so that Venkman doesn't get alarmed by this turn of events."

"That'll be hard, I did promise Slimer that I'd feed him twice a day from now on; a promise is a promise." Ray commented.

"Just tell him it was all my idea, and I'm sure he won't have any complaints or objections." Ilyssa replied, making everyone chuckle.

"Let's head back upstairs before Winston and Venkman start wondering why we've been down here a while." Janine suggested.

"Have a good night and see you later Slimer, I'll try and save another pizza slice for you tomorrow okay." Michiru said, receiving a wave from Slimer before he followed everyone else upstairs to see how far Winston and Venkman had gotten in their game of pool.

As the evening continued, Ilyssa quickly explained to Michiru how the game worked and so on while Winston and Venkman kept on playing until their match was over. Then Ray and Winston had their three game match to settle their wager over who gets first dibs of the left over pizza, Winston won in the end even though it was a very close game; it was all fun even though Ray still lost. Once that was out of the way, everyone else got the chance of playing two games against who ever they wished while dance music continued to echo throughout the top floor of the Firehouse. Saya got to relax and watch everyone have fun together while the hours passed by, Egon had left briefly to write down a list of instructions on how to properly operate the scanning machine which was wired to the helmet used for running tests and evaluating human subjects. After giving it to Michiru and receiving a thank you from the Kururugi boy, Egon left to go upgrade the teenager's PKE meter for an hour or two before going to bed. While Ray and Venkman were now starting a game of pool, Janine went downstairs with Michiru to gather up some clean blankets and pillows so that they could set up a place for Ilyssa to sleep for the night. While the teenager carried most of everything, Janine led him through a doorway; through a short hallway and into a long and narrow rectangular room which was behind Venkman's office on the main floor. A short while later, the two of them were done arranging everything and they both returned upstairs where Janine gave Ilyssa one of the keys so that she would have access to get to the room where the two of them would stay.

An hour and a half later, almost everyone had gone to bed for the night; except for Michiru who was still awake looking through the images displayed on the projection monitor while he sat comfortably in a chair while wearing the helmet loosely on top of his head. He had been there watching images of his Shikigami familiars, figuring out that the serpent which had helped him defeat Stay Puft was actually a serpentine dragon; only after just noticing its shape and looking at it more carefully so he could see all of his limbs. He also saw images of Inuyasha, Kagome, Miroku and Shippo. His heart warmed up as an image of Sango appeared on the screen, she was dressed in her kimono hugging cuddling Kirara to herself and both of them looked very happy together; which made Michiru smile quietly to himself as he stared at for half an hour even though it only seemed like a few minutes. He was watching one of his memories which had occurred during one of the days off when everyone in the feudal era had taken a break to rest and relax, this was when he had fed Kirara some dried fish and he spent the day with Sango and the two tail cat demon just enjoying each others company without a worry in the world. Because the Kururugi boy's full attention was on the monitor, he didn't hear Ilyssa walking over to him in the quiet of the night.

"Ahh!" Michiru cried out as a pair of hands grasped his shoulders from behind him and a gentle voice calmed him down as he tried to move around and see who had startled him.

"Hush Michiru, it's only me." Ilyssa said with a giggle, now wearing a white nightgown since it was bedtime. "I just came by to check up on you and see if you were still awake yet. Its really late, you should go to bed and get some sleep since you could be working tomorrow."

"Yeah I know Ilyssa, but I find it hard to sleep in the summer because of the heat and because of the fact that the sun doesn't go down until much later. I know its dark now, but I'm not all that tired just yet; that's why I'm using Egon's machine." Michiru answered.

"Oh, well try to get some sleep anyway because you're going to need to stay awake all day tomorrow. Good night Michiru, see you in the morning." Ilyssa replied, hugging the teenager from behind as he said good night to her as well.

After Ilyssa left and returned to the room which she was sharing with Janine for the night, Michiru continued watching and reliving some of his most enjoyable experiences from the feudal era for another twenty minutes or so; until he finally checked his watch and saw that it was nearly 11:30 at night. He removed the helmet and carefully placed it back on the desk before turning off the scanning machine as well as the camera which was suspended at his eye level from a tripod on wheels. After unplugging the camera and winding up the power cord, Michiru wheeled the tripod into the corner of the lab where no one would trip over it and he walked in the direction of the bedroom at the other end of the top floor where he could change and go to sleep. Once the scanning machine powered itself down, it was pitch dark since the Japanese student had been watching a lit up viewer screen for nearly two hours; his eyes hadn't gotten the chance to adjust to the dark yet so he couldn't see that well on his own. Luckily he had his PKE meter and goggles with him so he wouldn't have to worry about the dark at all once he put them on and activated them. While he was using the scanning machine a few hours earlier, Egon had modified the young boy's PKE meter so that it could identify a detected entity and distinguish it from all the others already included in Tobin's Spirit Guide in case it was an escapee, a familiar type of ghost or a brand new spiritual entity that hadn't been recorded before. Egon had explained how it worked once he had given it back to Michiru before he went to get ready for bed, this allowed the Experimental Equipment Technician to properly use his new tool without getting confused or mixed up with its functions.

Michiru had entered the room and grabbed his night clothes so he could go change inside of the washroom where he could also brush his teeth without disturbing the other Ghostbusters who were lying in their beds snoring away as they slept. A few minutes later, the Shikigami user was just about to return and crawl into bed when he noticed his PKE meter was acting up; he had left it turned on so that he could see in the dark without switching on any room lights and awakening the others. After picking it up, Michiru realized that the device was detecting some sort of anomaly; causing him to take a deep breath in and out to steady himself and try to stay awake at least long enough so that he could identify it. Walking back inside of the bedroom, Michiru dropped off his school clothes and his ablutions kit and waved the PKE meter ever so slowly so he could figure out where the paranormal activity was coming from. A quick glance at Saya who was sleeping soundly beneath the teenager's large duffle bag told Michiru that there was another ghost lurking around somewhere inside of the Firehouse; he would have to find it on his own since he didn't want to get in trouble by waking everyone up just because of what could be a false alarm. If there was a danger, he felt confident that he could handle it on his own; at least so he could identify it and figure out its intentions and combat capabilities. He had been in more dangerous spots before and his magic had always been able to help him out so this situation wasn't going to be a problem, just the same; he acted with caution since he was clearly trying to track down an paranormal anomaly that he hadn't even seen yet which meant that he would have to rely on just his magic since his proton pack and trap were both downstairs near where Ecto-1 was parked.

Drat, he had completely forgotten that he didn't have a weapon on him; he would have to go downstairs first and retrieve it before he could hunt for this new opponent. However, he would have to travel very slowly and very quietly so he could avoid giving himself away while trying to get close enough to see this new entity with his own two eyes. Another problem was that his own PKE meter made noise and lit up when ever it was activated, oh well; it was a risk he would have to take. Michiru moved around inside of the bedroom to determine which direction he would have to travel to get to the entity's current location, his instrument indicated that the anomaly was slowly approaching Michiru's position and that it was coming from outside of the Firehouse. The young man slowly looked outside of an open window but couldn't see anything outside; even with the help of his goggles with allowed him to see in the dark. The confused Kururugi boy looked at his PKE meter again to double check it and saw that what ever it was detecting was still on its original course, which led Michiru to believe that the entity was invisible since he couldn't see anything out of the ordinary when he looked outside. Unable to stand the tension any longer, the Japanese student stepped into position and slid down the firemen's pole which was located inside of the bedroom; he landed quietly on the stone cold floor a moment later and quietly scurried over to where all the equipment was placed near Ecto-1. After quickly strapping on the heavy proton pack and pulling out his positron collider, Michiru tiptoed around the vehicle and went over to where Slimer's quarters were located; the green ghost was still inside so there was obviously something else sneaking around.

After approaching the locked door which led to the room where Ilyssa and Janine were both sleeping, Michiru crouched down and waited patiently for the anomaly to come to him; his scanning instrument indicated that the anomaly was getting closer and it must have entered through either an open window or flown through the wall as all ghosts could do. Keeping his offensive equipment turned off, Michiru stayed hidden in the corner by the wall as he watched and waited for the approaching anomaly to make an appearance. Suddenly, what sounded like a just of wind echoed throughout the large room of the main floor and as he looked around; the Shikigami user's eyes widened as he thought he saw what looked like a spinning cloud descend from the fire pole exit from near the middle of the top floor above him. It gracefully landed without any impact on the floor near the stairs and slowly moved towards the spot where Michiru was located. His PKE meter couldn't identify what this strange anomaly was, and yet it looked so familiar to him; almost like the air spirit which he and his feudal era friends had battled at the top of Mount Houoh so that they could prove themselves worthy of obtaining a sacred fruit from the Magatama Tree which was located at the summit of the gigantic mountain. He thought that this entity was coming to attack Ilyssa since she had been targeted multiple times already which is why he positioned himself in front of the locked door to stop it from going to where she was sleeping. But now it was fairly obvious that this unusually calm and entity didn't come to harm anyone since it wasn't alarmed by Michiru or the fact that he was armed with a positron collider which he was still pointing in its direction. Although he was still breathing nervously because of the current situation he was involved with along with this unknown entity which had mysteriously appeared after entering inside of the Firehouse, the young boy slowly lowered his weapon and cautiously stepped forward before addressing the anomaly.

"Who are you and why have you come here?" Michiru asked softly, waiting patiently for this new visitor to reply back as he bravely stood his ground; ready to accept any hostile action that fate had planned for him at this moment in time.

Author's Note: Sorry for the long delay, I was trying to get this chapter completed nearly two weeks ago; but sadly not everything turned out the way that I had originally planned. Just the same, I hope that this chapter was worth waiting for and that all of you enjoy reading it when ever you have the free time to check it out. I've never ended a chapter with a cliff hanger before so please let me know if I did a good job with it as well as all the other events that I've included. For the record, I've replayed one of Michiru's spell casting moves over and over on the Cursed Mask game and for the life of me; the fish still looks red to me even though its surrounded by blue light from that Shikigami spell. I just want to let everyone know that is what I'm seeing when I look at my TV screen while I play the game, it isn't my intention to insult anyone and I apologize anyway if anyone maybe offended. Moving on, the remaining chapters in this story are going to get more difficult to write about as the battles intensify as well as combining the Ghostbusters' game plot with scenes involving the other Inuyasha cast members since most of them are in the feudal era and not the modern era. Just warning everyone in advance since my skills aren't that great, so please bear with me and thank you for all your support and encouragement.

Orionpax09, I apologize for going into too much detail with describing the different environments that Michiru and the Ghostbusters find themselves in, I'll try avoiding that unless I really feel it's necessary. The seventh chapter will give Michiru and Ilyssa the chance of conducting research together so I hope you can look forward to that, I'll especially have to be careful when writing out those scenes since they involve digging up information regarding Michiru's Shikigami magic which I've tried to do myself nearly six months ago without much success. No other choice but to try and make the most with what I've got and pray that it's good enough. I'm glad you're enjoying the scenes with Michiru and Ilyssa together as well as the humorous and entertaining moments even if some of them are at Mitch's expense. Deciding who Ilyssa's escort and guest will be is going to be a tough choice to make for reasons which you'll find out in the next chapter; but I think I'll solve that in a way which I hope will satisfy you as well as the other fans who read this story. As for the other events which you've read about involving the other Inuyasha characters, I hope that they're just as entertaining to read about even whether they're funny or dramatic. You probably know already that things are getting more serious now that Michiru isn't the only person trying to keep a secret safe in order to avoid getting caught which could lead to major consequences, I hope that Inuyasha's problems have caught your interest as well even though he's in Japan instead of the U.S. Thanks again for taking the time to read each new chapter; and I hope you feel better after reading each one. I know I do since each new chapter is another accomplishment to be proud of.

Master of Death and Darkness, I'm glad that my story as gotten you interested in buying the game so you can understand everything better and track the plot. Have you enjoyed playing the game as much as you've enjoyed reading my story? It's obvious that things are going to get dramatic, difficult and dangerous for Michiru Kururugi now that things are going to escalate every so often as the story continues. He's got Peck sticking his nose into the Ghostbusters' affairs which will increase the possibility of having his true identity discovered, which in turn will put all of the Ghostbusters in danger. Inuyasha and Kagome will have to continue waiting patiently for their friend to return even though it will be a while yet before that happens, which will make the task of staying in communication with friends from both eras that much more stressful. Anyway, thank you for reviewing my work and good luck to you on your writing projects.

Jetty1, I appreciate all the help you've given me when ever you've tried to answer any my questions as best as you can. I sent a reply to your last message a few days ago so I hope you've had the chance to see it before reading this. Finding a way for Slimer to interact with Michiru was a very tough problem to solve since everyone's favourite green ghost is locked up and unable to do anything except float around inside of a prison. Let me know if you enjoyed reading about that scene where I have Michiru and two of the Ghostbusters feeding him pizza, I'm pretty sure that Slimer will do just about anything to get a meal regardless of what food he's going to eat so I figured that it would be the perfect means of persuading him to try and learn how to speak like an ordinary human being. That will eventually allow him to talk and interact just like he does as an ally in the Ghostbusters' cartoon show, which I liked a lot. Although Michiru is in love with Sango, that doesn't mean he can't enjoy having fun with Ilyssa while he's staying in the U.S. with the Ghostbusters. After all, they do make great friends as you've already found out and since he has to return to Japan eventually; it's only fair that they get to enjoy some free time together just like Mitch did in the Cursed Mask game. Thanks for your ideas and support, they mean a lot to me.

AeropostleKeyblade, I hope that you're still enjoying reading this story, I'll understand that it isn't easy to find the time to spend on a computer unless of course you have your own to use when ever you want. Since you've played both games, you must have a good idea of where things are going for Michiru Kururugi and how much more dangerous his predicament is going to be; especially with Peck poking around. Please take the opportunity to say which scenes you've enjoyed reading about the most and feel free to make any comments or suggestions regarding a future event or confrontation in a later chapter, any idea no matter who its from is worth considering whether I actually use it or not. Anyway, thank you again for reading my work and I'll be waiting patiently each of your reviews when ever you have time to post them.


	7. Fun, Mischief and Humour

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, Ghostbusters or anything associated with either of them. This story is being written just for fun and enjoyment.

Chapter #7: Fun, Mischief and Humour

The brave Shikigami user kept his eyes fixed on the cloud of air in front of him, wondering who it was and why it had come here. By now it had stopped spinning and was just staying still in position which gave Michiru the impression that it only spun around in order to travel like a tiny tornado, but that was only a theory he had recently come up with after seeing it for the first time. It certainly bore a great resemblance to the Air spirit he had fought on the Summit of Mount Houoh during his adventures in Feudal Japan, but it couldn't possibly be the same thing. As he waited for his question to be answered, a bright blue light emerged from the cloud of air and as it suddenly expanded in size; completely engulfing the unsuspecting teenager inside of it. Michiru was blinded by the light's intensity that he was forced to shield his eyes and face with both of his arms so he didn't realize that he had become engulfed and surrounded by the mysterious cloud of air which had visited him. Once he was inside of the cloud, the blinding light slowly died down until it was low enough for the human boy to open his eyes without being hurt or irritated and in a few moments, Michiru lowered his arms back down to his sides.

After a few moments, the blue light at the centre of the cloud in which he now stood divided itself into two separate orbs; floating beside one another. They each took on the shape of a human form and began glowing lightly until they revealed their true appearances which they had originally been while they were alive in the mortal world. Michiru's eyes widened as he gasped in shock and disbelief, he was looking at not one; but two spiritual entities. And not just any entities which he had been combating ever since his employment with the Ghostbusters, but those of his two great ancestral grandparents whom he had met while he was in the feudal era; Utsugi and Kakuju. The young man was completely unprepared for this reunion; never in his imagination did he ever think he would see either of them again after they had both passed away on the final day of his feudal era adventure. Nevertheless, here they were; standing in front of him before his very eyes. Utsugi still looked the same way that Michiru remembered him to be, but Kakuju had now become about the same age and therefore looked much younger and more beautiful just the way that all the people from Kururugi village had remembered her to be while she used to live there. She was dressed in simple feudal era clothes; red hakama and a white kimono that made her have a striking resemblance to Kikyo apart from her face and hair of course.

Poor Michiru wanted to speak, but his tongue felt as thought it was tied in a knot even though his mouth and lips could still move freely; he was partly trembling with fear and nervousness having never experienced any paranormal event of this scale before. His mind was suddenly exploding with questions and concerns, wondering which ones he should ask them first and so on. He turned his head slightly, looking back and forth at each of them one after the other over and over again as he tried to convince himself that he wasn't hallucinating; that they were both real and that they were standing before him. He couldn't find his voice yet which is why he seemed to be mouthing words with his trembling lips as he watched and waited for his two great ancestral Grandparents to respond to him. They each looked back at him with warm smiles of affection, trying to comfort Michiru by showing how happy they were to see him at last after hundreds of years even though it didn't seem like such a long time for their descendant. After a minute or so of breathing in and out, Michiru was finally able to calm down in order to relax himself and find his voice so that he could speak with his spiritual family members.

"Utsugi…Kakuju." Michiru said quietly, receiving a nod from each of them as a he smiled at them happily with a tear rolling down his cheeks from each of his eyes. "H-How have both of you been?"

"We've been doing just fine Michiru; the two of us have been watching the years pass by waiting for the day when we would see you again like this." Kakuju replied reassuringly. "It's been such an experience watching all of our family's descendants grow up and live their lives, one generation after another. It's so good to see you again like this after everything that had occurred while you were in the feudal era. I still remember when I was teaching you how to use your newly awakened Shikigami powers long before I even found out we were both related to the same family, we've especially enjoyed watching you grow up into the brave young man you are now."

"Its great to see each of you as well, I never thought I would get the chance after the events outside of Kururugi village before I was summoned back home to the modern time." Michiru said before asking. "Why are the two of you here? Shouldn't you both be resting in peace and be with all of our other family members who have passed on and gone to heaven?"

"I'm afraid we can't go there just yet, our spirits are still bonded to the world of the living because we wanted to see you again; that was the price we had to pay in order to have this reunion." Utsugi answered, getting a surprised look from Michiru as the boy removed the proton pack from his back since he no longer needed it right now. "Don't take pity on us or feel ashamed for keeping us here, we both made the choice to stay and see you again like this. I know hundreds of years may seem like a terribly long time of being alone to you, but we had each other and we got to see each generation of our family live their lives until at last we got to see you; and it was well worth the wait. You'll understand in time once you become a grandfather one day so please don't feel responsible for our predicament."

"I don't think I'll be a father, let alone a grandfather. You need a wife in order to start a family, and I don't even have a girlfriend yet." Michiru replied. "Life is very different now compared with what I experienced in the feudal era, but you two already know that."

"Give yourself some time Michiru, you're only fifteen after all; you have your whole life ahead of you to find your special someone." Kakuju replied with an adorable smile that made her young descendant blush lightly. "Don't forget, we've been watching over you ever since you were born so we know everything about you; including all your adventures. We know the names of all your friends including those from the feudal era as well as your new friends who live here in this country. How else did you expect us to find you once you flew across the Pacific Ocean and travelled here to New York City?"

"You know everything?" Michiru cried out in shock, thinking of how to change the subject to avoid being teased about Sango. "So that means it was both of you that brought that duffle bag with all of my belongings all the way here from Japan. It was your spiritual entities that Ray's PKE meter picked up coming from your amulet which you also gave to me, the same amulet which got warm and prevented my sole from being taken away when you tried the art of soul infusion."

"That's right; it was Kakuju's soul I took instead of yours just before your battle against Naraku." Utsugi said with wink, congratulating Michiru on his memory and deducing skills. "Because I died with her spirit, both of us became inseparable which is why we were both bonded together to the mortal world. Which reminds me, make sure you guard that amulet with your life; it allows us to find you when ever you're far away from home."

"I'll take good care of it, I promise." Michiru replied with a smile. "But there's something that confuses me about one little item which I also found inside of the duffle bag you brought here for me. Why did you steal a world map from Kagome's house? I really can't see any need for it and besides you could have brought me one from my own house if it is supposed to serve an important purpose."

"Oh yes, that map." Kakuju replied with a hint of embarrassment. "Well, the two of us were still watching over you even while you went to visit Kagome's house. When you flew away because of the sword Sounga, we hoped that you would return safely. But when we found out that you had travelled across the Pacific Ocean to another country, we just had to come and see you with our own eyes so that we'd know you were doing alright. We didn't leave right away of course, which is why we took the time to gather up some of your belongings that we were sure you would need during your stay far from home. Utsugi was the one who thought of stealing that world map in order to ensure that your half demon friend didn't make things worse by trying to follow you over here, he sounded very persistent even though Kagome and her mother warned him not to try it."

"Oh, you mean Inuyasha." Michiru answered with a smile, getting a nod out of Kakuju. "So that's why I found a world map inside of my duffle bag, and that also explains why Kagome thought Inuyasha had snitched it even though it was actually both of you. Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Kagome and Inuyasha are going to be surprised when I tell them it was the two of you who stole that world map; poor Kagome was caught in a really embarrassing situation thanks to your actions even though she mistook Inuyasha as the thief. Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!"

Before anyone else could say anything more, Michiru suddenly heard that the door behind him was being unlocked from the other side; alerting him that he was about to be caught out of bed in the middle of the night. The teenager attempted to dash back and stop the door from opening, but he unfortunately stumbled over his proton pack which he had left on the floor; causing him to fall down and accidentally activate his equipment. As the door swung open, revealing Ilyssa; Michiru's face was in a panic since he didn't know how she would react to this situation. Apparently, the talking must have awoken her and aroused her curiosity as to who was up and about at this late hour of the night. When she was about to ask the Kururugi boy why he was still up and who he was talking too, she immediately became speechless upon seeing Michiru's current predicament; thinking that he was in some sort of trouble because of the two ghosts behind him. Without waiting for an explanation, Ilyssa snatched the positron collider from the floor and aimed it at both of the spiritual entities; shouting at them not to lay a finger on Michiru; causing the teenager's eyes to widen in a panic since he knew where this was going. Michiru leapt up and grabbed a hold of the weapon, pointing it away as it discharged a proton beam; striking the bulletin board of Venkman's office in two or three seconds as the worried teenager fell to the floor with Ilyssa underneath him.

"Shhh! Quiet down Ilyssa!" Michiru said in a serious but quiet tone of voice so that he could hear if the sudden blast had woken anyone up from their sleep as he gently clamped one hand over the female adult's mouth to prevent her from screaming in a panic while he used the other to turn off his offensive equipment which the two of them now found themselves tangled up in. "There's nothing to be afraid of here so please calm down."

Ilyssa slowly relaxed and stayed quiet, making Michiru withdraw his hand from her mouth as he proceeded to get up and help her to her feet while he untangled both of them from the proton pack and positron collider which were now both shut down. "I'm sorry Michiru, you looked like you were trouble and I thought you were battling these two ghosts here. Who are they anyway?"

"They're both the spirits of my great ancestral grandparents who I both met while I was travelling throughout the feudal era; this is my great grandfather Utsugi; and my great grandmother Kakuju." Michiru answered. "I'd like both of you to meet my friend Ilyssa Selwyn, she's a research specialist who now works and lives here temporarily just like I am. The two of us are the newest employees hired to work for the Ghostbusters, I'm just using it as an opportunity to earn my keep during my stay here until I can find a way to return home again without causing any problems. I did enter this country illegally by accident all because of the demonic sword Sounga, but everyone here has been nice enough to keep my presence a secret in order to avoid getting in trouble."

"H-Hello, it's a pleasure to meet each of you." Ilyssa said nervously since she was talking to two ghosts who also happened to be family relatives of the Kururugi boy whom she had made friends with. "I-I want you to know that your great grandson saved my life several times and that I'm going to do everything I can to help him return home."

"We already know, we've been watching over our descendant for a very long time." Kakuju replied, making Ilyssa feel a little uncomfortable now that these two ghosts knew everything she had experienced with Michiru thus far. "Nevertheless, you have our thanks Miss Selwyn. We both understand that you and your friends can't make any guarantees that Michiru will make it home safely, but we believe you'll do your best."

"We won't be able too until after we've figured out how to dig up some research material about Michiru's Shikigami magic, but the two of us will be working together tomorrow in order to try and find some so that we can help him find a way to travel back home without getting caught or harmed." Ilyssa responded before turning to Michiru with a sweet smile on her face. "That will give us the chance of spending more time together just like we did today."

"I can hardly wait." Michiru said sarcastically just moments before he was suddenly struck in the head by a falling object. "Ow!"

"What happened Michiru? Are you alright?" Ilyssa asked in concern as the boy rubbed his forehead and saw what looked like a small book on the floor right at his feet.

"Yeah, I'm alright." Michiru answered, crouching down to pick up the book from the floor. After getting a closer look at it, the Shikigami user realized that the book was actually the small dictionary that Egon had given to Slimer earlier in the evening; revealing who had thrown the book at him. The teenager walked a few paces ahead to where the glass prison was located and peered inside at the green entity staring back at him and the others as Ilyssa and the boy's spiritual relatives floated over to watch. "I take it that you're the one who threw this book at my head. Am I right Slimer?" Slimer nodded while panting with his tongue hanging out of his mouth. While Michiru told Utsugi and Kakuju all he knew about Slimer including the incident when he fed the green ghost a slice of pizza, Slimer was watching them all through the glass; perhaps he was curious as to why the two mortal humans were not afraid of the two ghosts who were roaming around with them. It was only natural since Michiru was a member of the Ghostbusters and therefore it was his job to catch all ghosts who were still bound to the world of the living where they obviously didn't belong. After the brief tale was over, Michiru told Slimer that these two spiritual entities were actually the ghosts of his great ancestral grandparents; making Slimer gaze in awe since they were dressed in clothes from a different era. Once that was over, Slimer turned to look at Ilyssa and proceeded to kiss the inside of his glass prison; making loud smooching sounds and causing the young woman some embarrassment and disgust.

"I think you've got another admirer besides Peter Venkman." Michiru whispered quietly, trying not to laugh.

"Ugh!" Ilyssa replied with a disturbed look on her face as she glanced at the young boy. "Not a word, not a word."

"Utsugi, I don't mean to be rude, but I have to know something." Michiru asked. "How did you and Naraku manage to summon me back to the feudal era? And why was I suddenly returned home to the modern era after Sango and I buried you at the Kururugi Cemetery?"

"WE'VE GOT GHOSTS!" a voice shouted, startling Michiru and Ilyssa as they both turned and saw Janine standing right by her desk and slamming her hand down on the alarm button.

A loud siren which sounded more like a fire alarm rang throughout the building and awoke everyone upstairs, Michiru and Ilyssa already knew what was going to happen since this they had experienced a similar situation a few minutes ago; they both told Utsugi and Kakuju to fly away and escape before they could be attacked by the Ghostbusters who were sliding down the firemen poles one after the other. As the two spiritual entities proceeded to make their escape, Ilyssa quickly told Janine that this was just a big misunderstanding while Michiru attempted to stop his four coworkers from attacking the soles of his great ancestral grandparents. He raced over to where Ecto-1 was parked and told everyone that the two ghosts were the soles of his ancestral Grandparents, but not all of them believed him. Egon, Winston and Ray quickly ceased action after hearing Michiru's words, but unfortunately Venkman couldn't hear him as he was firing a proton stream at the ceiling in an attempt to capture Utsugi who was using himself as bait to allow Kakuju to escape to the top floor first using the same firemen pole exit that the Ghostbusters had used. When the Shikigami user grabbed on Venkman's positron collider in an attempt to turn it off, a boson dart flew out of it and struck a pile of wooden crates; creating a violent explosion and sending flaming pieces of wood flying everywhere. The Ghostbusters quickly grabbed some fire extinguishers to put out anything burning before the entire building could catch on fire while Utsugi and Kakuju peered down through the firemen exit to watch everything now that they were safely hidden.

"Are you alright Ilyssa?" Michiru asked, racing back to check on his female friend.

"Yeah, though I was momentarily startled by that explosion just now." Ilyssa answered.

"Your nightgown's on fire!" Michiru said in surprise after noticing the back of it burning lightly from Ilyssa's hips down to the floor. "Quick, take it off!"

"Are you crazy?" Ilyssa shrieked in a panic. "Not in front of all these men!"

"Fine! Then Stop! Drop and Roll!" Michiru cried out, taking hold of Ilyssa's shoulders and pulling her down on top of him as he landed on the floor with a thud and proceeded to roll back and forth with her until the flames were put out. Unfortunately, the other Ghostbusters were preoccupied with extinguishing all the burning wood fragments laying everywhere so this was the only method that Michiru could think of in the spur of the moment. After a minute or so, the danger was gone and the flames were out so the two of them stopped rolling and lay in each other's arms on the floor together. It was only at this moment that Michiru realized the compromising position he was in with Ilyssa as his face heated up and turned red while his eyes were glued to Ilyssa's face.

"Thank you Michiru." Ilyssa said gratefully with a smile while trying not to giggle at the poor boy's embarrassment since he had obviously never had this kind of physical contact with a female before.

"You have all the fun." Venkman commented, bringing the two friends back to their senses and causing them to get to their feet in just three seconds. "Ahh! Let go Janine! That hurts!"

"Didn't your parents ever teach you any manners Venkman?" Janine asked while yanking on his ear lobe to pull his head down while she proceeded to slap him across the side of his face with her other hand over and over again. "If you're thinking of anything rude or inappropriate, keep it to yourself. Get it? Get it? Get it?"

"Yeah, I got it." Venkman replied rubbing his face after receiving ten to twelve slaps until Egon came back and pulled the red haired woman away from him in order to stop her assault.

"So those two ghosts were actually the spirits of your ancestors that you told us about earlier in your adventure from Feudal Japan?" Ray asked.

"Yes, this is why I was trying to stop you from shooting at them." Michiru answered. "This little misunderstanding could have been avoided if Janine hadn't hit the alarm."

"I'm sorry Michiru, I had no idea." Janine replied. "When I awoke, I noticed Ilyssa was gone and so I got up to see where she had went to and that's when I saw the two of you looking at Slimer with the two ghosts floating behind your backs."

"Its okay Janine, I forgive you and I'm sure that they would too." Michiru replied.

"Don't worry Janine, I made the same mistake you did; only I accidentally shot at them with Mitch's proton pack and hit the bulletin board in Venkman's office instead of pressing the alarm button." Ilyssa said, trying to make Janine feel better.

"Alright, let's all just go to bed and get some sleep so we can be refreshed for tomorrow." Egon ordered. "Each of you make sure your own proton packs are turned off and stored away properly before heading back upstairs, good night ladies."

Once everything was said and done, Ilyssa and Janine returned to their room while the five Ghostbusters walked up the staircase to get to the top floor and eventually arrive at the bedroom. After waiting for everyone else to go on ahead of him, Michiru held out the dictionary Slimer had thrown at him and dropped it back inside of the glass prison cell before following. As each of them got into their own bed and tried to get comfortable enough to fall asleep, Saya asked what all the commotion was downstairs. This unfortunately would turn into a rather embarrassing discussion which Michiru wasn't going enjoy one bit, even though Saya was only asking out of concern and curiosity. Luckily, the teenager could hide his blushing red face since all the lights were turned out; but that didn't help when ever he responded with his voice.

"It was a false alarm, Janine reacted without waiting for an explanation and she hit the alarm which woke us up for nothing." Ray answered.

"I wouldn't say we were woken up for nothing, I got to see an unexpected embrace between both of our newest employees." Venkman commented. "Isn't that right Mitch?"

"What are you talking about Venkman?" Winston asked curiously when the teenager didn't reply.

"You guys don't know?" Venkman asked.

"No, we were busy putting out the fire that you caused when you shot a boson dart inside of the building." Egon answered. "Or maybe you didn't notice any of the flaming pieces of wooden cluttered all over the floor. Must we listen to this tonight, I don't know about the rest of you; but I'd like to get some sleep. We're all going to need it in case there are any emergency phone calls in the morning."

"Come on Egon, a few minutes of talking aren't going to hurt." Ray cut in. "It'll take more than a few minutes for us to fall asleep again so we can talk amongst ourselves in order to pass the time and besides, I want to know what happened."

"Well it turns out that Ilyssa's nightgown was accidentally caught on fire, according to Mitch that is." Venkman explained, making Michiru feel very angry at having to go through yet another embarrassing scenario involving a hot female friend. "When she refused to take it off, he pulled her down to the floor on top of him and they both rolled back and forth in each others' arms until the flames were put out."

"Smooth move Mitch, way to kill to birds with one stone; you put out the fire and got to embrace her in your arms." Winston commented.

"While she was dressed in her nightgown as well, I guess that goes to show you how well she trusts you since she didn't get mad." Ray added.

"Alright guys, you heard what Egon said. Cut it out and get some sleep." Michiru warned in order to end this discussion before it escalated out of control.

"How did you feel while she was in your arms Mitch?" Venkman teased. "Did she turn you on? She definitely would have if she had been butt naked that's for sure."

"Will you shut up already? Michiru shouted angrily, trying not to lose his temper as he resisted the urge to throw something at Venkman.

"Did you get to cope a feel while you were…?" Venkman asked.

"Just shut up!" Michiru shouted again as a bright red pentagram appeared beneath him and caused everyone to stare in awe at the glowing light until it died down after a few moments when the Shikigami user recovered himself. "Don't say another word!"

Venkman wisely kept his mouth shut after that little act of magic, he had been warned and he wouldn't dare provoke the teenager anymore that night. Now that it was quiet again, everyone eventually fell asleep as midnight arrived. Unbeknownst to everyone, Utsugi and Kakuju were hiding inside of the washroom; listening to everything that had occurred. They had caused their descendant enough trouble for one evening and it was decided that they should return to Japan to see how everything was going there with Michiru's friends. They could return and see Michiru at a more appropriate time when it wouldn't cause any alarm or commotion such as this visit had done. It would also allow them to help provide the answers to the young boy's questions which he needed to find out if he was to return to the feudal era one day, but they were more concerned with helping him to return to Japan first without causing anything bad to take place which would get Michiru and his American friends in a load of trouble.

Meanwhile on the other side of the world at the Higurashi residence, Inuyasha was sitting on the couch pondering the problem which was weighing heavily on his mind for a while now. His broken nose had recently healed itself completely and Inuyasha could now talk properly and sound just as he normally did before Sango accidentally broke it earlier in the morning. It was presently 2:00 in the afternoon on November 21st and everyone had already eaten lunch together over an hour and a half ago, Kagome was up in her room trying to complete as much of her school work as she possibly could on her own while Miss Higurashi was busy organizing an enormous pile of laundry down in the basement of the house. Sota was currently playing with some sort of remote control car that his mother had bought for him a while ago during Christmas or something, but the small boy eventually lost interest in it for the time being as he noticed that his half demon friend was unusually quiet. Hoping to get his attention, Sota drove the small car in front of Inuyasha's feet so that the half demon would get a good look at it with his eyes.

"Would you like me to show you how to drive my remote control car Inuyasha?" Sota asked.

"No thanks Sota, I'm trying to think of how to solve a big problem that I have to deal with." Inuyasha answered politely, hoping that he wouldn't upset the small boy.

"Why don't you ask Kagome to help you out with it?" Sota suggested, making Inuyasha tense up as the half demon imagined how angry she'd be for finding out everything he knew about the delicate matter involving Michiru, Sango and Miroku. "If she can tackle the huge pile of homework inside of her room and get it all done in time before the end of the summer, then she could easily help you with your problem."

"I…I can't ask for Kagome's help Sota, she…she'd only make the problem worse if I told her." Inuyasha reluctantly answered.

"Oh, it's something that you have to solve on your own without Kagome right?" Sota asked.

"Kind of, yes." Inuyasha replied. "Think of it as a spy game where I have to find out some important secret from her without giving away any of the important information that I have. If I do and she catches on to me, then I'm as good as dead."

"Wow!" Sota answered in awe. "That sounds really cool and exciting!"

"Yeah, I suppose it could be…from a certain point of view." Inuyasha replied nervously since it was his life on the line and not Sota's. He could just imagine Kagome yelling her sit commands over and over again until he told her everything she wanted to hear if he failed in his task.

"Could I help you out?" Sota asked, hoping that Inuyasha would say yes.

"Well I don't know…it might be too much of a risk." Inuyasha stated, thinking the matter through and debating whether or not it was a good idea to get Sota involved with something like this. Sota wasn't in any danger from Kagome's wrath like he was, but he might be forced to tell her something which would spoil Inuyasha's delicate scheme and blow everything. "I'll think it over, but let's watch some TV in the mean time."

"Okay, I'll turn it on." Sota replied, grabbing the TV remote and switching on the television before checking each channel one at a time. "Wholly Cow! Look Inuyasha! It's the Ghostbusters!"

"No its not, that's just a man talking on the screen with a picture of them off to the side…" Inuyasha responded, before catching on that this was the international news channel and that very soon; it would be broadcasting life footage from the far away country where Michiru was trapped in. "Look there, it says that they'll be showing some news of them in another couple of minutes."

"Hooray! I can't wait!" Sota exclaimed, getting comfortable on the couch as Inuyasha stood up to leave the room. "Where are you going? The news program with the Ghostbusters is going to start soon."

"I know Sota, and I've got a job for you." Inuyasha replied, turning to face Sota. "I need you to race up to Kagome's room and tell the two of us when it does start, it's very important that both of us watch it; can you do that for me?"

"You bet I can." Sota answered with a smile.

"Okay, we'll both come back down here after you come to get us." Inuyasha replied. "And remember; don't tell Kagome about the problem I told you about."

As Inuyasha left Sota in the living room to watch and wait for the program to come on the television, he made his way up the stairs to where Kagome's room was located. With every step that he took, he felt as though there was no turning back at this point; Sango was counting on him not to let Kagome find out about Michiru's last words before his sudden return home and he couldn't let her down. He didn't only have Sango to worry about, but Michiru as well. The Kururugi boy was trapped thousands of miles away in another country and was doing everything he possibly could to come back home safely, the last thing that Michiru needed was to be interrogated by Kagome about his deep affection for Sango or even worse; to be discouraged just because of Kagome's imaginary romance between Miroku and Sango. Inuyasha remembered that Sango didn't yet know which of the two she was really in love with, but he did know that Kagome would only make things worse for everyone if she knew what was going on. He also knew that if she did know, she would undoubtedly try to get Miroku to turn over a new leaf and amend his relationship with the demon slayer before the Shikigami user could return home and hopefully find a way to revisit the feudal era. Inuyasha's mind was made up, it was now or never; this is where he would deal with his problem and come out as a victor or a failure.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha called, knocking on the door lightly with the knuckles of his clenched fist as he waited outside for an answer. "I'm going inside."

"Oh, hello Inuyasha." Kagome responded after turning herself and her chair around so that she could face her half demon friend who had just entered her room. "Sorry, I was concentrating so hard on my homework that I didn't hear your voice from outside."

"I see." Inuyasha answered, thinking of everything that Sango had told him earlier to help him with his problem. "H-How is your school stuff coming along?"

"Oh, slowly I guess." Kagome answered with a sigh, a look which told Inuyasha that she was having a big problem just like he was even though the consequences involved were completely different. "I've finished half of my language homework, but now I'm stuck on some of my math assignments; I'm starting to wish Michiru was here to help me get through all of them."

"Hey Kagome? Speaking of Michiru, I-I've got something important to ask you about him." Inuyasha declared, taking the opportunity that the reborn priestess had unknowingly given him. "When he was being summoned back here to the modern era, did you hear him say anything like a goodbye or something? I was do distracted by the fact that he was vanishing into thin air to listen with my ears."

"No, I'm afraid that I was also distracted; just as you were along with everyone else." Kagome answered, trying to think back and recall all she could about that event. "But I suppose if Michiru had said anything before he left, he would probably have said goodbye to all of us."

"Oh, alright." Inuyasha replied, thinking that he was in the clear. "Thanks Kagome."

"Is there any reason why you needed to ask me this?" Kagome asked curiously, making Inuyasha pause with hesitation even though he wore a straight face to cover up the fact that he was keeping a secret from her.

"Inuyasha!" Sota shouted after swinging the door open and suddenly appearing from the doorway to Kagome's room. "The program is going to start in a moment after a few messages, come on down so you don't miss the start."

"Okay Sota, we'll be right there." Inuyasha replied, glad that Sota had come to his aid just at the precise moment he was needed.

"Program?" Kagome asked in confusion, looking at Inuyasha for an answer. "What program?"

"News broadcast of the Ghostbusters, that's what!" Inuyasha replied in excitement. "Don't you want the chance to see Michiru on the television screen?"

"Oh yes!" I forgot that he's working for them isn't he?" Kagome replied now remembering as she leapt out of her chair to go watch TV. "Quick let's go, if we hurry; maybe we can record the whole show with my Mom's digital camera!"

The half demon and the reborn priestess raced downstairs into the living room to join Sota who was presently sitting on the couch waiting patiently for the Ghostbusters to come on the TV, unfortunately Kagome was now blocking his view of the screen while she attempted to prepare her Mom's digital camera in order to record everything so that she could later show it to her friends from the feudal era the next time she was able to travel there after all of her schoolwork was done. When she was done, Kagome quickly sat herself between Sota and Inuyasha; much to her little brother's disliking. But the moment of annoyance quickly vanished as soon as the news broadcast appeared, drawing the attention of the three viewers to the TV screen. To begin with, there was a quick scene with the manager of the Sedgewick hotel complaining about all of the destruction that was being caused; he even made Kagome and Inuyasha angry by accusing the Ghostbusters of deliberately letting loose the green ghost commonly known as Slimer just so that they could recapture him and make a quick score of cash. It was a miracle that Kagome was able to hold her camera in front of her without loosing her temper, not to mention aiming it at the screen so she didn't miss anything or get it out of focus.

"Who does that guy think he is?" Inuyasha sneered angrily while sitting on the couch. "He should be grateful for their help; they just stopped all of the ghosts from causing disaster!"

"Yeah! You tell him Inuyasha!" Sota added while grinning as he watched the TV screen.

"Its normal for him to complain Inuyasha, it is his hotel after all that got ruined." Kagome replied. "But you're right, he shouldn't overlook the fact that they saved peoples lives and stopped the ghosts from making the situation a lot worse."

"Wooah!" Inuyasha said, watching a live camera shot of Stay Puft walking through Times Square between the numerous towering buildings which surrounded him on all sides. "I remember Michiru had told me that the giant monster he fought against was huge and all, but I never would have guessed that it was that gigantic!"

"If you can see behind me, the streets are in absolute chaos. Authorities are doing everything they can to quell the panic and maintain order, it is madness out here! The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man; star of the popular children's television is on a rampage! This is not the Stay Puft we've come to love! Fortunately the Ghostbusters have arrived to put everything back to normal, we hope to broadcast updates of their progress as they come in, please stay with us." the reporter explained, standing in front of the camera as he described the occurring events infolding behind him in the background.

"Look!" Inuyasha pointed at the TV in excitement as he and the others caught a glimpse of two Ghostbusters racing just passed the giant monster as they snuck around through the maze of abandoned vehicles that lay cluttered together all over the roads in the four way intersection where they were being filmed by the news media camera crews and reporters. "That's got to be Michiru running right there with that other guy! I can tell by the colour and look of his hair!"

"Oh this is so exciting!" Kagome squealed with delight, taking a glance to look at Inuyasha and see how happy and excited the half demon was at seeing his friend on the TV screen even if only for one moment. The reborn priestess secretly thanked the fact that Michiru was in that far away country since his presence there gave her an opportunity to spend such an enjoyable moment with Inuyasha, even though her little brother Sota was sitting next to her on the opposite side of the couch while all of them were watching the television. Although she quickly reminded herself that the Kururugi boy's predicaments was not something to be happy about because his life was in danger among other things, this was one of the few moments where she and Inuyasha were truly enjoying a memorable experience together; with no arguments or quarrels. She only wished that she had the chance to share more of these precious moments with Inuyasha now that Naraku was finally dead and gone, and she also hoped that Inuyasha felt the same way and had the same views as she did regarding this happy and enjoyable occasion.

"Hey! Stay Puft is climbing up that tall building!" Sota exclaimed in shock, seeing the image on screen from a camera which was being pointed upwards to look at the sight since the media team was obviously still on the ground. "I didn't think a gigantic fat monster like that could climb at all, let alone that high off of the ground."

"Interesting!" Inuyasha replied as he studied the live action footage with his eyes. "Those bright explosive blasts must be Michiru fighting against Stay Puft, but I can't tell if he's using his magic or his combat equipment."

"Wooah!" Kagome yelped in a fright, taking hold of Inuyasha's arm with one hand as she snuggled closer to him; still holding the digital camera with the other. "That must be an overhead view coming from a helicopter or something! And its looking down from above Stay Puft! Oh my God! Is that Michiru hanging from a belt thirty stories above the ground with that monster below him?"

"I believe you're right Kagome! That is Michiru and he's fighting that monster all by himself just like he told us earlier over the phone!" Inuyasha responded as his eyes widened when he suddenly realized just how much danger the Shikigami user had truly experienced during this one titanic battle alone. "He's trying to stop that person from falling to their death, look at that; and all through the battle while his own life is in danger. Ha! It looks like he's holding his own though, I'd expect nothing less from Michiru no matter where he's forced to fight a dangerous battle."

"You're right Inuyasha!" Kagome stated as she watched more carefully. "It looks like the person he's helping is a young woman, I was right; he's even helping her to climb above him so she can escape the danger! That must be such a terrifying experience!"

"Please Kagome; we've been in worse situations than this." Inuyasha commented.

"I was talking about it being a terrifying experience for the two of them!" Kagome countered. "They're both only human after all, just like I am; you would say the same thing if you were forced into that situation and you were stuck in your full human state."

Inuyasha eyes quickly widened after hearing the end of Kagome's sentence, he had never even thought about that; and seeing this predicament for his friend Michiru reminded him off all the terrifying experienced he had survived through during the nights when he was transformed into a mere mortal with no half demon strength, speed or advantages to help him when he most needed them to stay alive. He was about to think of a possible comeback to Kagome's response, but then thought decided against it as he continued watching the television screen.

"What are those little black monsters coming out of Stay Puft?" Sota asked curiously, only just noticing the wave of mini minions slithering up the side of the building to attack the lone warrior who was facing so many foes at once. "Woaah! That was close! He almost had his feet bitten off!"

"Those creatures are so freaky looking!" Kagome said, clutching her hold on Inuyasha's arm a little tighter as she inched closer to him.

"Don't worry Sis, he'll beat them all." Sota replied, confident that Michiru would win in the end. "I only wished that we could hear what was going on and what the people are saying."

"Unfortunately the helicopter's engine is blocking out the sound of the battle, all we can hear is the sounds of the blasts and explosions." Kagome stated. "But at least the camera man is zooming in as close as he can so that we can see what's happening with our own eyes, we should be grateful that we can see this at all. Hey look, that woman must have lost her grip on the belt when it got wet from that giant spit ball full of slime. Ugh! That's disgusting. Oh no! She's slid back down and landed on top of Michiru!"

"Ow! Sota cringed, imagining how painful Michiru's back must be feeling right about now after taking a hit like that. "That must have hurt."

"Oh no!" He's not firing his weapon anymore!" Kagome said worriedly. "Its must have stopped working! Either that or he's in too much pain to use it properly! Come on Michiru, don't give up now. Those freaky monsters are closing in on you and that woman!"

"Don't give up guys, Michiru can take anything." Inuyasha said encouragingly, having absolute faith in his human friend no matter how difficult the predicament was. "We've been through worse battles before fighting against Naraku and loads of countless demons; I'm positive that he'll show this Stay Puft that he picked the wrong human to mess with. Ha! Ha! Ha!"

"Look! What's that red light reflecting off of the building beneath his feet?" Sota asked in awe.

"WOW! That must be his "Light of Judgement" spell." Inuyasha explained, knowing that it was Michiru's most powerful magic attack in his arsenal of Shikigami spells; but the half demon was unbelievably shocked when he saw the attack coming out of the Kururugi boy's combat weapon which he had obviously fired at the numerous opponents who were almost close enough to kill him. "WOW! All those lighting bolts just skewered those little monsters and look at what's happening to that giant Stay Puft! He's regretting his mistake to take on Michiru now!"

"Oh! Just look at all those beautiful colours Inuyasha…" Kagome said softly as she stared in awe, completely captivated by the bright and colourful images that were displayed on the screen. "It much be like being inside of a rainbow, from Michiru's position anyway. I hope he stayed awake long enough to see it for himself. And there goes Stay Puft, up in one massive flaming explosion; looks like Michiru won the battle after all."

"Are you saying you didn't think that he'd…Oh come on!" Inuyasha groaned angrily, as the footage shorted out and the screen went blank. "Don't ruin it for us now!"

"I suppose the shockwave from the massive explosion might have caused the reporter's camera to short out." Kagome guessed. "Don't worry Inuyasha, it'll be back on in a moment or two. See? Look, the newsman is on again."

"Yeah, but it's the guy who was talking on the ground earlier before." Inuyasha snorted in disappointment, trying not to be grumpy or rude to Kagome. "Hey, something's wrong here. Why is it now suddenly day time instead of at night?"

"This must be another broadcast from a later incident, look its at a completely different location in the city." Kagome said, taking notice of the background on the TV screen. "That looks like the New York Public Library!"

"Earlier today, a ghost sighting was reported inside of the New York Public Library; scaring the heck out of the staff members and occupants inside. The staff took the appropriate actions and evacuated the building prior to informing the Ghostbusters to arrive and deal with the situation before it escalated out of control, its been about four and a half hours since they entered into the Library to confront the paranormal menaces and we have yet to hear from them…wait, hold on a sec. Yes, it looks as though they're coming out of the building now. Those of you who have been watching and waiting here with us probably know that the four Ghostbusters who were dispatched to come to our aid went inside of the Library and as you can see right now, all four of them have come out safely which means that it was a successful tour of duty and a job well done. I guess you can say that I'm just as excited as all of you are along with all the people in these three crowds who have gathered around to express their appreciation and their thanks for having these paranormal eliminators working for them here in the Big Apple on this bright and sunny summer afternoon." The reporter stated as his camera man aimed the camera away and zoomed in on the Ghostbusters who were presently walking down the stairs of the Library's main entrance, waving back and smiling at the tightly packed people who were cheering their hearts out.

"There's Michiru!" We actually get to see his face on TV, dressed in his work uniform with his equipment and everything!" Kagome squealed with delight again as a happy smile covered her face.

"Yeah! The Ghostbusters win again!" Sota cheered holding his fists up in triumph as he sat on the couch.

"He looks so handsome, he better watch out or all the girls are going to be after him." Kagome joked with a giggle, thinking of how many American teenage girls must be fantasizing about the youngest member of the Ghostbusters who was presently smiling as he waved back with his coworkers at the hundreds of people cheering them on from where the media crew was filming the event. "Wouldn't Miroku be so jealous of him if he ever found out what Michiru was experiencing over there? That would be so funny!"

"Yeah, good point!" Inuyasha replied, just as overwhelmed with excitement as Kagome was at seeing his friend's face on the TV; almost forgetting the fact that Michiru had already lost his heart to someone who Miroku was still infatuated with. "That's right Michiru, wave back at them; you must be doing well over there seeing that you've earned all that praise that you and your fellow Ghostbusters are getting. I only wish that I could be over there kicking butt with you, especially during that battle with Stay Puft."

"Don't feel bad Inuyasha, you've had plenty of battles with Michiru during his time in the feudal era so you're not really missing out on anything." Kagome said, trying to cheer up her half demon companion.

"Its okay Kagome, I feel much better after seeing this. And thanks for watching it with me so you could record it with your camera, it meant a lot to me." Inuyasha said gratefully, catching the teenage girl off guard with just a remark of appreciation. "Could I maybe watch everything that was recorded today with you again some other time?"

"What? Well I uh…" Kagome said, turning pink as she locked her eyes with Inuyasha's; their faces drawing closer and closer together until their lips touched in a short and tender kiss.

For a moment, Kagome felt as though she was in heaven. But as the kiss ended, she was in for a shock when she soon realized that she had made the first move; meaning that Inuyasha's attention was lost in the depths of her eyes as she inched forward and covered his lips with her own. Only after she pulled away did her mind recover and grasp what had just happened between the two of them. Their eyes continued to stare into one another, neither one of them uttering a word; unable to speak or find the proper words to start a conversation after such an unexpected moment of romance. Inuyasha stared back, hoping that he hadn't made a mistake that would accidentally set off Kagome's violent temper which usually resulted in him receiving a series of painful sit commands. But after another minute of peace and silence, it looked as though everything was going to be alright. Unfortunately for Kagome however, the peace and quiet would come to an end. While she was lost in the depths of looking into Inuyasha's eyes, she lost all other senses of her body; the camera which she had been holding to aim at the TV in order to record everything had fallen out of her hand after the broadcast was over and it was now in the hands of her little brother who had by now jumped off of the couch to recover it from the floor.

"If you two are going to continue, go up to the bedroom." Sota said in a tone of annoyance, snapping Kagome and Inuyasha back to reality as they both turned and looked wide eyed at him and the camera he was pointing at them which was still turned on and recording. "I better return this to Mom so you can't use it while you're up in your room with Inuyasha, don't worry; I'll erase your little smooch moment so you won't be embarrassed about it like you were when Mom and I walked in on you during your map misunderstanding. Ha! Ha!"

"AHH!" Kagome shrieked with a fright as she turned red in embarrassment as she pushed herself away from Inuyasha and leapt off of the couch to chase down her little brother before he could attempt to erase such a precious moment that had been recorded in addition to all the footage of the Ghostbusters from the United States. "Don't you dare erase anything from that camera Sota! If you do, I'll break all of your toys and trash your entire room! MOM! Help me! Sota's getting away with your camera and he's erasing everything I just recorded!"

"What are you complaining for?" You got to watch and record the whole Ghostbusters TV program, I'm just making sure that the ending doesn't get ruined by your little kiss." Sota countered, darting left and right to avoid his sister's clutches as she pursued him throughout the house.

"I can make you another copy of the recording without that little scene in it, so just don't erase it!" Kagome fumed, leaning forward as she nearly snatched Sota's back with both of her outstretched hands; making her look like the angry and evil sister that Sota saw her to be.

Inuyasha was about to chase after them to make sure that the camera didn't get broken, but he was just too comfortable on the couch; and Kagome's mom was sure to bring the commotion to an end before anything bad happened. As he laid his head back against the soft large cushion that was behind his back to keep him sitting up straight, he thought how much of a good day this has been for him so far; he had gained more than he ever though he could get from the beginning. It was great that he got to see images of his friend Michiru and he was pretty sure that Kagome and Sota enjoyed watching them too, even though Sota didn't know the Kururugi boy that well. Perhaps he could ask Kagome to return with him to the feudal era for a quick visit so that she could show all the images to Sango and the others, but then he remembered that Kagome's mom forbade her from going until all of her school work was done first; so that idea was not available. But maybe Kagome or her mother could show him how to operate the modern device so that he could show the images to Sango himself, which was another possibility he could explore later on.

The half demon's thoughts were interrupted when Kagome's lazy pet cat Buyo came into the living room and hopped up on to the couch where he was sitting. After a quick grin, Inuyasha flipped Buyo upside down so that he could pet the cat's soft fat belly as he relaxed; taking every new enjoyable event one at a time as the day continued. Upon hearing the commotion along with Kagome's cry, Mrs. Higurashi came to the rescue and snatched back her digital camera before Sota could erase anything from it; but that didn't bring an end to the quarrel between her children. Sota kept arguing that he was just joking while Kagome said that she didn't want him to erase anything and that he was too little to use a digital camera until he had grown older like her. But Kagome's mother wasn't in the mood for listening the two of them yelling at the same time, so she took the opportunity of bringing this matter to a swift conclusion by the easiest method possible; and that was to watch everything that Kagome had recorded first so that she could decide the best way to settle this family feud.

"No! I don't want you to watch it!" Kagome shrieked in embarrassment, making Sota grin with delight at seeing her panic stricken face which had turned pink yet again.

"What's wrong big Sis? Sota asked sarcastically. "Afraid you'll get caught doing bad things with Inuyasha again just like you did yesterday while you were in bed together?"

"Sota, I've told you before to be nice to Kagome so please don't tease." Mrs. Higurashi cut in as she caught a glimpse of her daughter's face turning more pink.

"You think this is funny?" Kagome snapped, taking hold of her brother's ears and pinching them between her thumb and finger nails in an effort to discourage him from saying anything more to upset her. "

"Kagome, let go of your brother or I else I will erase all of this footage." Mrs. Higurashi warned, still watching the camera. "Well…so this is what all of the commotion is about."

"Mom, I uh…" Kagome responded helplessly before her mother cut her off.

"I think I'll hold on to this camera from now on, and if anyone needs to use it again; ask for my permission first." Mrs. Higurashi replied, placing the camera in her purse after turning it off. "Kagome, why don't you go back upstairs to your room and concentrate on doing more of your homework; that should take your mind off of this delicate matter shouldn't it?"

"Yeah, I-I'll go up right now." Kagome replied hesitantly, giving in to her mom's sarcastic suggestion as she gave Sota a death glare once she had turned around to leave for her room.

"Make sure you do your homework correctly Kagome." Sota said just to rub it in. "Wouldn't want to have to do it all over again."

"See you in the kitchen when supper's ready." Mrs. Higurashi called out to her daughter before looking at her young son. "And as for you Sota, don't let me catch you with my camera in your possession or else you'll be grounded until Christmas comes."

After hearing that little warning, Sota left the kitchen and returned to the living room so he could watch more TV with Inuyasha until supper time arrived. Unbeknownst to Sota or Kagome, the half demon had overheard everything from inside of the kitchen and was keeping an eye from the couch so that no one would suddenly walk in and catch him laughing quietly to himself at their expense during Mrs. Higurashi's interrogation. Kagome was in such an embarrassed state that she went straight up to her room once she had left the kitchen without even glancing at Inuyasha which was a good thing for the half demon. Sota came back into the living room, but he assumed that Inuyasha was laughing at Buyo as the dog demon continued petting and examining Buyo as he sat on the couch; completely ignoring the noise from the television. Once he sat himself down on the couch, Sota began flipping through the channels until he could find a show that caught his interest and that was to his liking. As the hours slowly went by, supper was prepared and everyone came into the kitchen so they could enjoy supper together; Kagome was only too happy that Inuyasha was actually spending a full day at her house which made the late afternoon a nice one for her. Sota just sighed, knowing that his older sister was probably fantasizing about the kiss she had shared earlier with the half demon in the living room.

It was roughly eight a clock in the morning on November 21st when Michiru woke up on his own, he was quite surprised that he felt this refreshed and awake seeing how early it was; but this was probably a good thing after considering all the events he had experienced the night before with the party and the unexpected reunion with the ghosts of Utsugi and Kakuju which later lead to the embarrassing situations shortly afterwards. After sitting up and looking around, the teenager saw that everyone else was still sleeping; perhaps he'd better take the opportunity of having a shower since he was obviously the first person up. And so, after getting out of bed; Michiru gathered his ablutions kit, along with a towel before heading into the washroom. Once he removed his night clothes, he stepped into the shower and turned on the tap; letting the warm water spray on top of him. As he started cleaning himself with the bar of soap from his kit, the Shikigami user noticed that he still had the band aids on his left arm from yesterday when Ilyssa had applied them; it was time to peel them off so that he could clean them and the sticky imprints which would be left over. Afterwards, he would use his magic to heal them if they weren't completely healed up enough; he didn't want them to reopen and bleed again.

A short time later, Michiru emerged from the shower and was perfectly clean; all that he needed to do now was dry himself off and change into clothes. He inspected the dryer and noticed that there was a load of clothing inside of it, someone else must have removed all the dirty uniforms from the washer so that they could be dried once the wash cycle was completed which must have been yesterday at about supper time. As he stuck his arm inside to dig through the various articles of clothing, he was relieved to find that both of his work uniforms were dry and ready to be worn again; just in time for another day of work with the Ghostbusters. A few minutes later, the Kururugi boy had dried himself with a towel was just finished getting his clothes and outfit on. But what now? Everyone was still asleep, which meant that he would have to entertain himself until they all woke up too. Perhaps since the rest of the guys were still asleep, this would be a good opportunity to wake up Ilyssa and Janine so that the two office ladies could bathe themselves before everyone else even got out of bed.

And so with his mind made up, Michiru returned his belongings to his bedside and headed outside to the lab so he could walk down the stairs. He was about to pass the pool table when he glanced back at the fridge and wondered how many pizza sliced were still left over after last nights dinner party. Unable to resist, Michiru walked over and peered inside after opening the door to look at all the food contained within; he quickly snatched two slices of pizza and resumed his original destination until he descended down the staircase. He halted once he was standing above the roof of the glass containment unit, looking down through the round open hole to see if Slimer was awake yet; pizza slices would make a tasty breakfast in the eyes of the green blob that's for sure. They might be cold, but Michiru didn't think it would matter to a spiritual entity with such a hungry appetite.

"Hey! Slimer! You awake down there?" Michiru called out, holding a single pizza slice in each of his outstretched hands as Slimer awoke and looked up at him; suddenly panting like an excited dog once he had seen the food. "Ray's still asleep so I'll be the one feeding you breakfast today, here you go."

Upon releasing the pizza slices from his fingers, Michiru quickly darted downstairs and raced across the main floor until he stood outside; watching Slimer enjoy the food he had given him. Michiru asked him humorously if they tasted good even though they were cold, and Slimer nodded gratefully; waving at the teenager with his free hand as he held the second slice with the other. After waving back at the smiling green ghost who was now licking his lips and savouring the flavour of his morning meal, the Japanese student walked toward the door which led to the room where Ilyssa and Janine were both sleeping. He was surprised to find that the door was unlocked, but perhaps one of them had forgotten to lock it after going back to bed once the midnight misunderstanding had ended. And so Michiru slowly walked inside and knocked lightly on the other door of the room where the two female coworkers were located.

"Ilyssa? Janine?" Michiru called softly after knocking several times in a row. "Are either of you awake?"

"Hmm? Michiru?" Ilyssa replied, still half asleep as she pulled herself out of bed and walked up to open the door. "Good morning Michiru. What are you doing up and about this early in the morning?"

"Good morning Ilyssa, s-sorry if I disturbed you at all." Michiru replied, feeling a little guilty at waking his female friend up so early. "Everyone else is still asleep so I thought you and Janine would each like to go have a shower while the washroom isn't being used, you know; before the other guys get out of bed."

"Oh." Ilyssa replied, "That would be nice, thank you. I'll go have a shower now so Janine can sleep in a little more and then she can go after I come back down and wake her up."

Michiru turned and left as Ilyssa gathered her own ablutions kit and towels to carry with her to the washroom upstairs, he was about to check if any messages had come in yesterday during his tour of duty at the Library but Ilyssa called out to him once she had come through the door to follow him. The Kururugi boy asked her if her nightgown was alright after catching on fire the night before from that explosion caused by Venkman's discharged boson dart, since he was surprised that she was still wearing it. The beautiful lady answered back that it was perfectly fine and that it had only been burning for about half a minute the entire time until he helped her to put out the flames when he had forced her to stop, drop and roll on the floor with him; making Michiru blush when she twirled around to show its condition even though he was undoubtedly paying more attention to her gorgeous figure instead of her dress. Ilyssa gave Michiru a smile as she said that she didn't think anything bad about him for his actions since he stopped her gown from being ruined, he thanked her for forgiving him just the same; making the female beauty smile again at this hansom boy who was turning into quite a young gentleman.

"Ilyssa?" Michiru warned, "I've already had a shower so just be careful that you don't slip on the wet floor when you walk in and out."

"Thanks for the safety tip, I'll see you shortly once I'm done." Ilyssa replied with a wink, before turning to leave.

"Oh no, not you too." Michiru whispered quietly, looking at Slimer through the glass as the green ghost was giving the Kururugi boy a thumbs up for being on friendly terms with such a gorgeous beauty like Ilyssa. "Keep that up, and I won't feed you ever again."

Slimer immediately stopped teasing Michiru after hearing the Kururugi boy's verbal warning, and once that was done with; the teenager decided to quickly use the desk phone and call Kagome's house. It was just nearly 8:30 in the morning where he was which would make it almost 10:30 in the evening at the Higurashi residence, he might not get a chance to talk with her and Inuyasha for quite some time given the upcoming Gala at the Natural History Museum among fighting ghosts so this small window of opportunity could not be passed up or ignored. After dialling the number, Michiru waited patiently for someone to answer while he sat quietly at Janine's desk holding the phone to the side of his head. A few moments later, he sighed in relieve as the caring voice of Kagome's mother; Mrs. Higurashi answered over the line. Michiru felt a feeling of warmth inside of him, it had felt like ages since the last time he had been able to speak with both of his friends; he was so excited that he could hardly sit still in the chair as he was still thinking about all of his feudal era companions.

"H-Hello M-Mrs. Higurashi, its Michiru calling." Michiru answered back, trying to calm down and steady his voice. "Is Inuyasha or Kagome home right now? I'd very much like to speak with both of them."

"Certainly Michiru, I'll let them know you've called; please wait a second." Mrs. Higurashi replied, delighted that Michiru was able to find the time to contact her house again and let everyone know how he was doing. "Inuyasha? Can you come into the kitchen please? Michiru is waiting on the phone for you."

"Great! I'll be right there!" Inuyasha answered, his eyes and hears suddenly becoming alert after hearing the older woman's call and darting up off of the couch in order to race into the kitchen. "Thank you, no need to go tell Kagome. I'll go get her myself after I'm done talking with Michiru first, then she won't be away from her homework for so long."

"Sounds like a good idea, thank you Inuyasha." Mrs. Higurashi replied gratefully, turning to leave the kitchen. "I'm going downstairs to the basement to gather some clean bed sheets so that everyone can make their beds and go to sleep in a short while. If you need anything, you know where to find me."

"Um, actually…" Inuyasha responded, pausing momentarily so he could find the right words to say. "After I get Kagome so she can chat with Michiru, would you please teach me how to use your camera that Kagome was using earlier today? My other companions back where I live are concerned for Michiru and I was wondering if I'd be allowed to borrow your camera so that I could show them the footage we recorded and tell them how he's doing in that far away country he's still living in right now. I promise to take good care of your camera and I'll return it quickly once I'm done playing the video recording for my friends to see. I'd really appreciate it, please?"

"Hmm, alright." Mrs. Higurashi replied. "But this will be our little secret, meet me downstairs after you've called Kagome down and I'll show you how to operate it properly."

"Thanks very much, it means a lot to me." Inuyasha replied gratefully before turning his attention to Michiru who was waiting on the phone as Kagome's mother left the kitchen. "Hello Michiru. Are you there?"

"Inuyasha, hi." Michiru answered, happy that his half demon friend was still at Kagome's house when he had called. "I'm going to be very busy soon so I thought I'd take a chance and phone you now since it could be a while until we can talk again, I hope everything is going well with you at Kagome's house and for everyone else in Kaede's village."

"Yeah, everything is going great here; apart from Kagome being burdened with all of her schoolwork that she missed while she was with us in the feudal era anyway." Inuyasha answered, thinking about another matter as he was talking with his friend.

"What about everyone else in the feudal era?" Michiru asked worriedly since the half demon didn't mention them in his answer. "Are Miroku, Shippo and Kirara doing alright? What about Sango? How is she feeling?"

"Miroku, Kirara and Shippo are their same as they've always been just as you remember them to be." Inuyasha answered. "The only change in Miroku is that he no longer has his wind tunnel curse since he was freed from it when we defeated Naraku a short time ago. Listen Michiru, I'm sorry to say that Myoga hasn't returned with Totosai yet; so unfortunately I don't have any information for you about the Sounga."

"That's okay Inuyasha, you're never going to guess who I met last night inside of where I'm staying." Michiru said, trying to find an interesting situation to tell Inuyasha about.

"Let me guess, you had a dangerous encounter with Naraku's ghost and his evil spirit came back to haunt you; but you defeated him and locked him up inside with all the other ghosts that you and the Ghostbusters have been fighting against." Inuyasha answered sarcastically, trying to humour the Shikigami user. "Am I right?"

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!" Michiru laughed before answering back. "Close, but no. I had a reunion with the spirits of my two ancestral grandparents, Utsugi and Kakuju. They were the ones who stole the map from Kagome's house and who brought a bag with all of my clothes and belongings from home, I even got to talk to them for a few minutes before they were scared away by the Ghostbusters who had mistaken them for enemies. Is that awesome or what?"

"Wow!" Inuyasha replied, glad that Michiru could have a family reunion like that. "By the way, something just as cool happened to Kagome and I as well; the two of us got to see video footage of you and the Ghostbusters on the television today at Kagome's house."

"Really?" Michiru asked in disbelief.

"Yeah!" Inuyasha continued in excitement. "We saw your battle with that giant Stay Puft monster when you were hanging by your belt so high up in the air! When you told me about that battle the last time we were on the phone together, I never imagined that your opponent was that gigantic or that you were fighting him so high above the ground like that. It was so entertaining even though we couldn't hear anything, Kagome and Sota and I were so excited watching you fight and win in the end when you defeated that monster all by yourself. And then we saw you and your fellow Ghostbusters walking down some stone stairs from a huge building, you were all smiling and waving back at all the cheering people who were congratulating you on your victory; Kagome and I felt so happy when we saw how well you're doing over there even though you haven't found a way to return home yet. We even recorded the broadcast using Mrs. Higurashi's camera and I'm going to go back to Kaede's village after we're done talking so I can show everyone."

"Thanks Inuyasha, I'm glad that you were both able to see that." Michiru replied. "By the way, there's something I've been meaning to ask you. How is Sango? Is she doing well now that she has her brother Kohaku back?"

"Yeah, she spends almost all of every day with Kohaku so that she can look after him and that sort of thing." Inuyasha answered, feeling a little disappointed that their exciting Ghostbusters discussion was brought to an end when Michiru changed the subject and asked about Sango. "She's trying to help him recover, both physically and mentally given how much time he spend under Naraku's control and all. But he's slowly recovering, I even made her laugh during an incident involving the two of us along with Kirara and Miroku."

"Really?" Michiru asked, feeling very happy and also a tiny bit jealous that Inuyasha had been able to make her laugh. "Tell me what happened.

"Well, I was out with Kirara looking for her; and Miroku caught up with me just after I had found her." Inuyasha explained. "She had finished having a bath in the river before I arrived and Kirara suddenly bites on to my long hair and starts dragging me through the dirt like a fresh kill or a toy just as Miroku arrives on the spot. When he asked what's going on, Sango explains that she suggested that I have a bath just like she did before breakfast and when I refused; Kirara started dragging me through the dirt just to mess around with me. Miroku then gropes Sango like he usually does and when she tried to hit him in the head with her Hiraikotsu, he ducked and she hit me instead; breaking my nose and knocking me into the river in the process. Kirara chased Miroku away and when I came out of the water, my voice sounded funny because my nose was broken and that's what made her laugh. She said that I sounded like a little kid when ever I talked for the next few hours and she found it so hilarious, she was holding her sides while she laughed uncontrollably."

"That was a funny story Inuyasha, apart from Miroku and his lecherous ways that is." Michiru replied once the half demon had finished, feeling annoyed that Miroku was still behaving very rudely towards Sango who had enough to deal with already now that she finally had her younger brother back. "Thanks for sharing that with me, I only wish I could have been there to see it and laugh with Sango after hearing you speak like that as well."

"And I only wish that I could be with you, capturing ghosts; beating up monsters and feeling appreciated for it." Inuyasha added, checking the time on the kitchen stove. "Hey, its getting late here. I better leave now and get Kagome down here so she can have a chance to talk to you as well. I'm going to head back to my world and show everyone the battle images of you and the Ghostbusters, I hope to hear from you again later when ever you have time to call. Its been great talking with you Michiru, good luck to you when ever you fight your next battle."

"Thanks a lot Inuyasha, for telling me all those great stories and for everything else too." Michiru answered, saying farewell to his half demon friend. "Goodbye Inuyasha, say hello to everyone else for me."

"I will, you can count on me. I'll go get Kagome for you, bye for now." Inuyasha said before setting the phone down and going upstairs to tell Kagome that their friend was on the telephone. "Hey Kagome, Michiru is waiting on the phone for you; better go down and talk with him while he has free time."

"He's on the phone?" Kagome responded, turning around and leaping out of her chair and racing after him down the stairs to the kitchen. "Oh I can't wait to talk with him, thanks Inuyasha."

Kagome arrived at the kitchen and smiled as she heard Michiru's voice once she picked up the phone and spoke into it. As they started talking, Inuyasha took a moment to watch and listen; seeing how happy Kagome was even though their friend was far away in a foreign land with no means of returning home. The half demon had thought about telling Michiru that he had over heard the Kururugi boy's farewell message to Sango, but he didn't want to cause his friend any more worries or troubles which he was burdened with already. And besides, Michiru would have asked him whether or not Sango loved him in return and Inuyasha didn't want to make Michiru's dangerous predicament any worse by forcing Sango to make a decision which she wasn't ready for yet. And so after the moment had passed, Inuyasha made his way downstairs so that Kagome's mother could show him how to use her digital camera before he left to quickly visit the feudal era and then return once he was finished showing his friends everything. It took a lot longer than Inuyasha had originally predicted and by the time he was done figuring out the camera's functions after carefully memorizing everything step that Mrs. Higurashi had told him, Kagome was already done talking over the phone with Michiru. He was about to go to the feudal era when Kagome stopped him after seeing her mom's digital camera in his hand and needless to say, she wasn't willing to let Inuyasha operate the camera by himself; let alone take it to the feudal era and back again unless she went with him too.

"You can't come with me Kagome, you'll get in trouble with your Mom for leaving your home." Inuyasha warned, not wanted her to accompany him for various reasons regarding the matter between Sango, Michiru and Miroku. "Didn't your Mom say that you can't travel to the feudal era until all of your school work is completed first?"

"Its no big deal, I'm only going with you so I can operate the camera, I'll come right back when we're done so don't worry." Kagome answered without any concerns, worries or second thoughts. "Now hush up and let's go before we're caught, she won't even know I'm gone if we hurry there and back."

The half demon was about to protest, but then decided against it; fearing that he would accidentally break Mrs. Higurashi's camera by impacting the ground from one of Kagome's sit commands if he continued to argue with her. And so with great reluctance, Inuyasha gave in and gave Kagome the digital camera before she climbed on top of him for a piggyback ride. Once Inuyasha had a firm grip of the teenage girl, he leapt forward and entered the shed before making a final jump which sent the two travellers descending down the Bone Eater's well. Unfortunately for Kagome, Sota had seen both of them leave which meant that Mrs. Higurashi would quickly find out that her daughter had left the house and travelled back to Inuyasha's world without permission. Inuyasha's verbal warning would come back to haunt Kagome once she returned home and found herself grounded for her actions, something which she would regret later on as the remainder of the summer vacation went by one day at a time.

Getting back to Michiru Kururugi in the United States who had finished his conversation with Kagome a few minutes ago, he had just arrived upstairs in the kitchen area on the top floor to see what was edible inside of the fridge for breakfast. A few minutes later, the young man was standing in front of the fridge, holding the door open as he looked inside at all the various foods and drinks; there wasn't really much other than the take out food which they had purchased yesterday evening. But Michiru suddenly thought of an idea after examining in the fridge in addition to all the non perishable items stored in each of the kitchen cupboards which were located above the counter, stove and dishwasher; he could always make some breakfast for everyone in order to save all of the left over pizza and Chinese food for today's supper later on. And so after gathering the necessary cooking utensils, pots and pans; the young man formulated a plan to prepare a hardy breakfast and would hopefully delight and satisfy hungry appetites of his American friends once all of them were up and ready to eat together.

Michiru had seen both of his parents cook various meals and he even asked one of them from time to time to show him how to make a certain food for a specific meal of the day; breakfast foods were fairly easy to cook and he was familiar with making pancakes so that sounded like an option. But there was always the chance that not everyone liked to eat pancakes which made Michiru wonder if he should also make some eggs as well. As he organized the dry ingredients to make pancake batter with, he suddenly remembered a quick and tasty meal that his father had cooked for him on a number of occasions; egg fu yong would be make an unexpected treat to have for breakfast if pancakes weren't to a particular person's taste. Michiru quickly filled a large pot; setting it on the stove with the lid on top of it and heating the burner underneath to boil the water inside while he prepared the batter to make pancakes out of. He then switched on a second burner and poured a small amount of canola oil over top of a large wide frying pan to pour the pancake batter on once it was hot enough.

A quick look at the burners allowed the Kururugi boy to momentarily leave the kitchen and go see if anyone else had awakened yet, to his surprise; everyone in the bedroom was still asleep and he was even more shocked to find that Ilyssa hadn't even bathed yet. It turns out she had taken a few minutes to find two large pieces of cardboard so that she could place one on either entrance to the washroom, each piece with a written warning for all of the guys who might wake up to stay out since she was about to undress and start having her shower. Once he had figured that out, the junior high student returned to the kitchen and continued arranging and organizing the plates, cups and eating utensils on the round dining table as well as all the other food ingredients for the other meal he was planning to cook. Next, he filled a kettle with some water and set it on the stove as well; leaving it unplugged to boil water for anyone who wanted to drink coffee after breakfast in order to wake themselves up for the day.

A minute later, the frying pan was hot enough and Michiru dipped a soup ladle into a large bowl he had prepared the batter inside of and poured one amount at a time in a separate spot so he could make about four to six pancakes at once. After placing the ladle back in the large bowl, he checked the counter to his left and made sure that he had all other ingredients to make the egg fu yong with. A bag of rice was open and ready with a plastic cup to use and pour as many cups as he wished into the large pot once the water had boiled, some eggs; spices and a bottle of Soya sauce stood waiting on the counter until he needed them later on. About five to ten minutes later, the pot was steaming as bubbling sounds grew louder which told the teenager that the water was now boiled and ready. After turning down the temperature gauge, Michiru poured in how ever many cups of rice he so desired and placed the lid back on once he gave the newly added contests a quick stir. As time went by, he thoroughly checked and stirred the rice once he had a minute to spare after pouring more batter; constantly flipping and making more pancakes on the frying pan until the large bowl he had used was empty.

Just as he finished placing all of the pancakes together on one large place with a cover on top to keep them warm, the rice was about ready inside of the pot. After setting the full plate down in the centre of the round dining table, the young man returned to the stove to turn off the burner and lift up the pot full of rice; holding it sideways over top of the kitchen sink with the lid clamped down with his other hand to drain all of the water from inside while stopping the rice from falling out in the process. Afterwards, Michiru set the pot down and poured some more canola oil into the frying pan; and then he scooped out some of the rice on to throw on top until the whole surface of the cooking dish was fully covered with a thin layer of rice. Next, the boy cracked open some eggs over the frying pan and mixed them in so that all of the rice was completely soaked in egg; now he could add an even dash of spices all over the food before and mix it in before covering the frying pan with a lid to contain the heat and cook the meal faster. Once it was cooked enough on one side, Michiru carefully used a flipper to cut and flip over each small section of cooked rice and egg so that the other side was face down on the hot frying pan.

A short while later after he repeated this process and used up the rest of the cooked rice and the eggs he had gathered, breakfast was nearly ready; except for boiling the water for coffee and pouring glasses of juice for everyone as well. The busy boy had managed to cook two large helpings of egg fu yong so that there was enough to share with everyone, both of which were placed inside of a large plastic container with a lid over top of it to keep the food warm until it was ready to be served and eaten once all of his friends were up for breakfast. Michiru checked the time on the stove and found that it was now shortly after 10:00 in the morning, surely Ilyssa was done having her shower by now; unless she was putting make up on or something like that. Before he had the chance of going to check up on her however, he was greeted by the unexpected appearance of Janine who had just come upstairs after waking up a few minutes ago. After saying good morning and wandering over, the red haired lady was shocked to find that the Kururugi boy had already prepared breakfast for everyone. Suddenly without warning, a scream was heard from inside of the washroom; making the two of them race inside to see what had startled Ilyssa as the other Ghostbusters woke up and leapt out of bed after hearing it as well.

"Don't go inside guys, or else you'll regret it." Saya warned, flying out of the washroom as Michiru came to a halt after seeing and hearing his spiritual friend.

"Don't tell me Ilyssa got scared just because of you Saya. It takes a lot more than one tiny ghost like you make her scream like that…Wow! !" Venkman said, casually walking passed Michiru and rounding the corner and catching a glimpse of a naked Ilyssa who was about to dry herself off with a towel. The lone paranormal eliminator suddenly stumbled out after receiving a powerful kick in the nuts and a simultaneous punch to the face from the young woman. "YEOW! Woaah! Oh! OW!"

"GET BACK OUTSIDE YOU PERVERT!" Ilyssa cried out in an angry tone, frightening Michiru after the boy saw the damage done to Venkman. "AND STAY OUT!"

"Nice going Venkman." Ray asked sarcastically with a chuckle after seeing Venkman limp back to his bedside so he could sit down. "Did you get your butt whooped by Ilyssa after walking inside while she was naked?"

"Can it Ray, I don't want to heard it." Venkman replied, sitting down as he held the side of his sore face. "Dawn, that woman knows how to throw a punch."

"That's what you get for not reading the sign which says stay out. Ha! Ha! Ha!" Winston remarked with a grin.

"I guess you should have listened to Saya's warning Peter, but no; you just couldn't resist." Michiru said, taking the opportunity to get even after being teased by Venkman last night about having Ilyssa in his arms while rolling on the floor together.

"Come on guys, cut me a break would you?" Venkman complained. "I'm in a lot of agony here and your little comments aren't helping."

"Janine, could you go get some ice cubes from the fridge and bring them back with a small hand towel please?" Egon asked, seeing how much pain Venkman was in. "I think Venkman is going to need them in order to help with the pain he's in."

Several minutes later, Janine returned with a bunch of ice cubes rapped up in a small towel and handed them to Venkman as she shook her head at his stupidity for walking in on Ilyssa, Michiru told everyone that he had made them all breakfast and that they could come out to eat when ever they wished. Janine went inside the washroom to have a shower now that Ilyssa was dressed for the day in her familiar black leather clothing that she normally wore, all of the Ghostbusters were presently making fun of Venkman while Michiru returned to the kitchen to start serving the food he had prepared; and to plug in the kettle for those who wanted coffee. Saya had apologized to Venkman before he left the bedroom, feeling guilty for having caused everything which resulted in him getting beat up. But Ray said not to worry about it since Venkman had brought this upon himself for not listening to Saya's warning after the spiritual entity had flown out of the washroom after accidentally alarming Ilyssa with his presence.

"I'm terribly sorry Ilyssa for coming in on you while you were having a shower, but when I saw that Michiru wasn't around; I thought that he was the one inside of the washroom." Saya said apologetically, floating beside the young woman as they entered the kitchen together.

"That's alright Saya, I was just startled because I wasn't wearing any clothes when I saw you enter." Ilyssa answered kindly as she surveyed what lay on the round kitchen table for everyone. "Wow, what a treat. Did you make all of this yourself Michiru?"

"Well yeah, I thought that it would better to eat all the left over food from last night at supper time instead." Michiru answered, pouring a glass of orange juice for Ilyssa as she sat down. "So that's why I made pancakes and egg fu yong using some ingredients I found to cook with, which would you like to have?"

"Well since you made everything, I think I'll have both." Ilyssa answered with a sweet smile, making Michiru momentarily blush.

"Alright, just let me know when you've got enough." Michiru said, using the flipper to grab three pancakes while holding the lid above with his other hand until he could lift and place them on the empty plate waiting in front of Ilyssa; he then did the same thing when he got her a small portion of egg fu yong from the plastic container until the young woman said she had been served enough to eat.

"Thanks very much Michiru, all of this looks good." Ilyssa said, taking in the fresh aroma from the warm foods just before she started eating. "And this egg fu yong you made tastes really great, I never would have guessed you had a talent for cooking in the kitchen."

"Thanks Ilyssa, but I'm not that great; breakfast foods are about the only meals I know how to cook. Don't forget about your pancakes though; there's butter and syrup on the table so just help yourself." Michiru replied, placing the flipper back on top of the cover which was keeping the pancakes warm. "Please excuse me for a moment while I call everyone else over here, anyone who wants breakfast get yourselves in here before it get cold! Otherwise, I'm feeding it all to Slimer!"

"You heard Michiru guys, let's go to the kitchen and wash our hands in the sink before we chow down; we'll have to shower after breakfast since Janine is still in the washroom." Egon declared, getting up from his bed and leaving the Codex he was reading behind as the other Ghostbusters followed him through the doorway and into the kitchen. "Well this in an unexpected surprise."

"I'll say, you've been a busy man Mitch." Winston added, washing his hands under the water tap above the sink with some liquid soap from a bottle. "What convinced you to cook breakfast for all of us might I ask?"

"Since all of you through a party for me, I thought I should return a favour." Michiru answered, as Egon, Venkman and Ray washed their hands one after the other. "Besides, now the left over food from last night can be eaten at super time today before we go to the Gala; I hope you all don't mind."

"Not at all, this food looks great." Winston stated, quickly stealing a chair and sitting down to eat. "Thanks a lot for making breakfast for us."

"Move over a bit Venkman, we have to make enough room for everyone to sit down around the table; Janine will need a spot to sit too once she arrives." Ray said, adjusting his chair so he could sit to the left of Michiru who was seated next to Ilyssa.

"I'm trying Ray, but its difficult when I'm in immense pain right now." Venkman replied, trying to move over without causing himself any discomfort.

"I'm sorry for kicking and punching you Venkman, but you had it coming when you walked in on me like that." Ilyssa said.

"You don't have to remind me, I'm not going to argue with you." Venkman replied in defeat, making Winston and Ray grin. "I suppose being beat up by you is better than being attacked by Mitch like the way he defeated Stay Puft yesterday morning in Times Square."

"No kidding, you should have seen him take down Azetlor; that was an agonizing death for a powerful paranormal opponent." Egon added.

"Hey Ray?" Winston asked, looking across at his friend and fellow co worker. "Are you attempting to eat all those pancakes yourself?"

"Yes I am, but I already know I won't have enough room in my gut." Ray answered with a grin after loading half a dozen flapjacks on his plate. "You want some too?"

"Come on, pass over the flipper will you please?" Winston asked, taking the cooking tool so he could load his plate. "Thanks man."

"You should all try some of Michiru's egg fu yong, its really tasty." Ilyssa suggested, giving the Shikigami user a wink as she smiled at him.

"Hmm, yeah its good." Venkman replied after taking a taste. "You should stay here forever so you can work and cook for us, keep this up and you'll even put Janine out of a job."

"What was that Dr. Venkman?" Janine asked in a ticked off tone of voice as she entered the room, giving Venkman a good scare and causing everyone to laugh at the poor man for nearly choking a mouthful of food down his throat. "I hear someone outdid themselves today, is that right Ilyssa?"

"Oh yes, sit down and try some of Michiru's breakfast that he made for us; I'll guarantee you'll like the taste." Ilyssa replied, as Janine sat down between Winston and Egon.

"Hmm, you'd make some lucky girl a good housewife Michiru." Janine said, savouring the flavour in her mouth. "Any girl would be lucky to have you for a boyfriend, whether you've got magic or not."

"Thanks, oh Ray?" Michiru replied, turning to his friend. "I forgot to tell you earlier, but I fed Slimer breakfast for you while you were still asleep."

"You fed that evil green slime spewing Stromboli some human food?" Venkman said in shock. "What made you suddenly feel compassion for the ghost that we had to chase down and recapture all over again?"

"Save it Venkman, its an experiment that Michiru, Ray and myself are conducting." Egon cut in. "There's no cause for alarm so you have nothing to worry about."

"Thanks Mitch, what did you feed him anyway?" Ray asked curiously.

"Oh, uh…well…" Michiru said, turning to look at Winston. "I hope you don't mind Winston, but I fed Slimer two slices of the pizza you bought for us yesterday; I completely forgot about the wager you had with Ray regarding that pool game you two had last night."

"That's alright Mitch, no worries." Winston replied with a grin.

"What's on the work schedule for today Egon?" Venkman asked curiously.

"Well after all of us have had the chance to shower once breakfast is over, each of us are going to install some new equipment onto all of our proton packs while Ilyssa and Janine monitor the office for any phone calls or emails that come in." Egon answered. "And after that, I think we'll let Michiru and Ilyssa have the rest of the day to spent what time they can together trying to research information about our new employee's Shikigami powers; we'll all be busy later tonight when the Opening Exhibition Gala occurs at the Museum later on so we have to take advantage of all the free time that we have available."

"Sounds like a good idea Egon, does everyone else agree?" Ilyssa asked, getting a show of hands from everyone. "That settles it then."

"Hey Michiru, how does your left arm and leg feel after yesterday?" Ray asked, catching the teenage boy off guard. "Are those cuts healed up yet?"

"Oh, yeah; not to worry Ray." Michiru answered. "I can move them both just fine, its as if nothing happened."

"That's good to hear, Ilyssa must have done a good job when she gave you first aid treatment." Ray commented.

"Oh it wasn't much, just a few band aids on his arm and Michiru was fine again; he even cleaned them first while he had a shower shortly before I bandaged them up which saved me some of the work." Ilyssa replied, causing Ray and Winston to get suspicious.

"Wait a second Ilyssa, didn't you bandage his leg as well?" Winston asked curiously.

"No, there was no need too." Ilyssa answered. "He used his magic to heal it during the drive back from the Library."

"Did he now…Ray? Egon? Ilyssa? Could all of you come over here for a second please." Winston replied, making the Kururugi boy nervous as the four adults got out of their chairs and went over to the pool table.

The four adults whispered back and forth to one another for perhaps a minute or two at the most, making the teenager feel uncomfortable since he thought that they were all being so secretive while they talked. Janine and Venkman continued to eat with Michiru until the boy suddenly opened his mouth to warn Ilyssa not to get herself involved in what ever scheme it was that he thought Winston and Ray were hatching. Michiru didn't know why Egon was called up from the table, but maybe it had something to do with the battle at the Library since Egon was the only other person besides Winston and Ray who were with Michiru at the time inside of the Library. Ilyssa was probably being questioned about the time she had given him first aid treatment since the others had forbidden him from using his Shikigami magic out in public just to heal his injuries all because of the crowds of people chasing after them as they drove away and back to the Firehouse. Michiru couldn't take it any more as he stood up from his chair and asked the four adults to brake it up and return to table to finish eating the breakfast he had cooked for them before it would turn cold.

"So Mitch, you used your magic inside of the car during the drive back here even though we ordered you not too." Winston asked, as Egon sat back down in his chair and started fiddling with the camera Ray had used yesterday evening at the party. "Isn't that right?"

"Yes, but my leg was uncomfortable whenever I walked so I healed it in the car where no one would notice or see me using my magic on it." Michiru answered, trying to defend his actions.

"Well since you disobeyed orders, there's only one possible way for us to punish you so that you don't do so again in the future." Ray replied. "WE HAVE TO FEED BOTH OF YOU TO SLIMER!"

"Let go of me!" Ilyssa protested as Ray grabbed both of her arms and held them behind her back as he forced her to walk towards the staircase. "Michiru! Help!"

"Ray? What are you guys doing?" Michiru cried out in shock, being grabbed from behind by Winston who forced the Japanese student to walk and follow Ray and Ilyssa. "You can't be serious! Stop this madness! Let go of us right now!"

"Sorry Michiru, this is what you get for disobeying orders!" Winston replied, turning back to glance back at Janine and Venkman. "Anyone who wants to watch is welcome to come."

After several minutes of resistance and forceful walking, Ray and Winston were able to move Ilyssa and Michiru to the staircase and down the stairs until the four of them were at the spot where they could see the roof of Slimer's prison with the access hole cut inside. Egon and Janine were standing on the stairs below them while Venkman and Saya were both above them so if Michiru and Ilyssa broke free, they would be cut off and boxed in with nowhere to run or escape too. Saya tried talking Venkman into helping Michiru out, but he said he would miss all of the fun that he was presently enjoying while he watched the predicament unfold. Janine had also protested even while Michiru and Ilyssa were both being dragged away against their will, but Egon assured her that there was nothing to worry about as he stood up with her to follow Ray downstairs before Winston was able to drag Michiru towards where Ray was waiting with Ilyssa at the spot on the staircase.

"Ray, we're friends right? We can talk this out." Michiru pleaded, not wanting this little scheme to go any further than it had already. "If you won't stop, then at least let Ilyssa go; she shouldn't have to suffer just because of my actions. That's what this is about isn't it?"

"Sorry Michiru, but what's done is done and there's nothing we can do to change that." Ray declined, holding Ilyssa as he and she leaned over the railing to see Slimer through the roof of the prison. "Hey Slimer! Its Ray calling, remember when I promised that I'd feed you breakfast and supper? I've got them both right here! This lovely lady is Ilyssa! Do you want her first?"

"No! Don't do it! I'm too young to die!" Ilyssa begged, watching the green ghost hanging his tongue out as he waved for Ray to throw her down to him. "Help me Michiru! Help me!"

"Ray, let her go!" Michiru demanded, struggling to brake free of Winston who forcibly held him still. "If I have too, I'll use my magic to stop you which could result in destroying this staircase and make us fall and get hurt or killed. We both know you wouldn't want that now would you?"

"Hmm, very well then." Ray answered, releasing Ilyssa from his grip and making Slimer snort with disappointment. "We'll just have to feed you and you alone to Slimer, get ready Winston."

"Okay Ray." Winston replied, pushing Michiru down the stairs and into Ray who pushed him down on his back before grabbing on to the boy's ankles while Winston grabbed his hands. "Guess what Mitch? Its feeding time!"

"Start the count down, here we go now." Ray continued, as the two of them lifted Michiru off the stairs and started swinging him back and forth so they could position him over the railing and above Slimer's prison. "And a one! And a two! And a three!"

"Hey, why haven't you guys dropped me?" Michiru asked, still being held in midair over the railing and above Slimer's roof. "You can't hold me like this forever so what's going on?"

"Sorry Michiru, but you do have to be disciplined for disobeying orders." Ilyssa said, walking between Ray and Winston as she leaned over to get closer to the Kururugi boy who hung suspended in front of her. "You aren't ticklish by any chance are you?"

"No don't Ilyssa, I'll be dropped if I shake too much! AHH! STOP! HA! HA!" Michiru cried out, laughing himself to death and uncontrollably as Ilyssa reached out her hands and proceeded to tickle the helpless boy as he shook violently to try and brake free from Ray and Winston who were still able to hold on to him despite his weight and sudden movements. "HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! NO! STOP! HA! HA! STOP IT! NO MORE! HA! HA! HA! MERCY! MERCY! MERCY! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!"

"Just swear to everyone that you won't disobey orders anymore and you shall have your mercy Michiru." Winston advised, grinning along with Ray.

"ALRIGHT! HA! HA! I PROMISE! I promise not to disobey orders again, there I said it!" Michiru said even while laughing, making Ilyssa stop as Winston and Ray pulled him over the railing and gently laid him down on the stairs so the exhausted young man could catch his breath and relax. "That was unbearable! Don't ever do that to me ever again Ray! I thought that you and Winston were scheming something, but I never would have imagined the two of you coming up with a scheme that was this crazy."

"You're congratulating the wrong person Mitch, Ray and I only told Ilyssa want had happened to us at the Library; she's the mastermind who came up with the idea for this little scheme." Winston replied, making Michiru's eyes widen in disbelief as he looked at Ilyssa in shock. "We only asked her for a suggestion on how to make sure you wouldn't disobey us again, she came up with everything all by herself in under a minute while she was talking with us and Egon; pretty clever wouldn't you say?"

"Ilyssa…" Michiru said with a playful, but somewhat angry tone of voice. "I'm going to get you back for that, you better run now; here I come!"

Ilyssa darted down the stairs, still giggling to herself at the memory of Michiru's laughter while she had tickled him even though the teenager was chasing after her; racing passed Egon and Janine as he pursued her. Ray, Winston and Venkman swiftly followed after the Junior high student to stop him from getting revenge on Ilyssa as Saya floated down to watch everything more closely. Janine just stood on the stairs with her arm wrapped around Egon's as the scientist still aimed the camera to carefully record every funny and memorable moment of this rather entertaining experience, zooming in to catch a close up of all the faces of the people involved. Ilyssa came to a halt at Janine's desk and picked up the phone, threatening Michiru by calling 911 if he attacked her, but he knew she wouldn't do that; she hung up the phone just as the boy grabbed her shoulders and pulled her down on top of him just as he had done last night before. Then he gently put his hands around her waist and began tickling her in the same unbearable way she had just done to him a few minutes ago, making her laugh uncontrollably as she tried to tickle him back and beat him at his own game.

"HA! HA! HA! THAT TICKLES! HA! HA! HA!" Ilyssa cried, shaking around on the floor with Michiru as the two of them laughed uncontrollably. "I CAN'T TAKE IT! BUT NEITHER CAN YOU! HA! HA! HA!"

"Hello? Oh hello Peck, what's up?" Venkman asked, after picking up the phone and answering it.

"I'm calling to confirm Miss Selwyn's arrival at the Museum tonight." Peck answered. "Can you put her on the phone please?"

"I'm sorry, that's a negative; she's in a free for all tickling match right now." Venkman replied with a chuckle as he watched Ilyssa and Michiru playfully tickling each other on the floor. "Call back in six hours, I'll let you know if she's alive and able to talk with you; chow."

"This isn't time for jokes Venkman, put her on the phone or I'll…" Peck protested until he was cut off once Venkman hung up the phone.

"Vengeance time is over Mitch!" Ray shouted, scurrying over and crouching down to pull Michiru away from Ilyssa. "It ends now!"

"Not yet Ray, think fast!" Michiru countered, still laughing as he rolled over and pulled Ilyssa on top of him; striking Ray in the process as the teenage boy used his momentum to get on top of both of them and pin the two adults to the floor. "Time to say mercy Ray."

Michiru used the combined body weight of himself and Ilyssa to pin Ray underneath on the floor, and the elusive young man was able to keep both of them from escaping as he proceeded to tickle both of them at once for having hatched such an evil scheme on him. Winston was about to attack and grab Michiru from behind, but the clever Shikigami user pulled Ilyssa back as he dodged; tripping the other man in the process so that he would fall on top of Ray before both of them would be pinned down by Ilyssa and himself. Once this was accomplished, Michiru verbally teased Winston and Ray for a short time until Ilyssa's attacks forced him to concentrate his attention on her since she was now on top of everyone else including himself. Slimer ,who had been watching like everyone else; cheered and shook his fists in the air as he watched the entertaining brawl. After another minute of playful fighting, everyone just gave up and laughed among themselves; too sore and too exhausted to go on any further. Winston and Ray had an arm wrestle since they were pinned to the floor while Michiru and Ilyssa held each other in a long and tender hug, continuing to laugh; enjoying each other's company along with all the fun that this crazy scheme had given them this morning. Saya was laughing as well, enjoying the happy moment.

Author's Note: I hope that everyone enjoyed reading all the events of this chapter even though none of this actually happens in the Ghostbusters game, I thought that everyone deserved to have lots of laughs since next chapter involves lots of work at the Firehouse not to mention going to the Museum afterwards. Michiru is still trapped in a foreign country and is in a lot of danger so he deserves to have lots of fun and laughter with his new friends since he currently has no means of returning home yet. I hoped that everyone enjoyed the brief appearance of Utsugi and Kakuju at the start of this chapter, I plan to have more so rest assured you haven't seen the last of them.

Orionpax09, I know that you're probably still busy with important matters which unfortunately take away the free time that you would use for reading, reviewing or writing and updating. Please don't worry, all of us have our share of hectic and busy schedules which can't be controlled or altered. I regret to say that this chapter didn't have any room for Shikigami researching, all that will be in the eighth chapter which I have already started writing after uploading this one. I know that its been nearly eleven months since you've updated your "Wolf Demon Crisis" story, but don't feel bad; I can wait as long as it takes because I know each of your new chapters are worth waiting for.

Master of Death and Darkness, sorry if the paragraphs are to close together or too large; I'll try to remember spacing them out as I continue writing. I also enjoyed the scene when Venkman suggests that they let the rookie drive Ecto-1 and then all the Ghostbusters say "Nah!" I admit that it was very funny, but I was still a little bit mad because I actually thought for a moment that I would get to drive it. I also would have liked to drive Ecto-8, that little powerboat that the Ghostbusters used to travel to get to Shandor Island.

Jetty1, Glad you enjoyed all the funny scenes I've included. When ever I get stuck in a writer's block, comedy is the only way I can think of getting back on track. I want you to know that I've researched and found information regarding the lost level with the parade, I'll be including that in either the eighth chapter or the ninth chapter once I've figured out how to arrange everything. Thanks for the suggestion of including it, which will add another entertaining twist to this story.

AeropostleKeyblade, its all fine, no worries. Venkman was actually the one who pulled the prank on Peck in chapter 4 if that's the scene you're referring too, he also had Saya's help in putting it into action. I'm happy that you enjoy reading this story even though I'm still a beginner when it comes to writing, and I also hope that a lot of the scenes I included with either Michiru or Inuyasha are to your liking. Thanks a lot for taking the time to read and review my work, I look forward to hearing from you.

Greymon leader, please feel free to review and give suggestions or concerns if you'd like, hope you enjoyed reading this chapter.


	8. Having fun and Becoming great Friends

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, Ghostbusters, or anything associated with either of them. This story is being written just for fun and enjoyment.

Chapter #8: Having fun and Becoming great Friends

Inuyasha and Kagome emerged together out of the Bone Eater's well and found themselves in the feudal era, the half demon continued to carry the high school girl on his back in the hopes that he could get both of them to the village faster so that they could make a quick visit and then return afterwards before Mrs. Higurashi noticed Kagome's absence; but unfortunately he would later find out that his effort would be in vain. It was now night time and the sun had gone down about an hour ago which meant that everyone in Kaede's village was probably getting ready to go to bed and fall asleep. Luckily, all of their friends were still awake and up on their feet so the timing of their arrival wasn't too badly off as they were about to discover once they reached the mysterious fields of the village where all the mysterious crops were grown and harvested from. Upon their arrival, Shippo who had been watching the starlit sky began to jump and cheer when Kagome had so unexpectedly returned with Inuyasha.

"Hush Shippo, its night time; people in the village are trying to get to sleep." Kagome said, trying to quiet her young and short fox demon friend as she got off Inuyasha's back and knelt down to give Shippo a hug. "I'm happy to see you too Shippo, I'm sorry to say that I'm only going to be here for a quick visit and I'll be returning home quickly tonight."

"Oh." Shippo replied in a disappointed tone. "How come you would get in trouble Kagome?"

"It's…complicated." Kagome answered, trying to think of how to answer Shippo's question since a feudal era fox demon wouldn't be able to understand life in the modern world she came from and all the schoolwork she still had yet to complete before the summer brake was over. "Let's just say my Mom wouldn't want me to be here right now because I've supposed to be staying home doing important tasks, I could be in a lot of trouble if she found out I had come here without her permission and…"

"You mean you WILL be in a lot of trouble if we don't hurry up and get this visit over and done with so we can rush back to your home before you're absence is discovered." Inuyasha interrupted, trying to motivate Kagome in getting a move with the reason as to why both of them came here in the first place.

"Come on Inuyasha, we only just got here; at least give me the chance of saying hi to everybody." Kagome countered, braking out of the hug with the young demon as she spoke.

"Fine, have it your way." Inuyasha replied, with a warning look on his face. "But don't come crying to me when your Mom catches and punishes you just because you weren't quick enough."

"Okay okay, I get it already." Kagome responded, trying to end the bickering. "Shippo, let's go to Kaede's hut."

Shippo led his two older friends down the path until they reached the familiar hut of the Kaede; they were surprised to find that Kaede was still awake and hadn't got to bed just yet. It turns out that the elderly woman was watching over Kohaku on Sango's behave since the female demon slayer was presently off on an evening walk with her loyal two tail cat demon Kirara. This made Inuyasha even more worried now that they would be stuck here for a longer amount of time which would increase the chances of Kagome's absence being discovered. Inuyasha was about to suggest that the two of them go looking for Sango so they wouldn't have to wait for her, but Kagome insisted that they stay so that they could at least show the video footage to Shippo since he might be interested in seeing it. When Kagome turned on the camera and began looking for the video footage in the memory bank, Miroku came on the scene to greet them; having just returned from a walk as well. Kagome was surprised to find that he hadn't been walking with Sango or Kirara and then remembered Inuyasha telling her of the incident of when the perverted monk had rudely groped Sango which had resulted in the demon slayer accidentally breaking her half demon friend's nose which explained why Inuyasha's voice had sounded so funny when ever he talked for several hours or so.

"Why don't I go look for Sango while you stay here and use the camera to show Shippo and Miroku everything you recorded, I should be able to find her really quick." Inuyasha suggested, after seeing that Shippo was really excited to see live images of the Shikigami user who had travelled and fought with him and the others for so long before magically returning home shortly after defeating Naraku and burying Utsugi.

"Yeah, Sango can wait." Shippo replied, looking at Kagome with one of his irresistibly cute face expressions. "Please Kagome?"

"Okay." Kagome said, giving in with a smile. "Come back quickly Inuyasha."

"Don't worry, I will." Inuyasha replied before dashing out of the village and into the forest, using his nose to track down his two friends who couldn't be that far away.

"I don't understand Kagome." Miroku said with a confused and puzzled look on his face as he stared at the tiny screen on the digital camera Kagome was holding in place for the three of them to watch. "How are we supposed to see Michiru on a tiny flat surface like that? There's no magic or supernatural energy I can sense coming from that device of your."

"Miroku, this is a highly advanced tool which was built in the modern world I come from; of course someone like you wouldn't understand how it works." Kagome said with a sigh as she found and selected the video she had been searching for. "Here it is, everyone be quiet and watch."

"WOW!" Shippo said in astonishment at seeing a live image coming from something so small. "That's amazing!"

"That man talking isn't Michiru Kagome." Miroku said, looking at the first two people on the screen.

"I know Miroku, just shut up; ignore the talking and keep watching." Kagome countered as the image changed to a view of Times Square which showed a view of Stay Puft stomping around with a quick shot of the Ghostbusters sneaking around on the ground among the maze of cluttered vehicles left everywhere by the people who had abandoned them in order to flee and save their lives.

Suddenly the image changed and the three of them saw the overhead view of the battle between Michiru and Stay Puft which was occurring at the top of a thirty-story building. Shippo and Miroku were utterly shocked at seeing just how high above the ground the Kururugi boy was suspended at and Kagome could tell by the look on their faces when she glanced at them that they were afraid of being in the same predicament as their friend had been. As the battle continued to escalate, Shippo and Miroku stared at the camera with their full attention; not uttering a word since they were both listening to the voices of Kagome, Inuyasha and Sota in the background which helped them to figure out what was happening since there wasn't any sound effects to go with the images they were watching other than the explosions and destructive noises. Upon reaching the climatic moment of the battle, Shippo's mouth hung open in a wide smile as he realized that Michiru was going to be the victor; seeing the Shikigami user's famous "Light of Judgement" attack spell being combined with the modern weapon he had been using throughout the battle thus far.

The image of the illuminated serpentine dragon lashing out and unleashing a magical beam of bright red and orange light straight at the colossal marshmallow monster below was quite a sight to see, even for a Buddhist monk such as Miroku who had already seen countless battles where magic was being used. Miroku's eyes widened in awe, he had never seen Michiru survive long enough to face and defeat an opponent of this size and strength before; nor had he ever suspected that the Kururugi boy was even capable of enduring such a terrifying and life threatening experience before. Nevertheless, what he was watching really did happen; and Michiru accomplished it all by himself without any help from his feudal era friends whom he had fought together with during his travels throughout Feudal Japan.

The monk's thoughts were brought to an end as the image on the camera Kagome was holding changed again, a man talking on the screen was explaining how a paranormal occurrence had occurred inside of a large building and that everyone was evacuated so that the Ghostbusters could go inside and deal with the problem without any innocents getting in their way. Once the man was done talking, the three observers could see Michiru walking down the steps with the Ghostbusters; all four of them were waving back at the crowds of cheering people who were showing their appreciation for having them here to make things right and safe again. For the first time, both Miroku and Shippo actually got to see an up close view of Michiru; who was dressed in his work uniform just as the other Ghostbusters were along with all the tools and weaponry that each of them carried for combating spiritual entities and evil monsters.

"Sorry about that Miroku, I was only making a joke." Kagome said apologetically, realizing that Miroku now heard her little joke about him being jealous over Michiru because of all the young girls in that far away country who must be attracted to the Shikigami user thanks to him being part of the Ghostbusters. "Inuyasha and I were both so excited at seeing a live image of Michiru for the first time that we just lost control of ourselves, my little remark just sort of slipped out so I'm very sorry."

"That's alright Kagome, no apologies necessary." Miroku replied, as Kagome turned off the camera once the video broadcast was finished. "By the way, I recall hearing you say in this recording that Michiru had saved a young woman from falling to her death during his battle with that giant monster named Stay Puft which took place so high above the ground. Do you think she'd be willing to bear my children if I had been in Michiru's position and saved her life instead?"

"YOU PERVERT!" Kagome yelled, delivering a powerful kick to Miroku's nuts with her leg and making the monk cry in pain as he dropped to his knees with his hands covering his private area. "DON'T YOU HAVE ANY MANNERS AT ALL? I GO THROUGH THE TROUBLE OF COMING OVER HERE AND RISK BEING GROUNDED SO I CAN SHOW YOU SOME IMAGES OF MICHIRU AND OF THE COUNTRY HE'S IN! AND THE FIRST QUESTION THAT POPS INTO YOUR HEAD AFTER WATCHING THE VIDEO IS WHETHER OR NOT THE WOMAN HE SAVED WILL BEAR YOUR CHILDREN?"

"I-I'm s-sorry K-Kagome!" Miroku apologized as he begged for mercy while Shippo was standing back and trying not to laugh or draw the attention of a now infuriated Kagome who was venting her anger on the helpless monk. "Show mercy, I beg of you!"

"NOT THIS TIME MIROKU! YOU ARE A DISGRACE TO EVERY MONK THAT EVER WALKS THIS EARTH!" Kagome continued her eyes and face burning with an ire that paralysed Miroku with fear as he listened to every word she spoke while she slapped him across both sides of the face with each of her hands over and over until she had vented her anger on him. "HOW CAN YOU EXPECT SANGO TO EVER WANT TO BE YOUR GIRLFRIEND, LET ALONE YOUR WIFE WHEN YOU CAN'T EVEN ACT APPROPRIATELY WITHOUT HAVING YOUR MIND IN THE GUTTER? KEEP THIS UP AND YOU'LL NEVER BE ABLE TO FIND A PRETTY GIRL TO MARRY YOU, LET ALONE BEAR YOUR CHILDREN! DO YOU HEAR ME? NEVER! SO DROP THE LECHERY AND ACT THE WAY A PROPER AND WELL BEHAVED MONK SHOULD! OTHERWISE I'LL MAKE SURE YOU WISH YOU'DE NEVER BEEN BORN! DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?"

"CLEAR!" Miroku shouted back loudly, hoping that his misery would end at this point. "PERFECTLY CLEAR!"

"Time will tell." Kagome replied, having calmed down as she turned to Shippo and handed him the digital camera she had used to show them the video footage with. "I'm going home Shippo, please tell Inuyasha to return this camera back to me after he's shown the video to Sango." Kagome answered, still cross with Miroku but trying to calm down in order to avoid scaring her little fox demon friend. "I'll be back as soon as I can so keep an eye on Miroku while I'm away and remember everything he does so that you can tell me when I return."

"You can count on me Kagome." Shippo replied, watching the high school girl walk away in the direction of the Bone Eater's well before turning to Miroku with a grin. "And I'll be sure to keep track of absolutely everything that Miroku does so that I don't forget anything."

Miroku breathed a sigh of relief once Kagome had turned her attention to Shippo, but after hearing her request and then the fox demon's answer; he swallowed with a gulp now that his life could be at stake if he ever caused her to get that angry at him again. The fear and the adrenaline rush he had felt during the terrifying predicament of being under Kagome's wrath was too much for the monk to handle, and so he fainted; his mind losing consciousness as his body fell to the ground where Miroku lay still in a deep sleep. Shippo was now laughing uncontrollably to himself as he carefully held on to the camera while he waited for Inuyasha to return with Sango and Kirara. He couldn't wait to tell them of how Miroku had been scared out of his wits by none other than Kagome, something that neither Inuyasha nor Sango would ever expect. Shippo had seen Kagome lose her temper before and unleash her wrath on Inuyasha whenever the two of them quarrelled or when the half demon had accidentally done or said something to offend her which resulted in one or more loud and painful sit commands. This was the first time that the young fox demon had ever seen her become this angry or hostile towards someone else other than Inuyasha, and after witnessing such an event; he wouldn't be able to forget it now that it was burned into his memory.

"Honestly, when will Miroku ever change for the better?" Kagome asked, talking to herself quietly while she walked out of the village and into the forest where the well which connected this world and her world was located. "Naraku is dead, Sango finally has her brother back; this is his chance to make a move on her now that their troubles are behind them! And he's blowing it! He no longer has the curse of the wind tunnel in his hand, and yet all he can think about is getting laid! Ugh! If I didn't have all my homework to do, I could stay here and force Miroku to turn over a new leaf and come to grips with reality! And then Sango would finally see the side of him that she's always wanted to see! Afterwards, they would become the perfect romantic couple and live together forever! Ah, if only it were that simple and easy."

Upon reaching the Well, Kagome jumped down and arrived inside of it back at her own time. Seeing the ladder confirmed that she was home again and Kagome proceeded to climb up until she emerged from the well once she had arrived at the top. As she climbed, she kept on thinking of how she could possibly get Miroku to change in order to impress Sango so that the female demon slayer would accept him without any problems. But all her thoughts of Sango and Miroku together were shattered when she reached the top of the ladder and found her mother looking at her. Kagome suddenly remembered all of Inuyasha's warnings to stay home or hurry up to avoid getting in trouble; and right now for once she wished she had listened to the half demon as she realized she had crossed a line and broken a rule. Kagome took a deep breath in and out to prepare for the worst; there was no way she was getting out of this mess without facing consequences.

"Kagome, I told you that you aren't allowed to go to the feudal era until you've completed all of the schoolwork you missed." Mrs. Higurashi reminded her daughter before thinking of an appropriate punishment.

"Mom, I went there quickly and came back so I could operate your camera and show the video to my friends while Inuyasha was looking for someone." Kagome explained, hoping that her mother wouldn't be too harsh on her. "I was afraid that he might accidentally break it since he's really strong and that's why I went with him."

"You shouldn't have worried Kagome; I taught him how to operate my camera so that he could show your friends the video you recorded without you having to go." Mrs. Higurashi answered, making Kagome feel guiltier. "I'm not angry with you Kagome, but I have to ensure that you finish all of the schoolwork so you get caught up before the next semester starts. And in order to do that, you will stay home all day everyday for the rest of summer brake until you complete all of your assignments; and you can't have any of your classmates over here to help you either since this is something you have to accomplish on your own. Inuyasha can still visit you, and Michiru when ever he finds a way to return home safely; that's how it's going to be. Do you understand and promise to do as I ask from now on?"

"Yes Mom, I understand." Kagome answered reluctantly while she climbed out of the Well, not wanting to be punished any more than she was already. "And I promise you that I'll do as you ask from now on as well."

"Thank you Kagome, now it's late so you'd better go to bed and get some sleep so you can wake up bright and early to continue where you left off with your assignments." Mrs. Higurashi replied, glad to get this matter settled and out of the way as she surprised her daughter with a hug. "Oh and if Michiru calls again, you can still talk with him over the phone; just be sure that you don't take too much time away from your schoolwork."

"Okay, thanks Mom." Kagome said cheerfully, hugging her mother back as she was happy to be granted a little mercy."

Meanwhile back in the feudal era, Shippo was still laughing until the funny thoughts of Miroku's predicament had gone and made the young fox demon calm down as he yawned now that he was sleepy as well. The late night as well as laughing so hard for too long made Shippo very drowsy and he quickly fell asleep with the digital camera still resting in his hands as he lay on his back, breathing in and out quietly. Unbeknownst to Shippo, Miroku or Kagome, Inuyasha and Sango had already heard everything. The two of them had been talking with one another about how Inuyasha had faired with his task of asking Kagome whether or not she'd heard Michiru's farewell words before he was returned home. Once that short discussion was over, they were on their way back with Kirara when they suddenly heard Kagome start yelling; and that's when all three of them had hidden themselves behind Kaede's hut so that they wouldn't be seen. As they waited a few more moments to make sure that everything was going to stay quiet, they saw Kagome walk away at a quick pace which confirmed how angry she was at Miroku even after she vented on him with her kick and all the numerous slaps she had given him as well. Once the high school girl was out of sight and all they could hear were the snores of their two friends, the three of them came out of hiding and surveyed the situation in front of them.

"And I thought Kagome only lost her temper when ever she got mad at me, I don't think I've ever heard her yell like that before; let alone at Miroku. "Inuyasha commented quietly, crouching down to retrieve the digital camera from Shippo's hands. "Should we watch this first or wait until we've gone some place where the noise won't wake them?"

"Why don't we put Shippo and Miroku to bed first inside of Kaede's hut?" Sango suggested, gently lifting Shippo off of the ground so she could carry him inside. "You can show me after we go to the mysterious fields so we won't disturb them or the villagers with the noise."

"Sounds like a plan, I'll go to the Well just to make sure Kagome's gone back to her world and I'll be right back." Inuyasha replied. "Could you help Sango bring Miroku inside while I'm gone for a bit Kirara?" Could you help Sango bring Miroku inside while I'm gone for a bit?"

Kirara growled lightly in response, nodding at the same time to show Inuyasha that she understood his request. After thanking her, Inuyasha darted off towards the forest in order to find out whether or not Kagome had actually returned home. Sango was inside carefully placing Shippo inside of his bed and tucking him in with a blanket before coming out and lifting Miroku off of the ground. Kirara came up and lowered her head to help scoop up the sleeping monk so that Sango could lay him on the two-tail's back before they both trotted towards the doorway of Kaede's hut. Miraculously, Kirara was able to carefully squeeze herself through the doorway without breaking anything; this was probably due to her soft thick fur coat which covered her entire body and made her look larger or wider than she actually was. Once inside, Kirara walked over and lowered her head down so Sango could carefully drag Miroku's body off of the giant cat demon and on to his bed. After making sure that the monk was sleeping comfortably, Sango and Kirara went outside and made their way to the mysterious fields where they could both see Inuyasha standing as he patiently waited for them to arrive.

"Miroku and Shippo are both sleeping in their beds, everything is fine now." Sango said, waiting for Inuyasha's news.

"I would have picked up Kagome's scent if she were still around, so there's no doubt in my mind that she's returned home to her world; I only wished she would have stayed there to begin with so she wouldn't get in trouble with her mother." Inuyasha replied.

"I'm sure she'll be fine Inuyasha, Kagome can usually handle any situation." Sango said, trying to put Inuyasha at ease. "So, where's this video image you said you wanted to show me?"

"Oh right, I'll find it in a second." Inuyasha answered, holding the camera steady so that both of them could watch the screen as he turned it on and began looking for the video. "I was fortunate that Kagome's mother taught me how to operate it, otherwise Kagome would still be here so that she could show it and watch it with you. Okay, here it is. When Kagome recorded it for me, our voices were also included because we were talking back and forth when we both saw this for the first time. If you can, try to ignore our voices and just concentrate on what you can see with your eyes."

"Alright…" Sango replied as she watched and waited for the video to start.

The half demon and the demon slayer stood side by side as they both watched the video recording of the news broadcast together, they were fortunate that it was night time so that the darkness and stillness allowed them to see the images much better than in daylight. Inuyasha kept watching the video as he kept his hears and nose alert in case any demons or threats loomed nearby while they were standing still in the forest, but everything was fine as his demon senses told him that they weren't in any danger. Sango was watching quietly along with Kirara who had transformed into her tiny form so that she could perch herself on the demon slayer's shoulder and watch the camera screen as well, neither of them uttering a sound except for their breathing which was slow so that they could concentrate on the video footage that Inuyasha was showing them. Sango's heart lifted as she saw a glimpse of who she thought was Michiru running along the ground with his new friends from the far away country she had been told about during the previous night when Inuyasha had come to visit and tell everyone of Michiru and his predicament regarding Sounga and so on. When the image changed, Sango gasped when she saw Michiru hanging upside down from the top of the thirty-story building which Inuyasha had mentioned during when the Kururugi boy had experienced a battle with a giant monster named Stay Puft.

"Sorry Inuyasha, it just sort of slipped out." Sango whispered apologetically, trying to calm down as she continued watching.

"Try not to worry Sango, Kagome and I both know that Michiru is doing just fine." Inuyasha said quietly in a comforting manner, trying to reassure Sango that there wasn't anything to worry about.

Sango nodded in response, and she already knew that the battle she was now watching had taken place over a day ago in the modern world where Kagome and Michiru both lived in. But she just couldn't help but feel worried and concerned for the young man who had befriended her during the previous travels throughout the feudal era, especially now that she saw the terrifying predicament he was faced with during this battle with the giant colossal monster who was presently below Michiru and trying to climb up and attack him. As she continued to watch, she was just as afraid for Michiru as she had been for Kohaku when ever his life was threatened, whether it was during one of Naraku's schemes or in any situation which bordered on this level of danger that she was watching now. Her eyes widened with more fear as she saw the waves of little hideous looking creatures slither upwards to attack the lone Shikigami user one after the other as Michiru did his best to defend himself and the young woman whom he was trying to hold and prevent from falling. Sango was suddenly reminded of the incident on Asagiri Island when he had stood his ground to protect her from Utsugi and Kagura, this image she was seeing now only proved that the boy she knew had indeed grown into a warrior over time who refused to back down from danger in order to protect others who were unable to protect themselves.

By now, Sango could see that Michiru had helped the woman he had saved get on top of his shoulder and that she was starting to climb upwards to safety. But her relief was gone once Stay Puft's attack caused the female stranger to lose her grip on the belt and slid back down, striking Michiru in the process which caused Sango to gasp again as she held her hands in front of her mouth to stop herself from making any more cries. As the third wave of monsters was approaching, Sango found out that Michiru's weaponry had stopped working and that he was now defenceless against these menacing foes; it was only a matter of moments before they were close enough to attack him now. Suddenly without warning, Michiru called upon his magic and combined his "Light of Judgement" attack spell with the modern weapon which he had been given by the Ghostbusters and lit up the area with an awesome display of bright lights and colours as all of his opponents below him were vanquished in a matter of seconds; the giant marshmallow monster along with his smaller minions were all annihilated and the colossal being burst apart in a massive explosion after an agonizing cry echoes throughout the dark sky. Sango could hardly belief her eyes, the Shikigami user had won and survived a battle against so many deadly opponents; not to mention saving the life of another human being while being stuck hanging above his enemies from such a perilous height.

After breathing a sigh of relief, Sango watched the next image in which a man was informing everyone about another incident which was similar in some way and yet different in others since the demon slayer could plainly see that the location was different and that it was now day time instead of night when the previous battle had occurred. She could hear numerous voices cheering excitedly and when the man moved out of the way, the image zoomed in on four people walking down some stone steps in front of a large building. This time, she could clearly see a close up image of Michiru's face as the young boy walked down, waving back at the people who were cheering at him and his new friends. Sango saw that Michiru had a smile on his face, and that made her feel warm inside now that she truly saw he was perfectly alright and unhurt after the dangerous predicament she'd seen him in just moments before. Although she knew he didn't have a way to return home yet or to the feudal era, she was still very happy for his sake now that he was safe living and working with some foreign people who had generously taken him in and given him help at a time when he most needed it. The video ended with Kagome's little joke about how all the girls over where Michiru was might be interested in him and how Miroku would be so jealous of Michiru for all the attention he would get if that were actually true, at first Inuyasha was a little worried about how Sango would react after hearing that little comment; but another look at the demon slayer's face told him that she wasn't phased for bothered by it.

"That's it Sango, I hope you weren't frightened or troubled at all by what you saw." Inuyasha said, turning off the camera.

"No Inuyasha." Sango replied with a serious face as she turned to look at the half demon. "I'm glad that you showed me this, I needed to see it for myself; I just couldn't imagine everything you told me during Myoga's visit to be true. Seeing all of that really opened my eyes, now I have a better idea of what Michiru is going through; and I…wish I could help him in some way even though I can't travel back and forth through the Bone Eater's well like you and Kagome can."

"Hey, don't feel bad about not being able to help." Inuyasha countered. "The next time I'm talking with Michiru on the phone at Kagome's house, I'll tell him that you said you wish you could help him in some way. Believe me when I say this Sango; I know Michiru will feel so much better when he hears me say those words to him on your behave. As long as he knows you still care for him, that's probably the best morale boost he could ever get, and I'll do my part and pass on any message that he might have just for you; so keep your chin up because you can count on me."

"Thank you Inuyasha." Sango replied with a smile, not feeling so far away from Michiru now as she did in the morning.

"Alright, I'm going to Kagome's world so I can return this camera to her mother; I'll probably stay the night as well so I'll see you and Kirara when I come back." Inuyasha said, preparing to leave. "Have a good sleep and enjoy tomorrow morning when it arrives."

"We will, good night Inuyasha." Sango replied, just before the half demon departed and headed off towards the forest where he could use the Bone Eater's well to travel back to Kagome's world.

Once the two of them were alone, Kirara transformed into her fighting form and walked beside Sango as the two of them headed back to Kaede's hut where they would go to bed; Sango was now in a happier mood than she had been this morning so Kirara was glad that her human companion was doing much better after being shown those images of Michiru thanks to Inuyasha and Kagome. Once they arrived at Kaede's hut, Sango came to a halt; obviously deep in thought since she wasn't going inside where she could sleep. The demon slayer was thinking about Michiru and how all those battles he had experienced in the feudal era in addition to the times when the two of them had practiced combat training had really paid off in preparing the Kururugi boy for being mysteriously sent to a foreign country far away where he would have to fight against many opponents which were different than the demons she was used to fighting, but were still just as dangerous. Although she still felt worried about having to choose between Michiru and Miroku, at least Inuyasha was able to confirm that Kagome had no knowledge of the matter; the last thing the demon slayer needed was to be interrogated by Kagome and that was a confrontation she especially feared since she knew how much Kagome wanted to see her and Miroku together.

"Sorry Kirara, I was thinking to myself just now." Sango said, being brought back to reality by Kirara who was gently nuzzling the side of her waist while purring affectionately. "I know it's late, let's go to bed now and get some sleep; we've got another day ahead of us tomorrow."

And with that, Kirara transformed back into her tiny form and followed her master inside where they quickly and quietly prepared themselves to go to sleep. Sango got into her bed which was conveniently placed right beside Kohaku so that she would be close to him in case her younger brother needed her attention, Kirara came over and crawled inside of the blanket; poking her head out in order to breath in the fresh night air as she snuggled up to Sango's side. Within a few minutes, the two of them slowly relaxed themselves and slowly fell asleep as their minds eventually drifted off to that wonderful place where dreams are made. As the night went on, everyone continued to sleep peacefully without a sound except for when they breathed softly; completely unconscious and undisturbed. Kirara awoke for a moment and noticed that a small tear was trickling down Sango's cheek even though her eyes were shut, and so before sleep took her again; the tiny two-tail gently nuzzled it away with her snout before giving the demon slayer a small lick where the tear had run down in order to clear up her face.

Meanwhile, back in the modern era in Manhattan which was far away from Tokyo; Michiru and the Ghostbusters were just sitting themselves down to enjoy a late lunch which Ilyssa and Janine had both prepared for everyone. It was currently 12:40p.m. on November 21st and the afternoon had just started forty minutes ago, things were actually going quite well for the day even though everyone was having lunch a little late. Once the hilarious scheme which Ray and Winston had hatched with Ilyssa's help was over and everyone was done fooling around after having a good laugh, Michiru and the Ghostbusters were busy for the remainder of the morning as they were each installing some upgraded equipment attachments to each of their proton packs which Egon had built for them. The tall scientist acted like a school instructor, talking them through each step of how to properly hook up the new components in a safe manner as he showed them with his own pack unit. Each of the other Ghostbusters, including Egon went to have a shower when ever the washroom was available so that all of them would be prepared for the day and for the evening. By the time Egon's lecture was over with and everyone had their equipment upgraded, all the Ghostbusters were showered and ready for what ever events the day had in store for them.

While they were busy at the other end of the lab working on this task, Ilyssa and Janine were tidying up the kitchen since Michiru had made breakfast for them and everyone else. They also wanted to do this in order to ensure that the guys wouldn't touch any of the leftovers which were supposed to be off limits until supper time that day since the Ghostbusters had an important paranormal engagement to attend at the Museum during the exhibition opening Gala later tonight where Ilyssa also needed to be as well. Now that the kitchen was cleaned up and lunch was served on the table, Janine announced for everyone to go wash hands before coming over to sit down; and she made Michiru laugh by using a kitchen towel to playfully whip at all of them as they each walked passed the table and made their way to the washroom where they could wash up. Ilyssa joined in and playfully whipped a towel at Michiru who continued to laugh even though he was being targeted by the leather clad beauty as she encouraged him to get a move on and hurry back to eat the lunch that she and Janine had made. A few minutes later, all the guys returned to the kitchen; shaking their heads as they exchanged funny grins and looks with the two ladies who motioned for them to sit down after their little moment of playful fun was over.

"This food looks great ladies, thanks very much." Winston said gratefully as everyone sat down in the same seats they had taken during breakfast earlier in the day. "Too bad every work day can't be like today or last night, I would love that."

"I know I'd enjoy that. How about you Mitch, would you like everyday as enjoyable and easy going as today?" Venkman added.

"Oh, well…I suppose it would be nice to have every work day as relaxing as this one is." Michiru replied, scratching the back of his head as he was thinking that it was pleasant even though he eventually wanted to go back to Japan so he would get any of his American friends in serious trouble. "I can't really say for certain since I've only been working here for a day and a half or so."

"Believe me Mitch, if you've done this kind of work as long as we have; you'd wish every day was just like this one." Ray said.

"What is this Janine? Venkman asked, looking at the full plate in front of him.

"Honestly Dr. Venkman, do you have any brains at all inside that head of yours?" Janine countered, making everyone laugh quietly for a moment. "Its potato salad, and in case you don't know what else is on your plate; beside it is a chicken sandwich and a hotdog."

"Thanks Janine, I never would have been able to guess what the other foods on my plate were." Venkman countered with a hint of sarcasm. "But don't stop there; aren't you going to tell me what the ingredients are so I know I won't die from food poisoning?"

"Now why would I ever want to poison you Dr. Venkman?" Janine asked, turning to face Venkman and stare him down in a glare.

"Why don't you tell me?" Venkman countered, thinking that the red haired office secretary wouldn't be able to come up with a comeback.

"If eating them bothers you that much Venkman, you could always feed your lunch to Slimer; and if he doesn't like it than you'll know it isn't safe for you to eat." Michiru countered, hoping that his intervention would close the matter between Venkman and Janine.

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!" Ray burst out loud, followed by Winston while Janine and Ilyssa both giggled at their young friend's humorous remark. "Slimer will eat anything Peter, and even if it's been poisoned; he won't die or suffer from it because he's a ghost! HA! HA! HA! HA!"

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Oh man, that was priceless." Winston said, calming down after laughing with Ray.

"Does anyone want some lemonade?" Ilyssa asked, holding a large pitcher in her hand looking around until she glanced at Michiru who was too embarrassed to ask because of the adorable smile she was giving him as she poured the teenager a glass.

"Uh, thank you Ilyssa." Michiru replied, trying to hide his embarrassment.

"You're welcome." Ilyssa answered with a smile before turning to serve the others. "Anyone else like some?"

"Yeah please…thanks." Ray replied, needing a drink in order to calm himself down from laughing too hard.

"Winston?" Michiru asked. "Could you pass the mustard bottle over once you're done with it please?"

"No problem Mitch." Winston replied, holding it over across the table Michiru to take since he just finished using it.

"Thanks." Michiru replied, taking it so he could squirt some mustard on his hotdog before eating it.

"Now that we're all here for lunch, I propose we discuss what we're going to be doing between now and this evening; the opening Gala is scheduled tonight so we all have to be done any work we have before going over to attend that function." Egon suggested, before drinking from his glass. "Do you know what time the Gala begins at the Museum Ilyssa?"

"No, I'm afraid not." Ilyssa shook her head. "That Peck guy was supposed to inform me when it is scheduled to start, but so far I haven't received any information from him; or the Mayor."

"Oh that's right, I almost forgot; Peck called shortly after breakfast to confirm your arrival at the Museum tonight." Venkman explained, drawing everyone's attention. "I told him to call back in six hours because you were having a free for all tickling match with Mitch and I didn't want to spoil your fun seeing as how you were having such a good time with our Experimental Equipment Technician here."

"How did Peck take it?" Michiru asked, wondering how Peck could have possibly responded to a story like that.

"I really couldn't tell you, I hung up on him because he was accusing me of joking around." Venkman answered, causing everyone to chuckle.

"Well of course Peck would accuse you of joking around Peter, out of all of us; he hates you most of all." Ray commented with a grin.

"Moving on then, I'll continue where I left off; studying the Gozerian Codex that we recovered from the Library yesterday." Egon continued in order to get everyone back on track. "Michiru, you'll stay here in the lab so you can try and dig up any research information about your magic powers; Ilyssa will stay to help you out since she's a well educated research specialist. Janine, take charge of the office downstairs for the afternoon and evening. Ray, Winston, Venkman; the three of you are on stand by to deal with any ghost encounters in case any paranormal activities occur during the afternoon before we go to the Museum. Does anyone have any questions?"

"Um, yes Egon." Saya answered, emerging from the middle of the table and giving everyone a quick scare by suddenly appearing. "Where would you like me to be and what would you like me to do?"

"Hmm, I'm afraid I don't really have a use for you Saya." Egon answered regretfully.

"Pardon me Egon, but Saya could always help Ilyssa and me with our research." Michiru suggested, not wanting his old spiritual friend to feel left out. "He is the spirit of Sounga's sheath and he is from the feudal era as well, so I'm sure he could help us find hunt for clues we might need to answer any questions about my Shikigami powers."

"Very well then, I accept your suggestion." Egon replied, causing Saya to smile with joy.

"I'd better give Peck a call and find out the exact time for when the Gala starts tonight so I can be ready to go there without being late." Ilyssa said.

"There's no rush Ilyssa, you can call him back after you've eaten lunch with us." Janine said, not wanting the woman to rush herself.

"I concur; we don't want you pushing yourself too hard since you need to be wide awake and refreshed when you attend the Gala as the guest curator for the new Gozer exhibit that's opening tonight." Winston added.

"No need to worry, I won't be pushing myself at all today." Ilyssa replied before eating a spoonful of potato salad.

"Ray, what motivated you guys to become Ghostbusters and start your own private paranormal business?" Michiru asked curiously.

"I'll do my best to recall what I can since it happened quite a few years ago, it all started when we encountered our very first spiritual entity which was in fact the Gray Lady." Ray answered as he began to explain.

Everyone listened intently as Ray talked about how he, Egon and Venkman saw a ghost for the first time in their lives at the same Public Library where Michiru and the Ghostbusters had fought and defeated Azetlor just yesterday. Unfortunately, the three of them lost their jobs working at a University and that's when they decided to create the Ghostbusters business in order to investigate paranormal activities and catch or eliminate any harmful spiritual entities which caused any disturbances or chaos in the mortal world of the living. Shortly after purchasing the firehouse to act as their base of operations as well as their home, they also bought a car which they transformed into their famous Ecto-1 vehicle. Janine was hired as their office secretary and on her first day she doubted that their business would survive, let alone boom. The first ghost that they were able to successfully catch with their new and untested proton packs was Slimer who had been stuffing his face full of food and drinking alcoholic beverages until he was tracked down and imprisoned within one of their traps at the Sedgwick Hotel where Michiru's first job was outside of the Firehouse. During some parts of the story, everyone was allowed to laugh and comment; Egon and Venkman even joined in and added their own memorable moments which made Ray's tale even more entertaining for those who were listening as everyone continued eating lunch.

"That was a really great story Ray." Michiru said as he laughed, having enjoyed it so much that he would never forget it.

"I'm very glad you liked it, Winston became a member of our team shortly after business was booming because there weren't enough Ghostbusters to do all the work." Ray answered back as he checked his watch for the time. "Lunch is over and it's is just after 1:00p.m.; we need to get going."

"Alright, let's tidy up the kitchen and make sure everything is clean before we all go to work." Ilyssa said, trying to lead by example even though she was new here.

After everyone pitched in together and cleaned up the kitchen area, making sure all foods and drinks were put away in the fridge along with wiping up the table and putting all dirty dishes in the dishwasher; each person left the area and went to go perform his or her assigned jobs for the afternoon. Janine returned to the office to continue with the daily paperwork and monitor any phone calls and faxes while Egon stayed at the kitchen to read and study the Codex. Ray, Winston and Venkman went downstairs to do some routine maintenance work on Ecto-1 together and to monitor the containment unit imprisoning all the captured ghosts and spiritual entities located further down in the basement below the main floor. Michiru was sitting in front of a computer located to the left of the large tall shelves which had various tools and pieces of equipment stored on it, while Ilyssa sat herself at another facing the shelves and the wall just five or six feet away; she had just finished calling Peck and confirming that she had to be at the Gala no later than 9:30 at night. The two of them had activated both machines and were just starting to search online in the hopes of finding any leads that could uncover any useful information. In order to make more progress, both Michiru and Ilyssa agreed to each search for a different subject so that they could piece together information from various leads even though the two of them were just making estimated guesses to find out anything in regards to the teenage boy's magical powers.

"Michiru, I've found out that Shikigami is the Japanese term for a supernatural spiritual entity which is summoned to assist witches and wizards during their practices of magic." Ilyssa explained, drawing Michiru's attention. "In Europe they are referred to as either familiar spirits or just familiars which can appear in various guises such as animals and sometimes human looking figures, having bright or striking colours and animated movements and sounds. Their main purpose is to serve the witch or wizard and in most cases, they are usually summoned by the magical practitioner when ever their assistance is needed for casting magic."

"Good job Ilyssa. That explains why I can see an animal form each time when ever I cast a certain Shikigami spell." Michiru replied as he carefully scanned the data he had just found while Saya hovered above his left shoulder. "I've been looking for clues about the bright red star shaped pentagram that always appears beneath my feet when ever I use my magic and I think I just found something interesting; it spins counter clockwise when I cast my Light of Judgement spell. Don't you remember seeing it when I cast it and defeated Stay Puft while we were hanging from the top of the thirty-story building?"

"Yes I did." Ilyssa answered, moving her chair over so she could seat herself down beside the Kururugi boy who evidently found a good lead. "What did you find?"

"Take a look at this diagram here, it's a representation of the Chinese elements; Fire, Earth, Metal, Water, and Wood. You can see that all of these elements are arranged evenly apart from each other in a circle and on the inside, the overcoming interaction shown by these five arrows here make a perfectly drawn star just like the red pentagram that I see when I cast my magic." Michiru explained, pointing at the diagram. "According to the article about Taoism beside it, Wood is at the top point of the star, and Fire on the right side point. Earth on the bottom right point, Metal on the bottom left point, and Water on the left side point. The curving arrows forming a circle outside of the star represent the generating interaction and each cycle between all five of the elements which go in a clockwise direction; Wood feeds Fire, Fire makes Earth, Earth bears Metal, Metal collects Water, and Water nourishes Wood. The destructive interaction goes in a counter clockwise direction because the cycles are different; Wood absorbs Water, Water rusts Metal, Metal breaks Earth, Earth smothers Fire, and Fire burns Wood. My "Light of Judgement" attack is a spell made for destruction, and that's why the pentagram spins counter clockwise."

"Wow, great job Michiru." Ilyssa said, smiling with joy as she continued reading. "Look at the overcoming interaction taking place inside of the circle, it's also called the controlling cycle; Wood breaks Earth, Earth absorbs Water, Water douses Fire, Fire melts Metal, and Metal splits Wood. Lets scroll down to see what other diagrams and pictures there are."

"Wait a minute; isn't that drawing there the same as the pentagram you're always seeing when you cast your magic?" Saya asked, hovering in front of the computer as well right between Michiru and Ilyssa and just above their shoulders which were very close to touching if either of them moved slightly.

"Yes it is Saya." Michiru answered, looking at it after he stopped scrolling down with the mouse. "Its not coloured red, but you're absolutely right; the shape is an exact match."

"This section basically describes the different representations that this particular pentagram is used for when referring to a different religion." Ilyssa said, taking a quick read of the paragraphs. "See at the bottom of the last paragraph, it mentions the pentagram's origin to the Chinese five element philosophy you found as the natural balance between Fire, Earth, Metal, Water, and Wood. At the top of the last paragraph it says that the inside star of the pentagram represents the four elements; Earth, Fire, Air, and Water, with a spirit as a fifth and the circle binds them together to create life."

"Wait; up here it mentions that the each of the vertices of the pentagram represent the four elements and that the spirit is located at the uppermost point of the star." Michiru replied, moving the mouse pad to reposition the arrow on the screen. "The word Elements is highlighted, let's click on it and see what happens.

"Look down in the table of contents; it says a section titled Japanese elements." Ilyssa pointed out excitedly, watching the arrow move and click what she had found. "Japanese traditions use a set of elements; Earth, Fire, Water, Wind/Air and Void which came from Buddhist beliefs. The Chinese five elements are also prominent in Japanese culture. Earth represents things that were solid, Water represents things that were liquid and Fire represents things that destroy; no surprise there. Air represents things that moved and Spirit represents things not of everyday life, they must mean something not of the ordinary or mortal world."

"Wait, you said Void." Michiru responded suddenly. "The wooden boards which made up the floor of my family's storage shed were rotten and when I fell through them, I suddenly found myself falling through a magical void which was located directly beneath my feet and that's how I was summoned back in time to feudal Japan. And according to this list of elements here, Air represents things that move, I vanished into thin air as I was surrounded by a magical light just moments before I was teleported back home to the exact moment I had left the modern era from. Perhaps air is the only element out of the four that can move through time, it's understandable since a person would still need air in order to breathe while they're travelling through a void. What do you think Ilyssa?"

"I don't really know Mitch; your guess is as good as mine." Ilyssa answered. "Let's check out Japanese philosophy, its highlighted right there."

"Alright then, let's see what we find." Michiru replied, clicking the words. "The following five elements are listed below in ascending order of power; Earth, Fire, Wind, Water, and Void. Earth represents the hard and solid objects of the world, stones are the most basic example because they are highly resistant to movement or change as anything is influenced by Earth. Bones and muscles inside people represent Earth, and in terms of emotion; earth is represented by stubbornness, stability, physicality and gravity. Inside of the mind, earth is represented by confidence and emotionally; it is the human desire to have things remain as they are or to resist change. Under the influence of this mood, a person is aware of their own physicality and sureness of action. I wonder if that also refers to a choice that a person may have made and that they are sure they have made the right choice because they are aware of the outcome or consequences that result from it."

"That sounds like a reasonable hypothesis Michiru, interesting that each element can be represented not only in its natural form but also inside of a person's body and mind as well." Ilyssa said before continuing to read where the young man had left off. "Fire represents the energetic, forceful, and moving things in the world. Animals, particularly predatory animals are primary examples of Fire objects because they have the freedom of movement and are full of forceful energy. In reference to a person's body, metabolism and body heat represent Fire and inside of the mind; Fire is represented by passion and drive. Fire can also be associated with desire, motivation, intention and having an outgoing spirit. Besides the obvious physical examples of heat and flames, lightning can also be thought of as an extension of Fire."

"That's it, Ilyssa!" Michiru cut in excitedly after hearing her words. "That's why when ever I cast my "Raging Flame", "Grieving Flame", and "Flame of Judgement" spells; my Shikigami that assists me takes on the form of a lion because it's a predatory animal which is represented by Fire. The white serpentine dragon that helps me when ever I cast my "Light of Judgement" spell is also a predatory creature, and if you remember seeing me cast that spell to destroy Stay Puft; lots of lightning bolts appeared and massacred all of his minions in addition to the flaming magical proton stream that came out of my positron collier when I combined my magic with my proton pack. Although my "Protective Light" spell is used to increase the defensive stamina and energy of myself and my companions in order to provide more protection from an enemy attack, it still has to be associated to Fire since the Shikigami is also a white serpentine dragon and that when I invoke my magic; I say "Oh brightly burning Light." Burning is what flames and fires do, so that has to make sense."

"We're certainly making progress; you'll be on your way home by the end of the month at this rate." Saya said encouragingly as he watched Michiru jot everything he deemed to be important on a sheet of blank lined paper. "You don't have to write down absolutely everything, we can print off what we've found here and avoid tiring your hand out; I've seen Janine and Ilyssa do that yesterday downstairs in the office while you were at the Library hunting and catching ghosts."

"Don't worry Saya, I'm just writing down all the theories I've just come up with in regards to my Shikigami spells; only what I've deduced after summarizing what I've read here and piecing everything together with all that I know about my spells along with each of the Shikigami that appear when ever I cast them." Michiru replied, finishing up quickly so that they could continue researching together. "Wind represents things that grow, expand, and enjoy freedom of movement; examples are Air, Fog, Mist, Smoke, etc. In some ways, wind can be represented by the human mind because as a person grows physically; their mind also grows mentally with knowledge as they learn more from experience. Wind can also be represented by a person's breathing and internal respiration, mentally and emotionally, Wind represents an open minded attitude and carefree feeling. It can also be associated with a person's will, elusiveness, evasion, benevolence, compassion, and wisdom."

Don't you have any spells or Shikigami that can relate to Air or Wind Michiru?" Ilyssa asked curiously.

"Well, only the green bird can be related to Wind or Air seeing as how it can fly through it." Michiru answered. "My "Sealed Blue Sky", "Blue Sky Confusion", and "Blue Sky Calamity" spells are the three that the Green Bird Shikigami assists me with when ever I cast one of them. Only my "Blue Sky of Confusion" spell could possibly be related to Wind because when the spell is cast, the Green Bird appears and transforms into a dense cloud of green mist that rises from the ground around an enemy or enemies and obscures their vision temporarily so that they can't attack since their vision is impaired and they can't tell the difference between friend or foe. Now the spell doesn't always work when ever I cast it, so it's rather a game of chance in order to see whether or not an opponent is affected by it. I can say from experience that it never works on powerful opponents like Naraku or his incarnations, but most of the time, its effective against demons with little real magic power or those that rely on brute strength and force in order to fight."

"Oh well, not to worry." Saya commented before reading the next bit. "Water is represented by flowing, fluids and formless things in this world; rivers and so on. Plants are also representations of water because of the fact that they adapt to their surrounding environment and to the changing seasons, growing and changing according to the direction of the Sun from which they draw energy to live. Bodily fluids and blood are represented by water just as mental or emotional tendencies towards change or adaptation. Water can be associated with emotion, adaptability, defensiveness, flexibility, suppleness, and magnetism."

"That makes sense, my "Great River Offering" and Great River Blessing" spells both summon a Shikigami in the form of a red coloured fish surrounded by blue flowing water; and the beginning words for casting both spells are "Oh Overflowing Mighty River." Michiru explained, "Both of those spells are used to recover or supply a person or person with energy and stamina when ever they are weak or deficient, I had to use those spells when ever my companions ran out of various items that we frequently consumed in order to keep our strength up during the countless battles we had to fight as we travelled together throughout Feudal Japan."

"I'll read the information on the final element." Ilyssa said, looking carefully before she spoke out loud. "Void, also meaning sky or Heaven; represents those things which do not reside in everyday life or in the ordinary world of mortal living creatures, they exist beyond the ordinary world and are composed of pure energy. In regards to the human body, it represents the spirit, thought, and creative energy. Void represents our ability to think, communicate, as well as our creative energy which can also be associated with power, creativity, spontaneity, and inventiveness. Void is by far the most important element because it resides high above all the others. In fictional tales, where fighting discipline can be blended with magic, one invokes the power of the Void to connect with the quintessential creative energy of the world. A warrior properly attuned with the Void can sense their surroundings and react without thinking or relying on their physical senses."

"I wonder if Utsugi ever had that kind of power, he was able to completely protect himself from my attacks back when the two of us fought against each other as enemies before I even found out that he was my great ancestor." Michiru said, thinking carefully. "The quintessential creative energy of the world, which could also be the spiritual energy within all living creatures in the Universe which is where my Shikigami power comes from."

"I really couldn't say Michiru, you and you alone know more about your Shikigami magic compared with the rest of us which means that you are the only one capable of finding out all the answers for yourself." Saya commented. "This is only the first day, so I'd say we're doing quite well."

"Only time will tell Saya, we still have to figure out whether or not I can learn to successfully conjure up a spell thanks to this new information which we've found together, but studying will have to come first since we only have theories to work with right now." Michiru replied, thinking about how he could possibly use what he had found to find a way back home.

"Oh come on Michiru, don't give up so easily." Ilyssa said, playfully smacking the boy on the back of the head before running her fingers through his hair and gently moving her hand from side to side almost as if she was petting him like a person would do to a house pet. "You have very soft hair, messy…but soft…like a puppy's fur."

"Please stop that Ilyssa, I'm not a puppy." Michiru countered, turning his head to look at her and demanding that she stop her playful action. "And I never said I was giving up."

"I was only giving you a compliment Michiru, and I was speaking metaphorically." Ilyssa countered with a smile, removing her hand and lowering it back down to her side. "So what do you intend to do if you aren't giving up? Do you have some sort of plan?"

"I'll let you know after I've thought it through and found the right words to use in order to explain it to you." Michiru answered, looking at Ilyssa in the eyes as if he was trying to convince her that he wasn't lying or keeping any secrets from her.

"I'll hold you to that, I'm going downstairs for a few minutes just to see how Janine and the others are doing so don't try anything until I get back." Ilyssa said with a wink, getting up from her chair and walking away in the direction of the staircase.

"Wait a moment Ilyssa." Egon called out as he got up from his chair to catch up to the young woman before she went down the stairs. "Janine and I recorded a video of your little prank with Ray, Winston and Michiru from this morning. Would you like to watch it while you're downstairs?"

"Sure, that'd be great." Ilyssa answered back quietly so Michiru wouldn't overhear them and find out about that little embarrassing and entertaining experience had been recorded on camera. "Show me once we get down to the main floor at the office, I know Janine will probably want to watch it too."

"Saya, if I can't find or create a spell that allows us to return to Japan in a flash, then I'll have no choice but to use Sounga and fly back the way we came." Michiru whispered, hoping that the wise old spirit would understand his reasons. "I can't stay here forever and I put everyone else in danger as long as I'm staying and living inside of the Firehouse with Ilyssa, Janine, and the Ghostbusters."

"But you remember how dangerous it was the last time you flew on it, your arm was injured and you narrowly avoided being brought under its control." Saya protested, not wanting to go through another experience like that again. "Even if you could call upon your Shikigami powers to protect you again, you still won't be able to navigate or figure out how to steer the sword in order to travel on the correct course that will take us home to Japan. It's too dangerous, Ilyssa would agree with me; please don't attempt to try it again."

"I never said I was going to try it now this minute, I only implied that I would use that option as a last resort and in the event of an emergency that leaves us with no other alternatives available." Michiru countered, trying to calm down his old spiritual friend. "Please keep this to yourself and don't tell the others, especially Ilyssa; I don't want her worrying about me anymore than she is already. As I said before, my presence endangers them and I don't want any of them going to jail because of me; I'd take the risk of flying away and enduring any pain that I'll have to bear in order to prevent that from happening. They've all done so much for me already, they've kept my identity a secret, and they've given me a temporary place to stay as well as daily meals and a job. And now that Peck is sticking his nose into our business, I have to consider the possibility that my true identity could be discovered, so that's why I have to be ready. I have to grab my things at a moments notice, I have to get Sounga and then fly away from here before anyone can accuse my friends of harbouring an illegal immigrant. Otherwise, we'll all be thrown in jail and Sounga could fall into the wrong hands unless we get away before being caught. You're the spirit of Sounga's sheath, so you out of everyone else must understand this don't you Saya?"

Saya was trying to think of the words to dissuade his human friend from even considering such a drastic course of action, but after listening to everything Michiru just said, he reluctantly realized that the Kururugi boy was right. As dangerous and suicidal as the alternative might be, it was the last possible means that they both had to use as an escape if anything wrong or bad were to happen. Sounga could not fall into the wrong hands, especially since there were no strong demons around to subdue Sounga's willpower; which meant that anyone possessing the evil demonic sword would go on a killing spree with no one to stop them until every last man, woman, and child on the face of the earth was dead. The evil spirit of Sounga would like nothing more than to accomplish that very goal which would result in so much blood and death unless the sword was returned to the Feudal Era where Inuyasha dwells, and in order to get there; both Michiru and Saya would have to get Sounga back home to Japan first. While the young Shikigami user and his old spiritual friend were sitting quietly thinking silently to themselves for five minutes or more, Ilyssa returned and noticed that Michiru was drawing out a pentagram on to another scrap piece of paper and writing down various notes underneath which lead her to believe that the young man was up to something.

"So Michiru, have you thought of some new magic spell thanks to our successful researching?" Ilyssa asked curiously, wanting to know what the Kururugi boy was planning.

"I suppose you could say that Ilyssa, I think I may have found a way to travel back and forth in time; but I won't know for sure until after I've tested a theory that I've only just come up with." Michiru answered. "I'm going to need a large sheet of paper so I can draw a pentagram on it that's wide enough for me to stand on, I don't really feel comfortable with drawing on the floor of the building in case my spell backfires."

"Just a minute Michiru, you're not going to be time travelling anywhere unless I come with you." Ilyssa said catching Michiru off guard and making him stand up from his chair to face her.

"But Ilyssa, if it doesn't work then you could be lost with me. I don't want that to happen, far better that one of us gets lost in time than two of us together; especially since I'm an illegal alien." Michiru protested, suddenly causing Ilyssa to rush forward and wrap her arms around the unprepared teenager in a tight hug.

"Don't say that Michiru!" Ilyssa said in a sharp tone before softening her voice, still holding the boy in her arms as if she was afraid to lose him. "You're still a great friend and I don't ever want to lose you, I promised that I would do everything I could to help you get home safely and I intend to keep that promise. I can't even begin to imagine how worried your parents must be feeling right now, and your friends from Feudal Japan also wouldn't want you to stay trapped over here; we're both in this together and that's how it's going to be. Regardless of the fact that you're an illegal foreigner or that you have magical abilities, you're still just a fifteen year old boy; you shouldn't be the one taking all the risks here. I'm twice your age and I'm an adult so I should be the one watching out for you, you saved my life three times in one night so now its my turn to watch out for you if you're really serious about testing your magic here. I'm sure that Sango and your other friends wouldn't want you putting your life at risk all by yourself either, so let me travel with you and that way I can be there to help you out if things don't go according to plan. Please?"

"Alright, I'm sorry Ilyssa." Michiru answered apologetically, feeling guilty for forgetting how worried she was along with his friends and family who were far away in Japan. "I don't want you to worry so much, I'm already worried about you and the others going to jail all because of me being here; especially now that Peck is poking his nose into the Ghostbusters' affairs. I know I'm not an adult, but I have to try and act like one since I'm in a really tough predicament here; being stuck in a foreign country and all."

"Hey, just because you're in a tough predicament doesn't mean you have to solve it all by yourself." Ilyssa said, backing up and cupping Michiru's face with both hands as she leaned down to level her head with his. "I'm part of the Ghostbusters just like you are and that means we're both on the same team, even though I'm just an office assistant. Do you agree with me?"

"Yes Ilyssa, I agree with you and I'm glad to have you as both my friend and my co-worker." Michiru responded as he smiled back at the leather clad beauty that was cheerfully looking at him with a sweet smile on her face.

"Okay then." Ilyssa replied, lightly pinching both of Michiru's cheeks with her hands before quickly petting his hair as she giggled. "Let's get back to where we left off before anything unexpected work comes up."

"Before we begin casting any magic spells, I'd like to quickly use Egon's scanning machine just to watch a memory of when I was transported to the Feudal era." Michiru said, walking around one of the lab tables to get to the far end of the room where the two of them had each undergone tests yesterday morning with Egon and the Ghostbusters shortly before they were visited by the Mayor and Peck. "I'll turn on the machine and get the helmet ready if you would be so kind as to set up the tripod with the camera suspended on it."

"Not a problem Michiru, just give me a second." Ilyssa replied, wheeling the tripod out into the middle of the area where she could aim and lock it in place. "Okay, the tripod is ready and the camera is switched on, I just have to go get your notes from the table."

"Wait Ilyssa, you didn't secure the camera! Saya warned in a panicked voice, catching the camera about halfway and stopping it from sliding down the tripod any further. "Whew! That was close; almost fell down all the way. Now if only I could get it to slide back up to the top again."

"Hold on Saya, keep pointing the camera at me without moving it anymore." Michiru said once the helmet was strapped on his head, looking at a peculiar image appearing on the screen after realizing that they had accidentally stumbled upon an important discovery. "I think I've just found something very strange and unusual so steady the camera for a minute or two."

"What ever have you found this time Michiru?" Saya asked curiously, floating over to watch after he had finished securing the camera in place on the tripod shortly before Ilyssa returned as well.

"Oh my, that's a neat looking image." Ilyssa stated, looking in awe at the screen from the scanning machine. "What exactly is that Michiru?"

"I…don't know." Michiru answered, captivated by the image as well. "It looks like a tiny blue crystallized rock, but I don't understand why it's inside of me."

The three companions stared at the tiny crystallized rock which shown brightly, surrounded by orange and red moving flashes of colour which also appeared on the screen. Michiru was speechless, in all his adventures from Feudal Japan; he had seen this same kind of thing but the last place he ever expected to see another one of these magical stones was inside of his own body made up of flesh and blood. He never remembered having swallowed one by accident either, and even if he did without being aware of it at the time, how could his body survive with a crystallized rock inside of it? Its true that the rock was incredibly tiny so that it didn't cause any pain or internal injuries or disruptions to his bodily functions, but still; none of this made any sort of sense to the Kururugi boy who now had yet another mystery on his hands to solve in addition to discovering how his powers worked and how his ancestor Utsugi had summoned him back to the Feudal era with Naraku's aid.

"Michiru, I thought you had some brains inside that head of yours." Saya joked with a laugh. "You're eating jewels now and smuggling them back to Japan to sell and make some money aren't you? Don't try to deny it, because we can see the evidence inside of you."

"This isn't funny Saya, I honestly have no idea how or why that rock is inside of me so just stop the jokes okay?" Michiru countered with a worried look on his face. "I only hope that this isn't going to cause me any problems in the future."

"Maybe the crystallized rock is the source of your magic Michiru." Ilyssa suggested, drawing a shocked look from Michiru and Saya. "Don't look so shocked and scared Michiru, we'll find out together so stay calm and relax."

"I'm trying to relax Ilyssa, but it's not everyday I find out that I have a crystallized rock inside of my body okay." Michiru replied. "We can't tell the others, or else they might put me to sleep and rip me open in order to remove it during a surgical operation."

"Now don't think like that Michiru, because that will only make things worse." Ilyssa, staring at the camera more closely and adjusting the zoom switch. "It only looks large because the camera was zoomed in and the image was magnified, in reality it's probably the size of a tiny ball bearing. That would make it tiny enough for you to swallow, so you can't ignore that possibility."

"But I've already told you that I didn't swallow any tiny crystallized rock, I would have remembered if I had during my travels throughout the Feudal era; you know that." Michiru countered. I'm even more curious as to why my body hasn't been affected internally by its presence inside of me, my magic might be preventing it from causing any harm but it doesn't tell me why the rock is staying in the same place. If I had truly swallowed it, than my body would have thrown it up wouldn't it?"

"That's true, but you are a boy with unique magical abilities so it's no surprise why you have a rock inside of you." Ilyssa remarked.

"By the way Michiru, you mentioned that you had seen the same kind of crystallized rock before during your travels right?" Saya asked. "What were the circumstances surrounding each encounter with the crystallized rock?"

"Well basically I encountered it when ever I fought against Naraku or one of his incarnations, and I used my "Blue Sky Calamity" spell to destroy it in order to shatter the magic protective barrier that the crystallized rock had created to surround and protect an opponent that was attacking us." Michiru answered. "But I swear that I never swallowed a crystallized rock before in my life so I'm afraid I don't know how it got inside of my body or why it's in there in the first place."

"Maybe Utsugi would be able to answer that question for you." Ilyssa commented.

"If he ever returns for another visit with Kakuju anytime soon, then perhaps that would occur." Michiru replied. "Until then, there's nothing we can do so let's get back to the task of figuring out a new spell I've devised. Ilyssa, could you please alleviate the camera and point it so it's aiming at my head please?"

"Sure, what are you planning Michiru?" Ilyssa asked curiously, doing as the young man had asked.

"I'm trying to recall a memory which could prove helpful in putting my plan in motion; you'll figure it out in a second." Michiru answered, thinking back to the memories of his past in order to find an important event which had changed the course of his life."

"Why, that's you on a bus with your fellow classmates from junior high school." Saya exclaimed, suddenly recalling the start of Michiru's long tale of when he had told everyone how he had been summoned back to Feudal Japan and begun his adventures shortly after his Shikigami powers had awakened within him. "This is just before you were summoned back in time wasn't it?"

"You have a good memory Saya; I guess that's what happens when you've heard me tell of my adventures more than once." Michiru commented. "Now let's hush up and listen closely while we watch for anything that might be important."

"Look how cute your face is when ever you blush." Ilyssa said with an adorable smile, seeing Michiru's face on the screen turn red after hearing the little remark that he didn't have a girlfriend yet; making the teenager beside her blush as he heard her voice. "Isn't that cute, you look so innocent when you blush. But you don't have to worry anymore, now that you've got a special girl waiting for you in Japan's feudal era."

"You're not being funny Ilyssa, I don't know if Sango feels the same way I feel about her and I won't find out until I can return to the feudal era which is what we're trying to find out right now." Michiru replied, wanting to end the subject before he got even more embarrassed by the Ilyssa's mention of Sango or by her sweet and teasing voice.

"I'm sorry Michiru, let's continue." Ilyssa apologized as she continued watching the screen. "Wow...that looks like a very wonderful occasion taking place."

"That's the Doll Festival of Wishes, and it's happening at the Kururugi Shrine which is in the village I encountered in the Feudal era during my adventures." Michiru explained. "And it's also the same Shrine which exists at my home on my family's property; you can see my Mom is handing out a doll for someone to make a wish on. In just a moment or two, I'll be running to the storage shed to get some more amulets for my Dad to sell; that's what we have to watch closely so pay attention."

All three friends watched in silence as they beheld Michiru walking inside of the storage shed and stepping on to the faded drawing of the red coloured star shaped pentagram with which they were all familiar with. The moment the boy's foot came in contact with the floor, the rotten wooden floorboards fell apart beneath him and caused Michiru to fall through and get his legs stuck inside. As he recovered from the fall and tried to stand up, the wooden floor around him fell apart and he suddenly found himself falling down into a magical void which looked like a fold in space and time with darkness surrounding him and only tiny star like orbs floating around to light the journey he was undertaking. After the screen on the scanning machine turned black for a few moments, everyone watched as they saw Michiru find himself in strange surroundings; he was outside with no sign of the storage shed or his home which told Saya and Ilyssa that their teenage friend was now back in the Japan's Feudal era. Michiru cleared his head and ended the memory before turning off the machine now that he had seen all that he had wanted in order to help him with his plan which he had yet to explain to both of his friends.

"Ilyssa, could you please help me undo the straps on this helmet please?" Michiru asked, finding it difficult to loosen the restrains which held the device on top of his head.

"Sure Michiru, no problem." Ilyssa replied, gently taking hold of the straps so she could eventually remove the helmet.

"Let him wear it on his head when he goes to the Museum, he'll turn a lot of heads that way. Ha! Ha! Ha!" Saya joked, laughing lightly.

Michiru countered briefly with a grin. "We both know I'd look like an idiot if I wore it to the Gala tonight."

"It wouldn't matter if you also wore your work uniform, then you'd be the centre of attention since everyone could identify you as a member of the Ghostbusters." Ilyssa added with a few giggles. "That be a good way of attracting some ladies, wouldn't you agree?"

"Please Ilyssa, you know I've already fallen in love with Sango so don't talk about girls okay." Michiru pleaded, turning a little red. "And besides, I don't expect to see any teenage girls at the Gala since just grownups are attending so there would be no point in that."

"Okay." Ilyssa replied with a sweet smile. "Now that you've watched what you've needed, what's your plan?"

"Saya, could you go into the bedroom and bring me my small brown backpack please?" Michiru asked, getting a nod from the friendly ghost before turning to Ilyssa and answer her question. "I'm going to try and come up with a spell to travel back and forth in time, only for a matter of minutes so that nothing dangerous happens. You and Saya can both accompany me if you'd like, I don't have a problem with that as long as we agree to stay together at all times."

"Deal, as long as you promise to be extra careful." Ilyssa replied with a smile, finally able to loosen the straps and remove the helmet from Michiru's head.

"I promise you that I'll give you my word." Michiru replied, smiling back. "When I was in the Feudal era, I think Miroku may have given me some of his magical sutras sometime during my travels although I can't exactly remember when. I've seen Miroku use them in conjuring up certain spells so I thought I that they would prove useful in helping me out, I could use each one to symbolize a certain element for each point of the star in the pentagram that I create when ever I invoke my Shikigami powers. I've never done anything like this before so it couldn't hurt to try them out and see if they work, I was also going to try and manipulate the pentagram in order to spin it in a certain direction; clockwise for forward in time and counter clockwise for backward in time."

"Well, I'm excited to help you and see if this works." Ilyssa said encouragingly, just moments before Saya returned dragging Michiru's brown backpack with him by one of the thin shoulder straps.

"Thanks for bringing that here Saya; I hope you didn't tear yourself out." Michiru said, taking his backpack from the floating spirit.

"Oh no, even I can do some work around here; its much easier now that I don't have to use my energy to restrain Sounga since the sword is imprisoned and I'm free of being bound to it." Saya answered cheerfully, making Michiru happy for the ancient spirit. "So Michiru, where do we go from here?"

"We need some large sheets of paper, large enough to cover the floor so that we can draw a perfect pentagram." Michiru explained, walking over to where some drafting paper was kept on one of the lab tables; most likely belonging to Egon since he was the engineer who designed, invented and built all the new experimental equipment for the Ghostbusters to use for their proton packs and positron colliders. "I'm going to lay down enough sheets of paper to cover the floor around me when I stand in the center, then I can invoke my magic temporarily and see how large the red star shaped pentagram is once it appears beneath my feet. Could you trace the circle with a red marker once it becomes visible on the floor? Don't worry about drawing the star inside, we'll both do that together afterwards. The circle will stay the same shape even though the whole pentagram is spinning around so it shouldn't be difficult, okay?"

"Got it Michiru, I'll get the markers for us." Ilyssa answered, walking over to the shelves and searching around through the various items used for drafting, drawing and sketching. "Saya, could you please help Michiru lay out the paper so we can draw on them?"

"You can count on me." Saya replied with a wink, floating over to assist the Kururugi boy who had just finished carefully tearing off some large paper sheets from a poster paper pad which fastened them all one on top of another. "How many sheets will we need Mitch?"

"I'm not sure Saya; each sheet is eighteen by twenty-four inches so I think nine will work for this experiment." Michiru answered, returning to the middle of the open area of the floor and getting down on his hands and knees in order to evenly spread out the sheets one at a time. "We'll have to over lap the edges over top of each other so that Ilyssa can trace a perfect circle, use about one inch of the paper sheet's edge like this here; and be carefully not to move them once their in place when we're done."

Saya watched Michiru's example and then helped to repeat the process until all of the paper sheets were perfectly organized together on the floor, Ilyssa returned after finding some markers as well as some meter stick rulers in order to draw out the star later on. She carefully laid down four of them on each the side edges of the giant square like shape they had made by combining the paper sheets together and then she used some heavy boxes to hold down the rulers to prevent the paper from moving when she and Michiru walked on them. Once Ilyssa was ready, the determined teenager called upon his Shikigami powers and the familiar glowing pentagram appeared beneath his feet until it was spinning around on the floor. Ilyssa got down on her hands and knees and began to carefully trace over where the circle had appeared as the Japanese student watched and waited patiently until the young woman had completed the drawing. Once that was done, Michiru and Ilyssa each used a fifth meter stick to draw out straight lines for the star on the inside of the circle while Saya floated above them close to the ceiling so he could watch with a bird's eye view and make sure they were drawing every point evenly until they had finished drawing out the same giant pentagram which the three of them had seen just seconds before.

"Excellent job you two, it looks great from up here." Saya commented, after the two human beings had gotten to their feet and backed away so that they could also view the giant drawing themselves. "The only difference is that this one doesn't spin around, so what's next?"

"Now we'll place each of these magical sutras on the tip of each point of the star right on the circle so we can symbolize and recreate the natural balance between the Chinese elements; Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water." Michiru explained, writing down a different name on each sutra and passing them to Saya. "Place them on each point of the star in the following order; Wood at the top, Fire on the top right point, Earth on the bottom right point, Metal on the bottom left point, and Water on the top left point."

"What are the other sutras for Michiru?" Ilyssa asked curiously, watching Michiru write names on five more additional sutras as Saya placed each of the first five sutras exactly where the Kururugi boy had instructed. "I thought we only needed five to represent the Chinese elements."

"You're correct Ilyssa, but we also have to use the elements which are used in Japanese traditions; Earth, Fire, Wind, Water, and Void." Michiru answered as he walked around the outside of the pentagram and placed each of the other five sutras on the circle evenly between all of the others which Saya had placed already. "We need the Chinese elements to represent the flow of time once the pentagram spins clockwise for forwards and counter clockwise for backwards, while they are prominent in Japanese culture; the other five elements in Japanese traditions are different which is why we're using both of them just to be on the safe side."

"But Utsugi might not have used them together when he cast the spell which summoned you back in time to Japan's Feudal era, so how do you think he achieved the same goal as we're attempting now?" Ilyssa asked with concern.

"I've been thinking about that, Utsugi needed Naraku's help to summon me back even though his magical skills and abilities far exceeded my own Shikigami powers. Do you remember when I told you how I found out that the Utsugi I had met in Feudal Japan was actually a Hitogata created by Kakuju and that he had summoned me back in order to use the art of soul infusion by combining my soul with a sacred shikon jewel shard so that he could make himself a living human being?"

"Yes, I remember." Ilyssa answered while nodding. "But he failed in the attempt because the jewel shard was tainted by Naraku and also your soul was protected by the amulet Kakuju had given you so that you could give it to Utsugi on her behave."

"This may sound kind of crazy, but I think that Utsugi needed Naraku's help to summon me back in time because his own body was nothing more than a Hitogata. My body is made up of real bones, flesh, blood, organs and all the components which make up a living human being." Michiru explained. "And if you remember reading about each of the five elements in Japanese traditions, bones and muscles are representations of Earth while blood and other bodily fluids are representations of Water."" A person's breathing and internal respiration are representations of Wind as well as when a person's mind grows with more knowledge as they learn from experience just as I did when I learned new Shikigami spells during the course of my travels throughout Feudal Japan."

"That's right, and a body's metabolism and body heat represent Fire as well as the drive and passion of a person's mind." Ilyssa added, catching on to what Michiru was getting at. "For all of Utsugi's superior talents and powers, he lacked a real human body to call upon additional power which he needed to perform the necessary spell."

"That could also be why I was summoned back in time because I would survive the journey and he wouldn't which is why I had to go to his era and not the other way around." Michiru continued. "I never knew I had Shikigami powers and I couldn't use them until shortly after I had arrived in Feudal Japan. The first time I used them was to protect myself from an attacking demon intent on killing me and then devouring my flesh. That is when they were awakened within me, I found out just after I first met Inuyasha."

"That must have been a scary experience for you; especially since you never knew about your powers or that you never saw a dangerous demon before." Saya stated.

"What are the three of you doing up here?" Ray asked, arriving at the top of the stairs and wondering what was going on as he looked at the papers which Michiru and Ilyssa were both standing on.

"We were about to put Michiru's magical abilities to the test and try casting a new spell using a theory he recently came up with thanks to our successful findings from the research that the three of us found together." Ilyssa answered, making Ray dart down the stairs and call up everyone else from below. "Perhaps I shouldn't have said anything."

"That's okay Ilyssa, I don't think that they'll be alarmed by what we're about to do." Michiru replied. "After all, they've seen me use my magic before and it's always helped out."

"Yes, but this time you're attempting to travel through time." Saya warned. "I don't think they're going to sit by and let you do this without watching your every move."

Saya was proven right when all the Ghostbusters as well as Janine scurried up the stairs to the lab where Michiru, Ilyssa and Saya were about to perform a spell. Egon was the first to object since Ilyssa had to make an appearance at the opening Gala at the Museum and Peck would have each of their heads on a plate if she was missing all because of another paranormal occurrence. Luckily, Michiru and Ilyssa were both able to change the scientist's mind when they explained that they were doing this so that the young teenager could better understand his powers in order to find a way to return safely home without putting them in danger. Egon reluctantly agreed until Ray and Venkman wanted to accompany the two of them on their travel through time, then Winston and Janine both suggested that everyone stays together and that either everyone goes or no one goes at all. Michiru was a bit unprepared for taking all of his friends with him, but Winston and Janine did have a point because who ever was left behind would have to deal with Peck and no one wanted to go through that experience alone. And so it was decided that they all stick together, Michiru naturally declared that he was in charge since only he had magic powers; everyone agreed and so Winston and Ilyssa told everyone to quiet down so that the Kururugi boy could lead and tell them what to do.

"Alright, everyone carefully gather together on the inside of the pentagram which you can see is drawn right here; do not move anything out of place or else this could backfire with devastating consequences." Michiru instructed, waiting for everyone to gather around him while Ilyssa and Saya remained at his side. "All of you hold each other's hands, stay silent and stay together. Do not talk, move or do anything unless I tell you."

"Yeah, that means empty your heads and don't think about the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, right Ray?" Venkman asked sarcastically.

"Peter come on, will you ever drop that?" Ray complained.

"Can it everyone; our lives are on the line here." Winston shouted, shutting up the two men. "Okay Mitch, it's your move."

"Alright, give me a minute on this one." Michiru replied, breathing slowly to calm himself as he searched deep inside himself in order to find the right words to use before calling upon his Shikigami powers. "Shikigami, please help us overcome the flow of time while I cast this spell of mine."

As Michiru invoked his magical powers, the glimmering red pentagram appeared beneath everyone's feet and spun around in a counter clockwise direction; activating the magical sutras which had been placed all around the line of the circle. Suddenly, multiple Shikigami appeared floating around on all sides of the mortal human beings. Michiru instructed everyone to crouch down so that he could observe everything carefully that was occurring and mentally record everything he deemed to be important; for he would need to study everything and learn from any mistakes he had made if this experiment backfired and failed. He saw the Red Fish surrounded by blue Water, the Lion surrounded by orange and red Fire, the Green Bird was surrounded by a green mist and Golden White Serpentine Dragon Shikigami with which he was all familiar with, but he also saw others with which he had never seen before until this precise moment. There was a Magatama tree glowing with a mysterious green light around it and there was also a large black Serpentine Rock which had golden sparkles covering it. A moment later it mysteriously shatter in a million pieces as if it had been destroyed or something, but perhaps that was part of the process for travelling throughout time.

Michiru and the Ghostbusters became so fixated on the Shikigami images surrounding them on all sides that they failed to notice that there was a black vortex taking form beneath their feet and that it was slowly swallowing them up as it engulfed them. Before they realized what was happening, they became swallowed by the black void and found themselves standing inside of what looked like outer space filled with stars even though they knew it couldn't be the real thing. A minute later the supernatural occurrence ended and all the Shikigami vanished into thin air as if they had never appeared and all seven people surveyed the surrounding environment; they hadn't left the lab. They were still inside of the Firehouse, the question on everyone's mind was what today's date was and how far back in time did all of them travel. After a few seconds to recover their wits, everyone slowly stepped outside of the pentagram and looked around to see if anything was out of place. Before anyone dared to speak, screaming could be heard coming from the stairs. As they all approached the railing and peered down, everyone's eyes and mouths were gaping wide open; they all saw themselves below them during the little prank when Winston and Ray were hanging Michiru over the railing and he was laughing uncontrollably as he was being tickled to death by Ilyssa.

"You only took us back in time by about three hours Michiru." Ray whispered quietly, so as not to draw attention from their future selves below.

"I told you that we were only experimenting, I wasn't planning on going back even a day or else it would be too dangerous if we ran into ourselves; all of you should understand that." Michiru whispered back, looking down at the hilarious scene below. "Stop giggling Ilyssa, you don't want to give us away."

"S-sorry Michiru, I can't help it; I'm just remembering how funny this was, that's all." Ilyssa apologized softly, calming herself down.

"Alright, I think we've seen enough to prove that your magic spell worked Michiru; let's hurry back before we're…" Egon urged before turning to Janine with a surprised look. "What in the world are you doing Janine?"

"Just recording this with the camera, it's not everyday that we can prove we travelled back in time now can we?" Janine said, pointing her camera downwards and filming her and Egon recording the funny incident when Michiru had chased Ilyssa downstairs to the office desk and then tickled her until Ray and Winston joined in just a minute later.

"Wow, I'm never going to forget this." Ray exclaimed in awe, knowing that he and his friends had actually traveled back in time.

"Ray's lost his mind Egon; I think we should get going before we lose our portal." Venkman commented, dragging Ray away from the railing and back to where they had been standing before.

"Yeah man, let's all get the heck out of here and get back to present." Winston added, now feeling a bit on the nervous side.

"Alright everyone, let's take this slow and easy, move quietly now; that's the way." Janine said slowly as everyone else followed Venkman and Winston.

"Okay Mitch, you're up; give us a home run now." Winston said supportively while getting into position with the others.

"Right, let's see if I can do this without having to draw an actual pentagram." Michiru stated, momentarily scaring everyone with his words as he pulled out ten more magic sutras. "Don't worry, I've already prepared them so stay quiet and relax like last time. Oh Shikigami, please help us overcome the flow of time while I cast this spell of mine."

The confident and determined teenager invoked his Shikigami powers and then cast down all of the magic sutras in one swift throw, but they magically flew into place where the first ones had been laid out before on their first attempt at this spell. They found their assigned areas of importance at the points of the round star shaped pentagram as it spun around and glowed bright red, activating their powers to represent both the Chinese elements and those of Japanese traditions. As before, the company of seven found themselves surrounded by multiple Shikigami familiars which soared through the air around them for about half a minute while the glimmering red pentagram appeared beneath their feet. However, it was spinning in a clockwise direction this time because Michiru was attempting to teleport them forwards in time and back to the present moment when they had left on their first trip. The dark black vortex appeared beneath their feet again like a tear in space; it rose up slowly and engulfed them all from below until they were swallowed inside once more. The mortals saw what looked like outer space yet again until their journey came to an end, which was a relief considering the risks involved. Once everything returned to normal and they found themselves back inside of the lab at the Firehouse, Egon raced over to the kitchen area and checked the time on the stove to make sure they had returned to the exact moment in the present time they belonged.

"We've come back on time everyone, you can all rest assured that we're home where we belong and when we belong." Egon stated with relief. "Well done Michiru, you've successfully mastered travelling through time."

"I couldn't have done it without help from Saya and Ilyssa, both of you, thank you very much…" Michiru answered, suddenly feeling faint and losing balance as he fell forwards.

"Mitch!" Ilyssa cried out in a panic, catching the young boy in her arms before he could hit the floor. "He must have over exerted his magical capabilities, let's get him to bed so he can rest."

"That's sounds like a great idea, come to think of it; I could use some shut eye as well." Ray commented.

"I recommend we all take a nap since we've just experienced one heck of a travelling trip, everyone set your alarm clocks so that we can wake up with enough time to prepare and get ready for the Gala tonight." Egon suggested with a serious tone of voice. "You too Janine, better rest up now so you can be awake at the office to answer any calls while we're at the Museum."

"Right Egon thanks." Janine replied before heading downstairs.

"You go downstairs with Janine Ilyssa; Mitch will be just fine once he's had enough rest." Ray said reassuringly, taking the teenager off of Ilyssa's hands so that he could carry the unconscious boy to the bedroom. "Try not to worry; he'll make it through just like last time."

"Thanks Ray, please let me know when he wakes up okay?" Ilyssa replied before leaving.

"You got it Ilyssa; you'll be the first to know." Saya replied, nodding.

After laying Michiru down on the Kururugi boy's bed, Ray and the other Ghostbusters laid down on their own beds for a couple of hours in order to get some much needed sleep and recover their strength for tonight. Janine and Ilysssa returned to their room where they also relaxed comfortably on top of their beds so they could get some sleep as well. Saya was the only one how was awake for the moment, but after a few minutes of boredom; he also decided to take a nap. And so the entire Firehouse was completely quiet except for Slimer making grunts and gurgling noises from inside of his glass prison and when ever the phone rang over and over because no one was awake to answer it which forced the callers to leave messages so that they could be contacted later on if the Ghostbusters found any of their concerns important enough to deal with. A several hours later, everyone except for Michiru had gotten up and was well rested and refreshed; it was getting close to supper time and sometime afterwards it would be time to go to the Museum later in the evening.

About an hour or so later all the adults decided to have supper together and save some left over take out food so that Michiru would have something to eat once he eventually awakened. After eating, Janine returned downstairs to the office to catch up on her work and return any calls that she missed during her nap. Egon and Ray were both making notes and studying the Gozerian Codex while Ilysssa told Winston and Venkman off how she and Saya had successfully helped out Michiru by digging up some invaluable research. Needless to say, she was very excited about it since it contributed to the Shikigami user's new magic spell which had taken all of them back and forwards in time without any problems other that Michiru accidentally overexerting himself yet again which was a small price to pay for such a successful achievement in the field of magic. Although Ilyssa was worried when ever the Japanese student ended up like this, she still felt proud of him since he had accomplished so much over such a small amount of time.

"So now that Michiru knows how to travel back and forth in time, how does that help him return to his own country?" Winston asked curiously. "Time travelling is a tremendous achievement and all, but he's supposed to be travelling back to Japan where his home is. You dig what I mean?"

"I understand what you're saying Winston, but it doesn't hurt helping him figure out how to return to Japan's Feudal era; that's where his best friends are after all and we all know how badly he wants to see them." Ilyssa answered. "Besides, he's been doing so well here; I'd be awfully sorry to see him leave so quickly even though it's for the best if he returned home right away because of his identity."

"Don't worry Ilyssa; there are still plenty of ghosts and ghouls for Mitch to tackle during his tour of duty here with the Ghostbusters so he won't be going home anytime soon." Venkman stated. "Besides, we still haven't even paid him yet for all the work he's done anyway since we've been to busy catching ghosts."

"What?" Ilyssa shrieked in shock. "Well you guys better get your act together because I'll be very ticked if he goes home without a single bill of money."

"Cool down Ilyssa, we don't have him listed in our employment records because of his identity and on top of that; it would screw up our balances if we suddenly paid him now." Venkman said defensively, giving Egon, Ray, and Winston a laugh as the poor man was being given a hard look from Ilyssa. "Japan has a different currency than we do so we also have to calculate what we would have to give him in yen once we get through the other mess first."

"Will you guys cut it out, I'm perfectly happy to work for just room and board; you're also keeping my identity and presence a secret and that's enough for me so let's just leave it at that or else you can't balance your books when you do your income tax." Michiru said from the bedroom doorway as he entered the kitchen after finally waking up from his much needed nap.

"Mitch! Get your hide in here; we've got chow waiting in the microwave for you." Winston shouted after setting and activating the microwave to heat up the last of the take out food for the teenager to eat as Michiru came over and sat down beside Ilyssa. "Man, passing out after that magic conjuring, I'm amazed you can get up so soon."

"Yeah, I feel the same way." Michiru replied with a nod, taking a seat as Ilyssa came him a cup of coffee. "Thanks for the coffee Ilyssa; I definitely need this since we're all working late tonight at the Museum."

"Now that you're here, we can finally play back the answering machine." Venkman stated, cranking up the volume and pressing the message button. "Let's find out what our fans have to say to us this time, don't laugh if your mouths are full."

"You have thirteen new messages." Beep!

"Well you guys dodged the bullet this time, not bad; but not good either mind you."

"That message wasn't really worth listening too." Ray commented, before he was hushed by Winston.

"Uh yeah, the lady down the hall is having trouble with some sort of poltergeist; it keeps taking pictures of her coming out of the shower and then…mailing them to me. Uh this has to stop, seriously. By the end of the month; uh three months to a year at the absolute latest." Beep!

"If the lady in question is just as hot as you Ilyssa, then he shouldn't be complaining." Venkman remarked, causing everyone to chuckle. Ilyssa gave him a brief glare, but decided to let it slide since she caught Michiru blushing red from embarrassment at the thought of such a thing after she served him his supper which she retrieved from the microwave once it was finished being heated up.

"You have eleven new messages." Beep!

"Hello? I'm going to need you to come over and remove the ghost of my husband in about twenty minutes if he doesn't hall his lumpy keaster off the couch. He'll be easy to recognize, it's the fat lazy ghost that's not cutting the grass for the third weekend in a row. SHUT UP! Oh and he's going to have a table lamp sticking out of his head." Beep!

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Now that was funny." Michiru said, laughing quietly as he tried to stay still.

"What'd you think Ray? Should we call the cops and turn her in?" Venkman asked sarcastically, as Winston and Michiru laughed uncontrollably. "From the sound of her accent, she must be from Texas."

"Hmm, NAH!" Ray answered, "She might send us another funny message so we'd better not."

"You have ten new messages." Beep!

"This is Mr. Slickter at the public library. Who do we call to remove the black goo from all over our break room? Please get back to us soon, it seems to be talking to us and we think its stealing money from the vending machines. Also Mr. Stantz still has a number of books checked out that are over due, the current fine is four-hundred-seventeen-dollars and forty-two-cents. Please…we just want them back." Beep!

"To bad I didn't get that message a day earlier, I could have paid it off when we went to the library yesterday; oh well." Ray commented.

"What use would ghosts possibly have for money when their no longer living?" Ilyssa asked sarcastically with a giggle.

"Who the heck knows?" Venkman replied. "Your guess is as good as mine."

"You have nine new messages." Beep!

"Hey, hey guys! I was there in front of the library. When you went in, d-did you see me? I was-I was waving at you! D-Did you see me waving bro? I was wearing this sweet blue sweater! Did you guys see a guy in a blue sweater waving? That was me waving! You guys are awesome! Wicked awesome! See you again soon! We're an awesome team!" Beep!

"Okay, that was a little overboard." Egon stated. "But most of our fans are like that."

"You have eight new messages." Beep!

"So…uh I'm a little short on funds, but I've definitely got ghosts. Uh, you got some kind of home kit or something I could buy? Beep!

"Sucks to be him." Venkman said.

"You have seven new messages." Beep!

"Hey, this is Evan Domage from the general manager over here at the Sultan Suites; right across the street from the Sedgewick Hotel. We just want to thank you gents for your work over there; you guys must have done a real number. Our business has…Ha! Ha! Ha! Our business has quadrupled over night. Uh listen, come on over sometime for dinner and drinks on the house. But be sure you leave your backpacks of destruction at home though, okay?" Beep!

"Well that's a very nice gesture, we should go there sometime; it would be rude to accept his invitation." Ilyssa commented sweetly.

"Yeah, that would be very nice as long as no ghosts were around to disturb us." Michiru added, trying to imagine it in his mind for a few moments.

"I'll make a note; we'll definitely try and fit it in our busy schedule once things quiet down a bit in a few days." Ray stated, writing down the name and address of the person who had invited them over for free dinner and drinks.

"You have six new messages." Beep!

"Dr. Spangler, this is James from We Ship It. Listen, you've got to come down and pick up this package of Carpathian Dung Bach Mould we've been holding for you. It's started to spread, it's taken over half the loading dock and I…think its singing." Beep!

"You and your mould collection, you heard the man Egon; go down and pick it up." Venkman said, sacking his head.

"They'll have to wait until we've finished dealing with all the paranormal activities related to Stay Puft and Ilyssa so too bad for James." Egon replied.

"Why can't James just mail it over to us?" Michiru asked sarcastically with a laugh. "His company isn't called "We Ship It" for nothing."

"Good one Mitch, we'll have to tell that to James if we're here when he calls us again." Winston said with a chuckle.

"You have five new messages." Beep!

"Hi, this is Ed again, uh I haven't heard back from you so I just thought I'd check in. Hello? Alright uh, since I last called; I made my own proton pack out of car batteries and wires. I didn't catch any ghosts but I don't have to worry about those pesky gofers in my garden anymore. I got pictures if you want me to send them, alright get back to me." Beep!

"I'd be interested to see how he managed to build one without our level of technology or funds to purchase it." Egon commented.

"You have four new messages." Beep!

"Yeah, Eddy Dyson at the Super Rover located on fourteen twelve lex. I got a toilet screaming in 9B, belching sofa in 9A. A teddy bear with turrets in 11E and let me see…Shay is moving around in 12C. You got any good rates?" Beep!

"Boy has he got paranormal problems, I'm sure glad I'm not him." Winston commented.

"You have three new messages." Beep!

"Yeah Dr. Venkman, about that…sum you still owe. It is said that when your opponent doesn't run, believe me; I know. Still, unlike the horse in question; you have such a wonderful pair of functioning legs. Walk, walk; walk. They're great, but if anything sudden…or blunt were to happen to them…The clock is ticking Dr. Venkman, and you ain't exactly in cognito these days." Beep!

"Well…sounds like someone owes someone else a huge sum of cash eh Venkman?" Ray commented with a grin as everyone else was looking at Venkman for an explanation for the reason behind the message they just heard.

"It's my business, not yours and that's the end of it." Venkman said, shaking his hands and showing that he didn't want to discuss the matter.

"The end of it will be when you wake up one day and find both of your legs broken and your wallet is empty, you'd better pay that guy back what ever sum of money that you owe him or else he could hire some lowlifes and send them after you and possibly us as well." Ray warned, taking the matter seriously.

"Ray's right Venkman, the last thing any of us want is a bunch of cons plundering the Firehouse and accidentally letting lose all the ghosts we've captured while all of us are away working." Michiru added. "You pay this guy back all the money you owe him or else he'll take it out on not just you, but us as well. And if he's serious enough to break both of your legs, I'd hate to imagine what he'd do to each of us as well. This is one problem my magic won't solve, so you pay him back within the next two to three days or else there's going to be hell to pay if he ever finds his way inside of here."

"I got to pay a fine, Egon's got to pick up a shipment from "We Ship It" and you've got a debt to pay back from some hungry loan shark." Ray stated. "It seems the three of us each have another important priority to deal with, just how much money do you owe this guy anyway and who is this guy that called you?"

"Like I said, it's my business; not yours and that's the end of it." Venkman replied, making everyone sigh and give up. "Let's change the mood and hear the last two messages."

"You have two new messages." Beep!

"Hello, there's blood dripping from my fireplace since…I don't know; last Christmas. If you aren't available before the holidays, can you recommend a good chimney sweep?" Beep!

"Maybe there's a vampire living in her chimney." Michiru said sarcastically as he just finished eating his plate of left over Chinese food, he was about to eat the last two slices of left over pizza on it but he decided to save them for Slimer who was probably hungry again. "Hey Ray, Slimer can have this pizza for supper; I've eaten enough for tonight."

"Oh, thanks for reminding me Mitch; I'd forgotten to feed super." Ray said, suddenly getting up from his chair now that he remembered his promise to the green ghost. "You stay here and relax; I'll go find them to him."

"You have one new message." Beep!

"Help! There's a man, he's about to jump from the ledge; I called the Fire Department. You guys should really get here fast in case they don't make it in time." Beep!

"We can't really help if we don't have an address to drive too." Winston said.

"What does this guy expect us to do? Use our capture streams from our proton packs and catch the man as he jumps before he hits the ground and kills himself?" Venkman asked sarcastically.

"You guys are all heroes to everyone in the whole city; it's only natural that they call you if there's any kind of emergency." Ilyssa said.

"Thanks for the compliment Ilyssa, but we're not cops." Egon replied.

"How did Slimer like the pizza Ray?" Michiru asked, seeing Ray return. "Did he wolf it down as usual?"

"Oh yes, and I told him you reminded me to feed him because I had forgotten." Ray answered, taking his seat and looking at the Gozerian Codex since Egon was taking a break so that he could work on another gadget he had on the table. "He was very grateful; you should have seen his face."

"I can imagine it, covered in slime and pizza sauce." Michiru said sarcastically with a laugh. "Find any info about that pattern we saw at the Library yesterday?"

"Unfortunately no, the book is great to read; but there's nothing included in here about that." Ray answered, scanning the open pages while using an enlarged photograph of the paranormal pattern as a bookmark.

"I know that symbol." Ilyssa stated, returning to the table after she had left temporarily to make herself a cup of hot coffee.

"How may I ask?" Egon asked curiously, looking up from his work and giving Ilyssa his undivided attention.

"It shows up sometimes in Sumerian ritual magic." Ilyssa answered. "That reminds me, there's a statue on loan at the Museum that features it."

"So what exactly does it represent?" Ray asked, totally interested since he hadn't been able to find anything helpful in the Codex so far.

"Just a symbol; but one that signifies a path to obtain great power." Ilyssa replied. "Most of my colleagues I did research with assumed it was an old constellation."

"That's what I thought it was too when we first saw it at the library yesterday." Michiru commented.

"Well it's like no constellation I ever saw, and I used to tell fortunes on Coney Island." Winston replied with a chuckle.

"Is that so? Venkman asked sarcastically. "Did you wear a turban?"

"No man, a red velvet cape with moons." Winston answered proudly. "Believe me, it was plush."

"Get this; the Codex indicates that there is some kind of feeder system to channel energy to a Destructor Form." Ray pointed out after he read through the open pages.

"A Destructor Form like the giant Stay Puft Marshmallow Man who was summoned here twice to wreak havoc and destruction?" Winston asked.

"It seems that the feeder system and that mysterious pattern are connected in some way, the energy that gets channelled must be the same Paranormal Kinetic energy that all spiritual entities possess." Michiru added. "But so far, the library is the only place we've seen it; but then Ilyssa said she had seen on the statue at the Museum."

"Ilyssa, you said the statue with this pattern was on loan." Egon asked. "Who exactly loaned it to the Museum?"

"Ivo Shandor, the Architect." Ilyssa answered. "Well, the Shandor Foundation to be more precise. They control Ivo Shandor's remaining Estate and holdings; Ivo was a big collector of Gozerian artefacts."

"By "Ivo Shandor the Architect", you mean "Ivo Shandor the Genocidal Maniac". Am I right?" Winston asked.

"That's what I was trying to research when the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man attacked me, Ivo Shandor's Architecture Firm was involved in a number of various construction projects in the mid eighteen and early nineteen hundreds." Ilyssa answered.

"Including Dana Barrett's apartment at Central Park West, that was the building with the extra dimensional antenna that summoned Gozer into our world so he could attempt to destroy it; that was our first encounter with the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man and we managed to destroy him by crossing the proton streams from our positron colliders and reversing the flow of paranormal energy back through the dimensional gateway." Egon added. "At least that's how I remember it; Dana Barrett was our very first client who came to us with a real paranormal experience which eventually led to our first confrontation with Gozer."

"Yeah, and Peter always tried to flirt with her; we'll never forget it." Ray added, catching everyone's attention. "Say Peter, when was the last time you went out on a date with Dana anyway?"

"Ray!" Venkman protested, drawing everyone's attention to himself.

"She wasn't that lady who left that message on the phone for you saying that she left her earrings, shoes and pet cat at your place was she?" Michiru asked curiously, causing Egon, Winston and Ray to break out laughing at the top of their lungs uncontrollably. "What's so funny? Was it something I said?"

"HA! HA! HA! HA! Oh that was priceless!" Ray exclaimed, still unable to contain himself. "HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!"

"Well don't keep us in the dark guys, feel us in here." Ilyssa asked curiously since she was just as lost as Michiru was.

"No Mitch, Dana Barrett was a client of ours who used to date Venkman." Winston answered, calming down but still wearing a grin. "I can assure you that I know she wasn't the lady who left that message on the answering machine that you referred too, her voice sounds different; but what I don't know is who that other lady was. Only Venkman would know, and if I had to hazard a guess…I'd say she was a..."

"I don't suppose that sum of money you owe that loan shark has anything to do with that other…" Ray interrupted before he was cut off by Ilyssa.

"Ray, we don't need to hear anything else. And I for one do not wish to discuss the matter in front of Michiru here so let's just ignore it." Ilyssa said, trying to end the matter without exposing it to a young teenage boy. "As Venkman said; it's his business, not ours, and that's the end of it."

"Right, getting back to Ivo Shandor." Egon asked. "What other projects did you find out about?"

"He also did some renovations on existing buildings and a number of public works." Ilyssa continued. "There was a lot of controversy and public objections against his projects because many of the people believed that the construction work was unnecessary and that it would waste tax payers' money which could be better spent on other requirements."

"Let me guess, he did some renovations on the Public Library on Fifth." Winston deduced.

"Yes...and the Museum of Natural History." Ilyssa answered.

"Multiple ghost sightings, specified locations for paranormal activity, and renovations on all the buildings which have been invested with spiritual turbulence and dangerous spiritual entities." Egon stated as he put the clues together. "All of them are connected to Ivo Shandor and this pattern here."

"Well I guess we should to warn the Major before something catastrophic happens shouldn't we?" Winston asked.

"I don't know if that would work, he's likely just to sic Peck on us even more now that he has and oversight commission watching over us like a spy satellite." Ray warned.

"Ilyssa, I'm afraid you might have to brief the Mayor about all of this since he and Peck won't listen to any of us." Egon warned.

"Well the Mayor is going to be at the Museum for the Exhibition opening Gala tonight, that's also where I need to be in person too." Ilyssa replied.

"Ilyssa, you sure make work fun and entertaining." Venkman commented. "Is business casual okay? I'm afraid I don't have a tux."

"Are your kidding? Neither the Mayor nor Peck want you guys within several city blocks of the Museum tonight, he thinks you'll make his political campaign contributors nervous and hesitant." Ilyssa answered. "If you still want to attend, you'd better come up with a good plan."

"Okay, Egon will stay here and analyse all the data we'll collected from the Library as he continues to study the Gozerian Codex." Ray explained. "The rest of us will sneak inside of the Museum through the service entrance and lay low to avoid unwanted attention; Peter can attend the party as Ilyssa's guest and stay in plain sight of Peck."

"And that frees us up to check out the rest of the building for any spooks and ghosts that might be lurking around, if anyone or anything is going to crash the party; Peck can't say that its us." Winston added.

"I love this plan, its just dull enough to work." Venkman commented. "All those in favour, raise your hands."

"Is something wrong Ilyssa?" Egon asked with concern. "You don't approve of Ray's plan?"

"I don't mean to be rude, but Peck will blow a fuss if he sees Venkman at the party; I'm pretty sure he still wants to get even with him after being made a fool of from those pranks yesterday morning before all of you guys went to the Public Library." Ilyssa replied. "I suggest that someone else accompany me to the Gala instead, you know; just to avoid any unpleasant confrontations with Peck."

"I understand, so who'd you have in mind?" Ray asked curiously.

"We need someone who can keep a low profile, and who can stay well behaved." Ilyssa suggested.

"Someone who Peck won't easily recognize, but someone who can be able to take action in case things get tough." Winston added, as everyone; including Ilyssa turned to look at Michiru.

"Uh oh, I can see where this is going and my answer is no." Michiru protested, turning red as Ilyssa gave him a smile while Venkman, Winston, and Ray grinned mischievously. "I know what all of you are thinking so just forget it. No, absolutely not. No…I won't do it."

Author's Note: I apologize for the long delay, but this chapter was very tough to write especially with the research scenes and the fact that this leads up to the battle at the Museum of Natural History. The studying and researching was extremely challenging since I had to use theories to help explain how Michiru's powers, spells and the Shikigami related to each other after writing everything down in an understandable and believable manner, so I hope everyone is satisfied with that matter because I honestly can't do any better than I have already. Some of the suspicious phone messages involving Peter Venkman, I can't help but wonder if they're all tied together in some way so perhaps I'll create another entertaining event to have later on in between the times when Michiru and the Ghostbusters are out working and combating paranormal opponents; anyone who agrees or disagrees please let me know what you think about it.

Orionpax09, you've been waiting patiently for a long while so I hope that the researching scenes were interesting to read about. Since Michiru wants to return to Feudal Japan just a little more than Modern Japan because of his love for Sango, I thought that he'd be more interested in discovering how he could possibly travel back and forth through time; considering that he never did find out precisely how Utsugi and Naraku used their powers to summon him back to the feudal era themselves during the Cursed Mask game. I also thought it was only fair that Ilyssa and the Ghostbusters get to share the experience with him since they are all great friends and that they'll eventually have to say goodbye to Michiru once this story comes to its conclusion. I wasn't originally planning on having Michiru be Ilyssa's guest, but it was a great idea once I thought about it; so thanks very much for suggesting it. Hope you are doing well and that you enjoy reading this when ever you have the free time to check it out, good luck to you on your stories as well when you finally get a chance to continue writing them.

Jetty1, I've planned out the battle at the Museum and how events will lead to the parade thanks to the research info I found so I hope you can look forward to that, the challenge will be whether it can be fitted into one whole chapter; but I suppose it will work out even if I have to split it in two. In the meanwhile, I hope you found this chapter to be enough of an entertaining read to satisfy you for a while until I can write out what will happen later on at and after the Museum. By the way, I've been meaning to ask you something about your "Secret of the Cursed Ring" story in regards to who is being paired with whom. Miroku still likes Sango even though she is developing feelings for Michiru, and the same sort of situation is occurring with Kagome, Inuyasha, and Kaname. Are you going to have Kagome and Miroku drawn to one another later on in part 2 or 3 after the Fellowship is broken as you get towards the end of part 1 in your crossover? And before they are eventually drawn together, will there be any confrontations between the characters since you technically have two separate love triangles in your story?

Master of Death and Darkness, I know that Kakuju was old and aged when she died in the Cursed Mask game, but I thought that she should be granted to take on a younger appearance so she could be the same age as Utsugi since he died with her soul and that both of their souls exist in the afterlife. As for Kagome, I only had her squeal just because she was excited to see Michiru on TV despite the fact that the Kururugi boy is in another country far away; its only natural since she'd be concerned for any of her friends now matter who they are or where they are whether they're in the modern world or the feudal era. By the way, no one has ever seen Kagome get fuming mad at anyone except for Inuyasha; so I hope you enjoyed seeing Miroku finally get a scolding for his lecherous ways while suffering the wrath of the reincarnated priestess. I hope you eventually bring back your "Threads of Fate" story, I only remember bits of it; but it was a good read while you still had it posted.

AeropostleKeyblade, I hope school hasn't been hard for you, believe me; I know how tough it is to get good grades in classes. Glad that you've enjoyed reading what I've posted thus far, I hope you find this chapter every bit as fun and enjoyable as the last one was. My biggest problem when it comes to writing is that I have all sorts of ideas and events to use, but I can't find the right words to describe them in such a way that can be understood in addition to arranging them in the proper order; not to mention doing all the spell check and that sort of thing. That's why it takes me so long to write out every chapter, everyone has their own pace and they learn through experience as they continue on; I only hope I can improve myself enough so that I can eventually write my own fiction novel some day once I'm finally ready to take on that lifelong and challenging goal. Good luck to you with your schoolwork as well as with your own fan fiction story that you're currently writing.

Greymon leader, I hope this chapter was as entertaining as the previous one you read earlier. What do you think of the phone messages that have been left for Peter Venkman? They might be connected together in some way, at least that's what I think. The most recent message left when that nameless guy calls and mentioned that sum of money that Peter still owes is the main one which I'm concerned with. Do you think I should write a scenario inside of the Firehouse involving some hoodlums and the Ghostbusters later on? Or should I just have Michiru scare them the hell out of the place after he kicks their butts during a brawl or something like that? (Laughs)


	9. Entertainment and Escalation

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, Ghostbusters, or anything associated with either of them. This story is being written just for fun and enjoyment.

Chapter #9: Entertainment and Escalation

The time was now 8:30 in the morning on November 22nd and Kagome and her family were just sitting down to have breakfast, along with Inuyasha who had stayed the night at her home after he had come back to return Mrs. Higurashi her digital camera. Kagome had slept in to get some additional sleep for the day so that she be well rested in order to continue with her schoolwork once she had finished eating breakfast, Inuyasha on the other hand was up bright and early; and he had decided to return to the Feudal era once he finished eating with Kagome and her family so he could be in Kaede's village in case any demons were lurking in the forest which surrounded the area.

"How did all of your Feudal era friends enjoy watching your video Kagome?" Mrs. Higurashi asked curiously, catching Inuyasha's attention with her unexpected question.

"Shippo and Miroku both thought it was neat since they've never seen a digital camera before, they were both very amazed when they saw the moving images on the tiny screen and they really enjoyed it even though it was a short video. Unfortunately Sango wasn't there to see it because she was out for a walk and he had to go look for her, she probably saw it after I came back home yesterday night." Kagome answered as she turned her attention to Inuyasha with one of those looks which told him that she wanted something from him. "So what did Sango think of the video Inuyasha? Were you able to operate the camera and show it to her?"

"Yeah I was, I operated the camera just as your mother had taught me too; and I returned it to her in the same condition as it was in when she let me borrow it." Inuyasha answered. "Sango was really shocked when she saw the tall city buildings during the battle that Michiru was fighting at night while he was hanging from the top of the thirty-story building, she had never seen a sight like that before so it was a huge surprise for her; especially when she watched Michiru win against that giant monster and all of it's minions. But she enjoyed it very much and was happy that I showed it to her, even Kirara found it interesting since she was perched on Sango's shoulder so that she could watch as well."

"Well I'm very happy that all of your friends enjoyed it, Oh; the phone is ringing." Mrs. Higurashi replied, as she just finished picking up a pile of empty plates and dishes from the kitchen table and was unable to answer it.

"I'll answer it for you Mrs. Higurashi, so just continue." Inuyasha said with a hint of excitement in his voice as he walked over to the phone when he had gotten up from his chair, causing Kagome's mother to nod thankfully while Kagome herself had a look of shock on her face since the half demon was being unusually helpful today. "Hello? Hey Michiru! How've you been doing?"

As Inuyasha began talking with their Kururugi friend over the phone, Kagome immediately began listening in on their conversation since she was curious about Michiru as well even though she knew that it was very rude to eavesdrop on someone else's conversation. Inuyasha kept talking over the phone, asking for Michiru to tell him of any and all battles with ghosts and monstrous opponents since he obviously enjoyed listening to victorious battles which the Shikigami user had accomplished over in the far away country with the Ghostbusters. Kagome kept rolling her eyes as Inuyasha pressed Michiru for more tales; making her wonder if she would even get the chance to talk with Michiru at all. Since Inuyasha was going to be a while, she decided to go to the washroom and shower now that she was now done eating; she figured it would pass the time while she was waiting for her turn on the phone. As she was brushing her teeth, she could faintly hear Inuyasha telling Michiru of the video footage that she had seen and recorded recently; including when he showed it to Sango and Kirara when the half demon had traveled back to the Feudal era to show it to their friends.

"By the way, I've got a message for you from Sango; she said that she wishes she could help you out in any way she could even though she can't travel through the well like Kagome and I can." Inuyasha said, causing Kagome to accidentally gasp while drinking a cup of water in the washroom which was a short distance away from the kitchen; making her spill the cup's contents all over her shirt as she coughed over and over to clear the inside of her throat.

"R-Really?" S-Sango actually said that?" Michiru replied as he suddenly felt overjoyed at hearing Inuyasha say those words to him on Sango's behave.

"You bet, does that make you feel happy?" Inuyasha asked with a smile since he already knew how happy Michiru would be feeling right now.

"Yeah, happy and overjoyed would be a better answer." Michiru replied as his feelings for Sango were ignited by warmth caused from being suddenly overwhelmed with happiness and joy. "Thanks Inuyasha, it means a lot to hear those words even though Sango wasn't able to tell me herself. By the way, I was researching some information with Saya and Ilyssa; and all of us found a way for me to successfully use my Shikigami magic to travel back and forth through time."

"Wait, who's Ilyssa?" Inuyasha asked curiously, not knowing anyone by that name.

"Oh sorry, she's a friend I had saved during my battle against Stay Puft while hanging from the top of the thirty-story building which I'm sure you're familiar with." Michiru answered, telling Inuyasha that Ilyssa had been the woman he had seen Michiru save in the video Kagome had recorded. "She's now working with the Ghostbusters just like I am, she's nearly twice my age; but we get along and treat each other as friends. As a matter a fact, both Ilyssa and Saya were helping me research for clues about my Shikigami magic; and the three of us discovered a way for me to travel back and forth through time."

"Are you serious? You can travel back and forth through time just like Kagome and I can when we both use the Bone Eater's well?" Inuyasha asked in excitement as his eyes widened and his mouth gaped open with a grin. "That's great! So did you actually use your magic and try it out?"

"Yes I did, and it worked; even though I passed out for a few minutes later from overexerting my powers." Michiru answered. "But with more training and experience, I shouldn't have to worry about that for long; all that remains now is finding a way to return home to Japan so I can see my parents as well as you and Kagome. Once I do, hopefully I can travel back through time to the Feudal era and see Sango and everyone else in Kaede's village; then all if us can catch up on lost time."

"That would definitely make Sango and Kagome happy, they both miss you a lot; especially Sango." Inuyasha answered. "Well since you've found a way to travel back in time, I'd better head back to my world and return to Kaede's village; my useless bodyguard Myoga has bound to return eventually with Totosai which means they'll be telling me all about the sword Sounga that you and Saya travelled with."

"I had almost forgotten about that, since Sounga is safely imprisoned inside of a container we built; Saya no longer has to worry about restraining it or keeping it under control." Michiru replied. "Uh oh, I have to go now; there's an important meeting I have to attend for work tonight so I guess this is goodbye. Is Kagome there by any chance? I'd like to say high to her before I hang up."

"She's busy continuing with her homework so she can't come to the phone right now, unfortunately you'll have to try again some other time." Inuyasha answered after finding out where Kagome was from Mrs. Higurashi after only noticing now that the reborn priestess was no longer inside the kitchen. "Before you hang up, do you have a message for Sango that you'd like for me to pass on for you?"

"Yes please, tell her…" Michiru answered. "Tell her that I miss her a lot and thank her for the kind words she expressed, they really meant a great deal to me; I also miss Kirara as well. All the memories I have of spending time with both of them have helped keep me going, and I look forward to the day when we can finally see each other again, as well as you and Kagome too; that brief visit during lunch was far too short to spend with you and Kagome all because of that sword Sounga."

"Kagome and I can agree with you there, we were both really ticked when we found out you were taken to another country and trapped there for a while; but I'm glad you managed to find a way to travel back in time. Who knows, in a few days, you might even find a way to return home as well." Inuyasha replied.

"By the way Inuyasha, when you go back to Kaede's village; could you do me one more favour?" Michiru asked. "Could you hug Kirara for me and maybe feed her some fish if you happen to go hunting around for food while you're there?"

"No problem, I'll also pass on your message to Sango; I'll even tell her and the others that you've found a way to travel back and forth through time as well." Inuyasha answered. "That should make all of them excited, and then they'll know that it's only a matter of days until they can see you again; take care in the meantime and beat the heck out of some more ghosts for me while you're at it too."

"I will, thanks again Inuyasha, please say high to Kagome for me before you leave her house." Michiru answered. "Goodbye."

"Goodbye Michiru." Inuyasha said before hanging up the phone and going to the washroom where Kagome was. "Kagome? You still in there?"

"Y-Yes." Kagome answered back, after finding her voice which was momentarily lost.

"Michiru asked me to say hi to you for him, he has to go to an important meeting so he won't be able to talk to you until some other time later on; just wanted you to know." Inuyasha answered, standing on the other side of the closed washroom door; not wanting to walk in on Kagome and accidentally give her a reason to say sit. "I'm going back to Kaede's village today so I'll see you later on either today or tomorrow okay?"

"Okay, thanks." Kagome replied. "I'll be here at home when ever you drop by, take care Inuyasha."

"Goodbye Kagome." Inuyasha answered before walking in the direction of the front door so he could go outside and get to the well.

After the half demon took his leave, Kagome was sitting naked inside of the bathtub which was filled with warm water; her mind deep in thought. A moment of pause gave her a few seconds to gather her thoughts as a feeling of guilt suddenly came over her for what she had done, she had been eavesdropping over the phone and listening in on the conversation between Inuyasha and Michiru; her curiosity had gotten the better of her even though she didn't feel guilty about it until after it was finally over. She felt that it wouldn't matter much since Inuyasha had done it on her recently, but now she suddenly regretted her actions even though no one had caught her or found out that she had been eavesdropping; it had happened shortly after the moment when she had accidentally inhaled some water from a cup that she had been drinking out of when she suddenly gasped at Inuyasha's mention of Sango's message. It had caught her by surprise and made her cough in order to clear her throat and breath again, it also aroused her curiosity; so much in fact that she tiptoed out of the washroom in order to listen in on the conversation more closely by using the phone in the living room nearby.

Once she had picked up the phone and held it to her head, Kagome heard the rest of the conversation after Inuyasha had asked Michiru about actually finding a way to travel back and forth through time; her eyes widened when she discovered the Kururugi boy's most recent achievement. Although she was happy for him for being one step closer to returning home as well as to the feudal era to reunite with everybody he had made friends with, she was also suspicious as her mind began exploding with questions; more and more while the conversation continued. Once Kagome had hung up the living room phone about a minute before Inuyasha, she zipped back inside of the washroom to avoid being caught; the bathtub was now nearly full of warm water so she had shut it off and started removing her clothes so she could bathe herself. She had just finished getting unchanged when Inuyasha had called to her from outside, feeling guilty about eavesdropping had caused her to momentarily lose her voice for a moment which was why she answered rather nervously.

Was everything she heard actually true or was it just her imagination? Was there actually something going on between Michiru and Sango? Were the two of them slowly falling in love with one another? She didn't actually hear that over the phone when she had been listening in, but from the way Inuyasha and Michiru were talking to each other; it sounded as though there was no other logical explanation for why Michiru and Sango were drawn to each other. She knew that they had become friends; having spent time together during their days off in Feudal Japan over the course of their adventures as they traveled the lands in search of Naraku and Utsugi, but she didn't realize that the two of them had already become so close; let alone moved beyond friendship and possibly nearing the point of falling in love with each other. One thing was certain, they were both much closer than she had known or even dared to guess before she had eavesdropped on Michiru's conversation with Inuyasha; which meant Miroku's window of opportunity would soon be closed for good.

Although Kagome didn't know for sure whether or not Sango truly loved Michiru, she did know that Michiru had successfully found a way to travel back and forth through time. All that the Shikigami user needed now was a way to safely return home to Japan and at the rate events were occurring, she was positive that it would be only a matter of days until he finally did return. Once that was accomplished, then events would escalate to a whole new level; Miroku would lose his last chance of amending his relationship with Sango and Sango herself would have to make a final decision over which young man she would choose to spend the rest of her life with. Suddenly, Kagome had a flashback; recalling the moment when Inuyasha had asked her whether or not she had heard Michiru's final words before he was suddenly summoned back to the modern world in which he lived. Was it possible Michiru had told Sango that he loved her before he left? It seemed natural since he didn't know when or even if he could ever return and see her again, now everything she had heard over the phone added up and made sense. But what was she to do now that she pieced everything together?

A heavy burden suddenly took hold of the unprepared high school girl who still sat motionless in the warm water with her legs tucked together and her knees pulled against her upper body as she crossed her arms and rested them on top, continuing to think carefully about what she should do now that she had made such a dramatic discovery. Kagome sighed, there was nothing she could do without starting a confrontation between herself and her friends; Inuyasha would surely be cross with her for eavesdropping on such an important conversation which had passed between himself and Michiru. She wasn't able to do anything anyway, let alone travel back and visit everyone until after she had completed all of her school work first; which also meant she couldn't force Miroku to change for the better either. It was already too late for that, unless she could complete all her assignments before Michiru could find a way to return home to Japan. Kagome now most definitely regretted her actions, perhaps she should just pretend that nothing had happened; but she wouldn't be able to pretend forever once everyone was together again in Kaede's village; sooner or later she would have to face reality.

"Michiru…Why didn't you tell me that there was something between you and Sango?" Kagome said quietly to herself, wondering how could she have been so blind and not seen everything she had just discovered. "Why does Inuyasha know but not me? Do you not trust me? Sango…have you really fallen in love with Michiru? Have you actually given up on Miroku just like that? Why have you grown so close to Michiru all of a sudden? After everything we've been through together and after all the time you've shared with Miroku…why?"

It was a few minutes before 7:00p.m. In the afternoon on the 21st of November in the city of Manhattan located in the United States of America. At the Firehouse where the Ghostbusters lived, everyone was gathered together in the hopes that they could persuade their young Shikigami user to attend the party at the Museum as Dr. Ilyssa Selwyn's guest since she was the guest curator invited to the Opening Gala which featured the new Gozer Exhibit. Now as far as Michiru was concerned, he had nothing against Ilyssa; but he was being asked to do something which could accidentally give away his true identity and he wasn't willing to take that course of action since he didn't want to see all of his American friends go to jail. Unfortunately, no one was on his side in this argument; not even Egon or Venkman since the two of them found his embarrassment to be very entertaining as everyone could plainly see how red his face was when he tried talking them out of forcing him to go on this assignment.

Once the argument was lost and Michiru was forced to give up the verbal fight, the Kururugi boy now had to prepare for the upcoming engagement at the Museum which was now drawing closer with every passing hour. Michiru went to the washroom and had a quick shower to clean and wash up since this was an important evening and that he would be in the presence of a lady as well as all the other people who would be attending the Gala tonight. After putting on some deodorant and washing his face a second time just to get extra clean, the reluctant teenager dried himself off with a towel and began to brush his teeth for several minutes before washing out the inside of his mouth. Now that he was clean and dry, Michiru could finally get himself changed into some clothes; his school uniform was about the only attire that he could possibly wear for an evening engagement such as this, but he didn't think Ilyssa would mind since it included a tie which would make him look somewhat appropriately dressed while at the Museum.

While he was inside the washroom having a shower, Ilyssa and Ray were both formulating a plan so that they could accomplish everything without blowing Michiru's identity and so on in case Peck got nosey or if any ghosts suddenly crashed the party. Janine was present there along with everyone else as well just so they all understood what was going on in case things got out of control and that sort of thing. When Michiru emerged from the bedroom, now fully dressed in his familiar light brown pants and while short sleeved shirt with a blue tie and the school emblem on the left breast pocket; everyone greeted him as he came over to join them at the kitchen table were all of his colleagues were gathered together. Ilyssa and Janine both complimented the Shikigami user by saying how handsome he looked and that he would definitely pass as a young gentleman even though he was only a teenager. After the brief comments and remarks were over, Ilyssa went to the washroom so she could also have a shower and get cleaned up before dressing and going to the Museum.

"Listen up Mitch; we've devised a plan on how most of us are going to the Museum tonight so pay attention." Winston instructed. "Go ahead Ray."

"Right, Mitch and Ilyssa are going together as guests to the opening Gala; both of you will be taking a taxi ride to the Museum and you will get inside by using the main entrance. Dr. Rutherford, the assistant curator to the Museum; will get you inside because you are Ilyssa's office assistant at least while she had an office before it was destroyed by Stay Puft two nights ago." Ray explained as Michiru listened carefully to remember everything important since he felt as though he was walking into a lion's den by attending this event.

"Once you are inside, Ilyssa is going to give you a quick tour of the Museum so that you can familiarize yourself with the inside of the building." Egon continued where Ray had left off. "If you see or sense anything out of the ordinary, you can go to the washroom to change into your work uniform which you will have with you inside your backpack and then come and meet us at the loading dock near the service entrance of the Museum; we'll have your proton pack and other equipment on us to give to you once we meet up with each other inside of the Museum. And then amidst all the chaos and confusion, you'll be able to fight with us against any ghosts that appear without having to worry about being questioned or checked for ID."

"One last thing, Saya is also going to be hiding inside of your backpack with your cellular phone so that he can communicate with us in case you are being distracted by Peck; you'll have to teach Saya how to use your cell phone so that he can contact Janine back here and then she can alert us." Winston added. "You won't be allowed to use any of the hand radios that we normally have on us because it might draw suspicions so just have your uniform, Saya and your cell phone inside of your backpack when you go to the Museum."

"What if they open it up to search the inside and see the contents?" Michiru asked with concern.

"The Museum will have a scanning machine just like airports do to search people's luggage so you shouldn't have to worry about that." Egon answered. "Since you won't have any weapons, you'll have to rely on your magic if ghosts show up before you can find us and get your combat equipment so make sure to isolate yourself from the public before you cast any spells. Try not to worry Mitch; we're all sure that everything will turn out fine."

"I'll do my best, but that's all I can promise." Michiru replied, reluctantly agreeing to go along with this plan.

"If I'm spotted inside of Michiru's backpack when it gets scanned, should I make a scene and draw attention away from him so that he can call you in order to give you guys an excuse to come rushing in and save the day?" Saya asked with a laugh.

"That's not a bad idea, then Peck and the security guards would be focussed on us instead of Mitch which would save his hide if he was suddenly suspected of anything." Venkman commented. "While we try and catch you, Mitch could make an escape amidst the chaos and confusion so that works outs."

"I suppose if I'm caught, I'll just have to play the part of being a victim since I had a ghost hiding inside my backpack without my knowledge until it was too late." Michiru remarked.

"You'll do fine Michiru, and Ilyssa will be there with you to back you up and help you out." Janine said, trying to cheer up the young man.

"Alright Michiru, pull out your cell phone so you can teach me how to use it." Saya asked.

While Michiru was instructing his ancient spiritual friend how to use the small communication device, Egon and Ray continued reviewing all the data they had analysed and gathered so far after reading through the Gozerian Codex as best as they could. Winston and Venkman had loaded up Ecto-1 with all the equipment and proton packs so that the Ghostbusters were ready to go at a moment's notice if they were suddenly needed for an emergency. Janine had already finished returning calls from clients and people who were looking to book appointments later on into the last week of July and so she was able to stay up here and chat until the time came for everyone to depart. Once Saya understood how Michiru's cell phone functioned and that he proved he could use it, Winston asked Michiru how he had managed to come up with a spell for travelling back and forth through time using his magic even though he had nothing to go on except a theory which was based on what he had deduced after reading all the research he had found with Saya and Ilyssa earlier that day. The boy answered as best as he could until he ended his explanation by describing the connection between the Void element and his magic for casting such a difficult spell.

"The void is the most important element out of the five that are part of Japanese traditions, it stands above all the others because represents things which exist outside of the ordinary world; things composed of pure energy which can only be described as the quintessential creative energy of the world." Michiru answered. "When the void appeared as I cast my spell, it's power is what helped me to successfully travel back and forth through time; it was my own thought and spiritual energy that told it what I was trying to accomplish and that's why it was able to understand and assist me in the way I needed to successfully pull it off."

"Wow, that's some achievement you pulled off there man." Winston replied, pondering everything Michiru had just explained to him.

"Does anyone have any other questions about our plan for tonight before we get started?" Ray asked, hoping to wrap this up so that everyone understood what they were supposed to do.

"Yeah, how do I look?" a voice answered back from the bedroom entrance.

Everyone turned around and had their mouths and eyes gaping wide open at the sight in front of them. Standing in the doorway was Ilyssa, wearing a dark black evening dress that clung to her figure and was held on her shoulders by two spaghetti straps. She was also wearing a thin round silver bracelet around each of her wrists as well as a small red and white striped necklace around her neck, plus some very tiny earrings which were nearly invisible if one didn't concentrate and look carefully enough to spot them. Ilyssa had her hair done up the same way she normally wore it, and yet; it looked like it was a few shades darker in colour even though no one remembered her dying it at all. Perhaps it was a conditioner or something that she had used which could have changed the colour of her hair, which ever it was; no one would ever know. Just behind her ears were strands of hair that hung down from her head and reached just above her neckline, which somehow made Ilyssa look lovelier than she was already. To match her dress, she also wore a pair of high heels on her feet and was able to walk around easily without any discomfort or trouble; which was a surprise to Michiru since he had never seen a female wear or even walk in high heels before.

"Wow Ilyssa, you look…wonderful." Michiru responded, finally finding his voice after a few moments of uneasiness and shock.

"Well I had to make myself look presentable since we'll be together and that you're already so handsomely prepared for tonight." Ilyssa replied with a smile as she complimented the young blushing teenager yet again. "Janine, get out your camera and take some photos of us; we might ruin our outfits later tonight if we run into some ghosts so now's the time."

"You got it, Michiru; go stand beside Ilyssa and put your arm around her." Janine replied, activating her digital camera and aiming it at Ilyssa before she realized that the nervous Kururugi boy had not moved even an inch. "Well what are you waiting for Mitch? Get on over there; it's not polite to keep a lady waiting."

"Go on tiger, show Ilyssa what a handsome young stud you are. Ha! Ha! Ha!" Winston said encouragingly, lightly shoving the Japanese student over to where his female friend was standing. "If only you could see your face, you're about as red as a strawberry just ripe for picking."

"Give me a second to compose myself Janine, or I might ruin the photo." Michiru asked, trying to relax even though he was standing right beside Ilyssa who was just to his right; a few inches away waiting patiently for her guest to get ready.

"There's no need to be so nervous around me Michiru, I'm not going to hurt you so relax already. Ha! Ha! Ha!" Ilyssa said with a few laughs and giggles, unable to contain herself after stealing a glance at the poor boy's blushing and beat red face which was now glowing thanks to the temperature rise inside of his body all because of this embarrassing situation. "Seriously, how are you and I supposed to go to the Museum together if you can't even pose for a mere photograph? We haven't even left the Firehouse yet and you're as scared as a goose."

"I'm sorry Ilyssa, but I can't help it." Michiru replied, taking a deep breath and exhaling suddenly to relief himself of the stress he had undergone. "Okay, I'm ready."

"Three, two, one. Say cheese." Janine ordered, receiving a simultaneous reply from both colleagues as they smiled together before she clicked the camera and took a photo. "Put your arm around Ilyssa for this next one Michiru, and get closer together."

"Go on Mitch, I don't mind." Ilyssa said, letting the hesitant young man know that she was alright with it.

As Janine asked Ilyssa and Michiru to pose for more photos, everyone else was getting quite entertained by this event; Saya was having a hard time trying to contain himself. The old ghost didn't want to upset his friend by laughing at him, but he wouldn't be able to stay quiet while inside of Michiru's backpack during the Gala tonight and so it was probably best to let all of the laughter out now. Winston, Ray, and Venkman were all making short comedic comments as the two friends kept being photographed by Janine. Finally, Egon decided that they should get back on track and so he asked Janine to wrap it up so that Michiru and Ilyssa could both be on their way to the Museum. A honking noise from outside confirmed that a taxi had arrived to pick them up and drive them to their destination so now it was time to leave, Ilyssa got her purse while Michiru strapped on his backpack after sealing it shut with Saya inside. Before they left, each of them were accompanied by all of the Ghostbusters until they were downstairs at the front entrance door where they said their goodbyes and walked over to the vehicle that was to transport them to the Museum tonight. Michiru quickened his walking pace a little and arrived at the cab ahead of Ilyssa so he could politely open the passenger door for her.

"That was very nice of you Michiru, thanks very much." Ilyssa said nicely with a smile as she carefully entered the vehicle and sat down inside. "Take us to the Museum of Natural History please, there's an opening Gala tonight that we're both attending."

"Yes ma'am." The driver replied with a nod after looking through the rear view mirror and making sure that both of his passengers were now safely inside with their seatbelts fastened so that he could be on his way.

The drive to the Museum was a short, but pleasant trip for the two companions; they now had time to themselves without having to worry about work until they arrived. Michiru and Ilyssa chatted back and forth with one another as the female curator told a short story of how she had become a research specialist and why Sumerian and Gozerian culture had caught her interest. Saya was able to listen and hear the entire conversation and he couldn't help but wonder how embarrassed the Kururugi boy would be once they had all returned to the Firehouse only to be interrogated by all of the Ghostbusters just as he had been yesterday night after the fiasco with the ghosts of his ancestral grandparents. But the thought eventually left his mind as he relaxed and waited patiently for what would happen next, listening carefully in case he had to burst out and make an appearance when ever or if ever it was necessary. Another ten minutes later, the taxi pulled up to a halt; right in front of the Museum. Ilyssa paid the driver just before she got out of the vehicle and was delighted once again to find Michiru holding the door open for her, Michiru closed the door shut and the taxi drove away; leaving the two of them standing at the main entrance of the Museum of Natural History.

A gigantic and towering building made of concrete and stone stood in front of the two friends, its smooth pillars leading upwards with gargoyles and statues standing above on a surface which was supported from underneath. Before Michiru could continue looking in awe and amazement, Ilyssa took the unprepared Kururugi boy by the left hand and pulled him along up the stairs which lead up to the main doorway. Michiru protested, telling Ilyssa that he didn't need her to hold his hand since he was a teenager as opposed to a young child; making the female adult laugh in the process as she released her grip on her young friend's hand. Once they were inside, they were greeted at the door by a middle aged man wearing black dressed pants and fancy ink black shoes; a blue shirt with a yellow tie underneath his business suit which was also black. He was partially shaven, bald except for some hear on the sides and back of the upper part of his head and he also wore a large pair of glasses since his eyesight was obviously impaired.

"Good evening Dr. Ilyssa Selwyn, my name is Dr. Rutherford; I'm the assistant curator of the Museum of Natural History." The man said, welcoming the two of them as he approached. "And who is your young companion may I ask?"

"Thank you Dr. Rutherford, allow me to introduce Mitch; he's a foreign exchange student that I hired as an office assistant while I'm temporarily staying here in town." Ilyssa answered as the Shikigami user quickly shook hands with the grownup even though he was feeling nervous about accidentally blowing his cover. "We're also tutoring each other; I'm teaching him about Gozerian culture and architecture while he's teaching me about ancient Japanese culture and mythology; that's why he's accompanying me during the Gala tonight."

"Speaking of the Gala, would the two of you like to see the new Gozer Exhibit? Its all set up and ready in the main gallery." Dr. Rutherford suggested.

"Yes please, we've been looking forward to that since I was invited to the Gala." Ilyssa answered excitedly. "But before that, I'd like to give Mitch a tour of the Museum if that's alright with you."

"Yes, that shouldn't be a problem. Before we go, please come over to the security area so that your belongings can be checked; it's just to make sure no dangerous weapons are brought into the Museum." Dr. Rutherford instructed, leading the two of them over to a barrage scanner similar to the ones that airports have. "Just place your stuff on this conveyer belt and wait until they come out on the other end, it'll only take a minute."

Ilyssa placed her purse on the conveyer belt, followed by Michiru after he had removed his small backpack from himself; his cell phone and Ghostbusters uniform were both inside as well as Saya which Michiru hoped would remain invisible to the imagery screen in order to avoid causing a panic. Once that was over and done with, the two of them retrieved their belongings and prepared to explore the interior of the Museum; Ilyssa paid Dr. Rutherford some money for an admission fee which would allow herself and Michiru to get a tour of the Museum and all the Exhibits it had to offer. The grownup checked his watch and realized he had to go get ready for the Gala but he said he would join them later on once his preparations were all finished, Ilyssa and Michiru said goodbye and began walking together and viewing the exhibits on the first floor.

"Ilyssa? Not to be rude or anything, but why did you say I was a foreign exchange student?" Michiru asked curiously, hoping that her little fib wouldn't cause suspicion.

"It was all I could think of in the spur of the moment, you're wearing your school uniform so I thought it would be a believable ruse." Ilyssa answered. "Now that we have our admission tickets, let's take a grand tour of the Museum; we might as well take advantage of being here early and enjoy it since we've got the whole place to ourselves."

"But we don't have a tour guide, and Dr. Rutherford is away preparing for the Gala so what do we do?" Michiru pointed out.

"I've been to the Museum before, that's how Dr. Rutherford and I know each other; I do happen to be a specialist on ancient Mesopotamian cultures and architecture so its no wonder I was recommended by Peck to be here for the opening Gala." Ilyssa replied, turning to face Michiru with a gorgeous smile on her face. "Besides, now we can see the Museum together; you did say you wanted to see all the exhibits with me right?"

"Uh yeah, but…" Michiru replied hesitantly as a light blush appeared on his cheeks, making Ilyssa giggle.

"Oh come on, it's not everyday we get to spend some free time together; is it a date or what?" Ilyssa said, giving her nervous companion a reassuring smile. "Hey, the Ghostbusters aren't going to make fun of you for having a tour with me; this will just be between the two of us. And if they do, I'll be sure to give them all a good beating; that will make them keep their mouths shut."

"Ha! Ha! I'm sure lucky to have you for a friend Ilyssa; I don't know how I'd survive here in New York without you here." Michiru said as a few laughs slipped out in the process.

"That's the spirit Michiru, you're getting more comfortable talking with girls already; this will help you interact with Sango once you finally get to see her again." Ilyssa replied with a smile, padding Michiru on the back as they continued walking throughout the Museum.

"Yeah…I suppose so." Michiru whispered quietly to himself, walking along with Ilyssa as he wondered how the lovely demon slayer was currently doing back Japan's feudal era which was so very far away from him right now.

It was late in the morning and the bright sun was already up, indicating that another sunny day of summer weather and clear blue skies awaited the inhabitants of Kaede's village back in Feudal Japan; Inuyasha had returned some time ago and was presently chopping up fire wood so that the wise old woman Kaede could make a late breakfast for everyone who had slept in. Inuyasha was in a bit of a bad mood because he had been asked to do this work before he could take the opportunity of talking with Sango and telling her of Michiru and the recent achievements that the half demon's human friend had accomplished. But unfortunately he would have to wait until he was finished, for Sango had taken Kohaku and Kirara for a walk outside of the village and it would be a while before the three of them would return. Although Inuyasha could have refused to work, he didn't enjoy the thought of enduring numerous sit commands from Kagome once she returned after completing her schoolwork; so he thought he'd better make a good impression by helping Kaede out since Kagome wasn't here to do so herself.

"How much more firewood do you need Kaede?" Inuyasha asked, taking a break after having a huge pile of cut up lumber chunks build up to the size of a car sitting off to the side of the path leading inside of the village. "You can't possibly use all of this up just for cooking one breakfast, unless of course you plan on feeding an entire kingdom or something."

"That's plenty, thank ye Inuyasha; I just wanted to have some extra for all of the other villagers to have since most of them are currently busy tending to the crops and the mysterious fields." Kaede answered gratefully. "In another month or so all the crops will be ripe and ready for harvesting so that's why we have to pay more attention to our work in the fields, at least this gives you a reason to practice swinging your Tetsusaiga since you've managed to scare away any demons that try to attack our village."

"Hey, Inuyasha!" a voice called from above, making Inuyasha look up and see a giant round pink orb which told the half demon that it was Shippo's voice who had called out to him.

"Hey Shippo, what do you want?" Inuyasha asked with an annoyed tone of voice, not wanting to be distracted and put behind schedule.

"Kaede asked me to wake Miroku up so he could help her gather some medicinal herbs but I can't find him anywhere." Shippo answered, turning back into his little fox demon form as he landed on the ground. "You don't know where he is right?"

"I haven't seen him all morning, why don't you ask Sango if she's seen him; she shouldn't be too far from the village." Inuyasha suggested after answering Shippo's question.

"W-Well…I…" Shippo hesitated; turning a bit pink in the face and making Inuyasha wonder what was wrong with his suggestion. "I saw her below me while I floated over here, s-she was taking a bath with her brother in the river and I didn't want to scare or disturb them; especially since Kirara was there standing guard."

"If I know Miroku, he's probably up to no good again; let's go find him before something unpleasant happens." Inuyasha said darting down the pathway which led out of the village and into the forest, Shippo managed to latch on to the half demon's shoulder and keep a firm grip in order to tag along and not be left behind. "What are you coming along for? Its not like Sango's in any danger you know."

"Yeah, but Kagome asked me to keep an eye on Miroku while she was stuck at home in her time and that's what I'm going to do so that I can tell her everything he does during her absence." Shippo answered, making Inuyasha grin after recalling last night's events when the reborn priestess had given Miroku one heck of a beating; not to mention the scare of his life while she scolded him for being a lecherous pervert.

Meanwhile at the river, Sango had just finished dressing Kohaku after giving him a bath in the warm water and now she was ready to bath herself; Kohaku yawned and laid down for a nap beside his sister's belongings while Kirara stood by alert and ready for any unexpected intruders lurking nearby. As the demon slayer began to disrobe, the peaceful silence was shattered by the sound of a branch breaking; making Sango look up and stare straight into the eyes of a certain monk who happened to be watching her from the top of a nearby tree. Sango quickly pulled her kimono back on and around herself before she grabbed her Hiraikotsu and hurled it at the unprepared monk who was now a sitting duck waiting to be targeted; her weapon struck the tree with such force that Miroku lost balance and fell to the ground amidst the many broken twigs and branches that fell with him. Not wanting to give Kirara the chance of pouncing on him and sinking her sabre tooth like fangs into his flesh, Miroku ran for his life as fast as he could; until he fell on his back after colliding into someone else who had happened to cross his path.

"And where do you think you are going?" Inuyasha asked mischievously with huge grin on his face as he looked Miroku right in the eyes, making Shippo laugh as both of them got immense satisfaction at seeing how panicked the lecherous monk was. "You never learn do you? Honestly Miroku, I thought you would have listened to Kagome's words after the scolding she gave you; but it looks as though you didn't fully grasp everything."

"Hey? How do know about what happened last night?" Miroku asked in shock, backing away from the half demon that stood still staring at the helpless monk.

"That's not important, what is important is that you have to learn from your mistakes; it looks as though I'll have to punish you since Kagome isn't here to do so herself." Inuyasha said, drawing his Tetsusaiga with an evil grin and causing Miroku's eyes to widen with fear.

"Hold on Inuyasha, don't get carried away now; Kagome and Sango wouldn't want you to kill Miroku so put your sword away before someone gets hurt!" Shippo protested after jumping off Inuyasha's shoulder and standing between Miroku and the half demon.

"Its okay Shippo, I'm not going to kill Miroku; I'm just going to give him a friendly warning not to go bothering Sango again when she's bathing." Inuyasha said, walking around Shippo and kicking Miroku so that the monk was laying flat with his belly and face on the grass covered ground. "Since he obviously didn't heed Kagome's warning when she beat him up, the only way he'll learn is by allowing me to give him a warning as well, its been a while since I've used Tetsusaiga; I wonder if its still up for a fight."

"No Inuyasha! I beg you! Don't cut off my limbs!" Miroku pleaded, eyeing Inuyasha's razor sharp Tetsusaiga as the frightening memories of Kagome's ire flashed in his mind. "I haven't found a wife yet nor had any children! Show mercy!"

"Oh don't you worry Miroku, I'll show you plenty of mercy; just you wait and see." Inuyasha replied with a funny look on his face as he tried not to laugh. "Hey Shippo, I got a question for you. How many times to you think Miroku has groped Sango over the course of our travels together?"

"More than I can remember, but if I had to guess; I'd say close to a hundred." Shippo answered, enjoying Miroku's plight now that it was turning into one hilarious event; except for Miroku of course.

"Close to a hundred uh? Nah, we'd better go with one hundred just to be safe; ready Miroku?" Inuyasha said with a grin as he raised his Tetsusaiga up in the air for a strike. "Count to a hundred for me Shippo, ready…go!"

"One! Two! Three! F-Four! F-Five!" Shippo called out until he couldn't hold in his laughter any longer, rolling on his back laughing for a long time as he watched Inuyasha deliver a smack to Miroku's butt with the flat side of Tetsusaiga's enormous blade. HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!"

Inuyasha continued spanking Miroku, counting each one inside of his mind since Shippo stopped counting due to laughing uncontrollably; Miroku cried out in pain until he no longer had the energy for it. The monk's eyes were watering and for the first time ever in his whole life, he regretted his lecherous actions; he only hoped that he could survive until it was over. Kirara came on the scene to see what the commotion was and when Miroku begged her to stop Inuyasha's onslaught, she simply shook her head and trotted back to the river without a worry in the world. After smacking Miroku's butt for the hundredth time, Inuyasha pulled the monk to his feet and told him to go walk back to the village and think about his lecherous ways on the way back; giving him one last smack with his sword to get him moving. Miroku instantly picked up the pace and started running even though it was painful, but he was willing to endure it in order to get away from Inuyasha; he didn't want to risk going through that experience again and getting another hundred smacks from the half demon's Tetsusaiga. Just after Inuyasha sheathed his sword, Sango appeared on the scene having returned from the river; she was now fully dressed which told the two of them that the demon slayer had finished bathing herself. Kohaku was following her, riding comfortably on the Kirara's back; the two tail was in her fighting form so that she could carry the boy.

"What was all that screaming Inuyasha?" Sango asked curiously. "I sent Kirara to investigate and she just came right back as if there was nothing wrong."

"Oh, well…You remember Miroku was spying on you when you were in the river?" Inuyasha asked, getting a nod from Sango.

"Well…I sort of…beat him up a bit so that he wouldn't try it again." Inuyasha answered, causing Sango to have a shocked look on her face before she looked at Shippo for an answer.

"He's telling the truth, but all Inuyasha did was spank Miroku on the butt; it was pretty funny." Shippo added, looking away after answering to hide his face and contain his laughter as Sango sighed with relief that spanking Miroku was all that had happened.

"Shippo, please go with Kirara and take Kohaku back to the village; I'll be there in a little while." Sango ordered, waiting for the three of them to be out of sight so she could reply to Inuyasha as she tried to keep a straight face. "Inuyasha…I know Miroku isn't always polite, but you shouldn't have done what you did to him; Kagome already gave him enough of a beating last night if you remember."

"Yeah, but Miroku obviously didn't heed her warning; so I thought I'd give him one too." Inuyasha countered. "I'm sorry for my actions Sango, but don't you think its time Miroku wised up a bit? You heard Kagome words and you know what she said was true; he doesn't act the proper way a real monk should. If you don't like him groping you or spying on you inappropriately, I suggest you tell him yourself because that's the only way it's going to stop; I'm sure Michiru would say the same thing if he were here."

"But he wouldn't have done what you did to Miroku, we both know that." Sango stated, not wanting Michiru to be caught up in this debate.

"I didn't say that he would, I'm only pointing out that Miroku's manners need amending; and that you need to be a little more honest with Miroku." Inuyasha replied. "When you catch him groping you or spying on you when you bathe, don't just slap him across the face or throw your Hiraikotsu; look him in the eyes and tell him not to do either one of those things to you ever again. Once you do that, you've drawn a line and if Miroku crosses it again; that's when you'll know he won't respect you or change for the better. Sango? Do you understand what I'm trying to tell you?"

"Yes…" Sango answered softly, not wanting this subject of discussion to go on any further. "Just don't do anything like that to Miroku again; I wouldn't want Kagome getting angry with you if she found out that you spanked him."

"I won't, and don't worry about me because I can take anything Kagome dishes out. By the way, I spoke with Michiru this morning over the phone at Kagome's house and I passed on your message to him. Do you want to know what he said?" Inuyasha asked, getting a nod from Sango as she stared anxiously at Inuyasha; wanting to hear everything he knew about how the Kururugi boy was doing. "Michiru asked me to tell you that he misses you a lot and to thank you for the kind words you expressd; they meant a great deal to him even though you couldn't tell him in person yourself. He also misses Kirara as well and all the times that he shared with each of you together have helped keep him going while he's trapped in that far away country. Oh yes, he also wanted me to give Kirara a hug and feed her some fish since he couldn't be here to give them to her himself; but she's back in Kaede's village so I'll have to go back if I'm to…"

"No Inuyasha, I'll give Kirara a hug for Michiru; you've already done more than enough for both of us." Sango interrupted as she smiled, being touched by the words and feelings of the Shikigami user who meant so much to her even though he was far away. "I'll feed her too; I practically do everyday anyway so you don't have to worry. Is there anything else you need to tell me while you're here?"

"Yes Sango, there is." Inuyasha explained, hoping that his answer would cheer up the demon slayer. "The woman Michiru saved from falling during his battle against Stay Puft goes by the name of Ilyssa, it seems as though she's also staying and working with the Ghostbusters people I told you about earlier shortly before Myoga left to go look for Totosai. She and Saya both helped Michiru research some information regarding his magic powers and he told me that he's recently found a way to travel back and forth through time just like Kagome and I do when we use the Bone Eater's well."

"Inuyasha? Are you trying to tell me that Michiru can return to our era and…see us again?" Sango asked nervously, trying to confirm what she heard was true.

"Yes Sango, that's exactly what I'm saying." Inuyasha answered excitedly, wishing that Michiru could be here to see how happy and overjoyed Sango had become as her face lit up after hearing that message. "Now he still has to find a way to return back home to his own country first, but that shouldn't be a problem as long as he keeps doing well and stays out of trouble."

"What's wrong Inuyasha?" Sango asked, now noticing that the excited look on the half demon's face was replaced with a look of caution.

"There's something approaching us at a very fast speed, I can't see anything and yet I can hear the trees of the forest shaking violently; we'd better get ready." Inuyasha answered.

"Inuyasha lets head back to Kaede's village; we'll be able to see what's coming without the trees obscuring our view." Sango suggested, breaking into a run and dashing back towards the village; Inuyasha reluctantly agreed in order to help protect Sango since he knew Michiru wouldn't want Sango to get hurt in anyway. "Were almost out of the forest, then we can look up and see what's chasing us.

"Oh bother and I was hoping it was a big demon I could beat up in a brawl." Inuyasha said with a tone of disappointment after looking up over the tops of the trees once he had emerged from the forest, Sango arrived just as an abnormally and overgrown gigantic black cow appeared just above her head and landed down on the ground between her and Inuyasha; revealing an old man clad in a green kimono with dark stripes on it who sat perfectly balanced on the creature's back without even a saddle to secure himself on during their flight through the sky together. "Hey old man, did Myoga manage to find you or did you come here for a brief visit?"

The old man in question leapt from his three eyed steed high into the air and landed on the ground perfectly without injuring his feet or legs, striking the unsuspecting half demon square in the face with a weapon that looked like a large mallet; except that the handle was as long as a javelin which gave its wielder even more momentum when ever he swung the mighty weapon around. Sango had stopped running after recognizing that it was only Totosai and his cow Momo, but she quickly resumed her pace after witnessing the old man assault Inuyasha with such brute force which was unnecessary; not to mention very rude since the old man had been welcomed by the half demon which didn't happen that often. She came up behind Totosai and tried in vain to stop him from slamming his hammer down on Inuyasha's face, Sango had to admit that the old codger was stronger than he looked considering how old and aged he was.

"How could you have been so stupid Inuyasha?" Totosai declared, yelling over and over as he struck Inuyasha again and again with his hammer; making the half demon stumble backwards in order to avoid the continuing blows to his face and head. "Why did you let Sounga fall into the unfortunate hands of a helpless mortal human being?" Answer me quickly or I'll relieve you of the Tetsusaiga after I've finished knocking some sense into that thick, stubborn skull of yours!"

"Ow! Just wait a…Ouch! Stop it! Ow! Hey! What did I…Ow! Inuyasha protested between blows as he was struck in the head multiple times until Sango managed to halt Totosai's onslaught. "ARE YOU QUITE FINISHED OLDMAN? I GREET YOU WITH A WARM WELCOME AND THIS IS THE THANKS I GET?"

"Totosai! Inuyasha! That's enough! From both of you!" Sango declared in a raised voice after Inuyasha delivered a punch to Totosai's head, leaving a large bruised lump where his fist had struck. "Let's head back to the village where we can talk things over, Kaede will probably have breakfast waiting for us by now. Your voice sounds funny Inuyasha, is your nose broken again?"

"Oh shut up." Inuyasha answered with a high pitched voice, making Sango laugh uncontrollably since this was the second time that the half demon had his nose broken by a mortal human being's attack.

"Hey Inuyasha, your voice sounds pretty funny; you must have sounded like that when you were just a little runt crawling on your hands and knees. Ha! Ha!" Totosai added with a laugh.

"I told you to keep quiet!" Inuyasha yelled, smacking Totosai on the head again. "You're lucky that Sango is here right now, otherwise I'd give you two dozen slugs to the head as payback for bashing me with that hammer of yours; you hear me old man?"

"Hello master Inuyasha, I found Totosai for you just as you had requested." Myoga stated, appearing out of nowhere and landing on Inuyasha's face; sucking out some blood until the half demon's hand palm flattened him with a quick smack and ending his morning meal. "A little thank you every now and again would be nice to hear master Inuyasha."

"Myoga, Inuyasha's had a rough morning; he's been busy helping me out with some difficult situations so I expect you and Totosai to cut him a break." Sango said as she walked along at the front, leading the way into Kaede's village. While Sango giggled after listening to Inuyasha's funny voice, she thought about Michiru until they arrived where Kaede was waiting to serve them a late breakfast or brunch as modern day people would call it.

It was now 9:30 in the evening in New York City where Ilyssa and Michiru were just sitting down to have a late night snack together inside the café at the Natural History Museum, all the walking around and travelling from floor to floor had tired the two of them out which made them decide to relax together where it was nice and quiet. The Gala wouldn't begin until ten o'clock so they still had plenty of time to enjoy themselves and talk together for a little while longer, Ilyssa was standing at the counter where the cashier was; looking over the small menu to see what ever foods were available. Michiru was looking as well, but his mind was elsewhere; thinking about Sango. He had enjoyed exploring the Museum with Ilyssa and lots of fun seeing all of the interesting exhibits which were on display, but he still would have liked to share an evening like this with Sango at his side; just the two of them at least for once.

"Sandwiches, salads, hotdogs, beverages and water." Ilyssa said softly after scanning the menu. "What would you like Mitch?"

"Hmm? Oh sorry." Michiru apologized as he stopped daydreaming. "A hotdog with some water is fine, thanks Ilyssa."

"I'll have a salad and some water please, add our orders together." Ilyssa asked.

"His order is $6.70 and yours is $9.70, which comes to $16.40 please." The cashier said, taking the money and handing them their snacks and bottled water. "There are your snacks and have a nice evening."

"Thanks." Ilyssa replied as the two of them gathered their food and drink before choosing a table to sit down at. "You're so quiet all of a sudden Michiru. Is there something on your mind?"

"What? No of course not, why do you ask?" Michiru said, trying to deny it so he didn't offend Ilyssa.

"You're thinking about Sango aren't you?" Ilyssa deduced, smiling as Michiru blushed with guilt and embarrassment. "You wish she could be here with you on a night like this don't you?"

"N-No! I-I…" Michiru replied with a sigh before he gave in. "Yes, I admit it; I just didn't want to offend you and spoil the fun you're having tonight."

"Hey, you won't offend me by being honest Michiru; I still had a great time with you tonight and you haven't spoiled anything so don't feel bad." Ilyssa said, trying to cheer him up as they both ate their snacks together. "You've come a long way since I first met you at the Sedgwick Hotel, you were beginning your first job with the Ghostbusters and today you've found a way to travel back and forth through time; now all you need is to find a way home and you've got it made."

"Yeah, I have you and Saya to thank for that; I couldn't have done it without help from the both of you." Michiru replied with a smile, feeling a bit better. By the way Ilyssa, there's an idea I've been thinking about since the time we looked at all those cursed artefacts back at the Firehouse together; but I didn't want to mention it in front of the others which is why I'm bringing it up now."

"Really? Ilyssa asked. "What idea is that?"

"Promise me that you would panic and just hear me out, please?" Michiru replied in a pleading tone, receiving a nod from Ilyssa who readied herself and paid close attention to what was about to said next. "We both know I can't use the Sounga in an attempt to return home because its far too dangerous, so I was thinking of training with my magic to try and devise a spell which could levitate that large Persian Rug that's rolled up and sitting inside of the bedroom back at the Firehouse. Tobin's Spirit Guide did indicate that it was used as a magic flying carpet by its original owner at one point in time so I think the best way for me to return home would be to fly back on that, which wouldn't be all that different from how I came here; but it would a safer way which also allows me to leave the country without having to put you or the Ghostbusters at risk for harbouring a foreigner. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"

There was an uncomfortable silence which followed after the Shikigami user had spoken his mind, leaving Ilyssa deep in thought as they reach processed what her friend was proposing; it was a very serious subject since it involved an attempted trip around the world that would hopefully lead the Japanese boy safely home in Japan. While it was true that Ilyssa had given her word to do everything in her power to help Michiru return home safely, she didn't anticipate that he would try something like this; let alone so soon. Here was a fifteen year old boy who had already experienced so much at such a young age, a boy who was willing to risk his own life in an attempt to return home; it was too much for the woman to take. But in the end, she knew that he would have to try and return home someday; he endangered himself and those he was staying with as long as he remained in America and even she couldn't argue with that. Ilyssa took a deep breath and prepared to answer back as she tried to find the right words to express how she felt, Michiru would be risking his life and even if he did manage to make it home successfully; part of her would feel very sad to see him go after only spending just a few days together with him as friends. But Ilyssa was a grown woman and she knew had to make the right choice, she also knew that home wasn't the only place Michiru longed to return too; he especially wanted to return to Feudal Japan so he could be reunited with the special girl named Sango whom he had lost his heart too even though there was the possibility that she didn't love him back.

"I can see where you're going with this Michiru, a-and I-I'm ready to help you out in anyway I can just as I promised I would; I'm only sorry to see you leave so soon." Ilyssa replied quietly, forcing back a few tears that threatened to water eyes as she talked.

"Ilyssa, please don't be cry; you'll ruin that pretty face of yours before the Gala begins tonight." Michiru said, trying to comfort Ilyssa as she giggled lightly at him for the hint of sarcasm he included in his remark. "I never said I would leave tonight, I still have to devise a spell and practice levitating that Persian rug until I'm experienced enough to fly back to Japan. Which means until then, I'm staying here with you and the others; I can still stay and help rid the city of all the ghosts until everyone is safe and the danger is gone. During the rest of my stay, we'll still have a few more fun times ahead of us so there's no need for you to be so sad; please try and cheer up okay?"

"I'm fine Michiru, you've said more than enough to cheer me up; so don't worry. Until the time comes for you to return back home, let's celebrate how ever many fun times await the two of us in the future." Ilyssa stated as she and Michiru held and struck their water bottles together in a toast and drank the fresh cool liquid from inside. "It was an enjoyable experience working with you, I'll never forget it; and I hope we can enjoy the time we have left to spend together as friends."

"Likewise Ilyssa." Michiru replied, rewarding Ilyssa with a smile now that she was back in her cheerful mood once again.

"You know something Michiru?" Ilyssa asked with a devious smile, getting Michiru's attention. "Once you return home and then to Feudal Japan, you could always ask Sango out on a date and take her for a ride on the Persian rug you plan on using; I'm sure many girls from our era would dream of going on a romantic carpet ride and fly through the starlit sky with a well mannered young man such as yourself."

"T-That's not f-funny Ilyssa, please s-stop teasing me." Michiru quietly protested in embarrassment, making Ilyssa giggle at seeing the poor boy's face blush a deep dark shade of red; it was a priceless sight for the grown woman who was now even more cheered up than she had been just a minute ago. "S-Stop giggling, this isn't funny; Ilyssa please."

"I'm sorry, the thought suddenly came into my mind and I just couldn't ignore it." Ilyssa apologized even though she still needed a few more seconds in order to stop giggling completely. "You did admit that you wanted to spend a romantic engagement with her earlier tonight so you can't deny that my suggestion is a worthy idea for you to consider; I'm sure she would be delighted at the thought of you to invite her on such an enjoyable experience given the stories you've told me about her and Miroku."

"I'll keep it in mind Ilyssa, thank you for bringing it to my attention." Michiru replied, giving the woman a playful glare as he caught her trying to suppress her giggling all because of his embarrassed state which had caused his face to blush so red.

"You're very welcome Michiru, I'm glad I could help you again." Ilyssa said with a smile, watching Michiru check his watch for the time.

"Its been nearly two hours since we've arrived here, surely Dr. Rutherford has done all his preparations for the Gala by now." Michiru said as he finished eating his snack, wondering where the assistant curator has disappeared too since they didn't see or run into him during their lengthy tour of the Museum.

"You're right; perhaps we should go looking for him." Ilyssa suggested as she was almost done her salad.

"Uh oh, there's Walter Peck; I'm screwed." Michiru whispered as a nervous feeling shot throughout his body.

"Act normally and don't panic, I'll help you get through this." Ilyssa said reassuringly, trying to calm Michiru down as Peck approached.

"What are you doing in here Dr. Selwyn? I've spent nearly an hour looking for you; the guests are going to arrive soon so you have to be ready for the Gala." Peck asked with alarm as he only just took notice of Ilyssa's young companion who seemed familiar even though he couldn't recognize him. "And why is this young man here with you might I ask?"

"This is Mitch, my office assistant; he's also an exchange student from abroad who's temporarily under my employment." Ilyssa answered, making Peck turn to look at her with disbelief that she'd hire a mere teenager for such an important job. "I thought I'd give him a tour of the Museum tonight just before the Gala, Dr. Rutherford was okay with it."

"This Gala is for VIPs only, I'm sorry to say that he won't be allowed to attend tonight." Peck replied, eyeing the Kururugi boy suspiciously. "This isn't the kind of gathering for a teenage boy to be part off, I'm sure even you can understand that."

"Anyone with an invitation is allowed to bring a guest with them, Mitch is my guest." Ilyssa countered politely as she eyed Peck with a small grin, knowing she won this argument. "He stays or you can start your Gala without a guest curator; clear?"

"Crystal clear, have a fine evening; I'll see you around." Peck replied reluctantly in defeat, glancing back at Michiru momentarily before leaving the café.

"Let's hurry and find Dr. Rutherford before anything else unpleasant happens." Michiru suggested, not wanting to sit around any longer now that Peck was at the Museum. "I'd look around near the service area; it'll also give me the chance of contacting the Ghostbusters and say how we're doing here."

"I'll stay and keep an eye on Peck while I mingle and socialize with all the VIPs, good luck Michiru." Ilyssa replied with a wink, wishing Michiru the best before he left.

Michiru left the Café and paused to glance around to make sure Peck wasn't nearby before moving on, then he walked passed the new Gozer exhibit and into the main gallery where admission tickets were being sold. By now the guests were beginning to arrive which meant the Gala would begin shortly so the Kururugi boy left the main gallery, walking down the winding hallway until he came to an elevator; there was a strange paranormal slimy substance on the floor which suggested that something had come out of the elevator and was dragged down the hall. Although he didn't know the answers to this mystery, the teenager now had all the more reason to be extra cautious from here on in. Michiru removed his backpack and opened it up to change into his work outfit which he could quickly put on and wear over his other clothes, Saya floated over to the other end of the hallway to watch and warn if anyone was approaching; then they both got into the elevator and descended down to the lower level where they could search for Dr. Rutherford and later meet up with the Ghostbusters once they had arrived. As a precaution, Michiru placed his cell phone inside the left breast pocket of his uniform so he could feel it and always know that he had it with him; he didn't feel comfortable leaving it inside of Ecto-1 and risk accidentally losing it.

"So how was your evening with Ilyssa hmm?" Saya asked in a humorous tone of voice. "It sounded pretty entertaining from what I could hear while I was inside of your backpack. Ha. Ha. Ha."

"It was nice; we both enjoyed taking a tour of the Museum together." Michiru answered as the elevator continued downwards. "I'm glad she was with me when Peck showed up, I don't know how I would have gotten out of that jam if she hadn't been there."

"So I heard, I also heard about your plan to use that Persian rug as a means of transportation in an attempt to fly back home just as you did when you first came here because of Sounga; are you really that serious about trying it out?" Saya asked curiously.

"Yes I am Saya, you and I both know that Sounga is too dangerous to myself and others which is why I've been thinking about that rug ever since I first found it back at the alternate variation of the Public Library; I can't see any other option available other than that." Michiru explained. "I longer I stay here, the longer I put Ilyssa and the Ghostbusters in danger of going to jail so I'd like to leave as soon as I possibly can once I've mastered a magic spell that can control the rug in flight after its been levitated."

"I understand Michiru, I just think you should tell the others what you're proposing to do so they don't get worried or anything." Saya said.

"I can't tell them yet, not while there's a mission going on tonight; and I want to wait for the right opportunity so that I don't alarm them like the way I alarmed you when I said I might have to use Sounga as a last resort." Michiru replied. "Saya, can I trust you to keep this a secret until I'm ready to tell all of them myself?"

"Yes you can and I give you my word that my lips are sealed, oh; the elevator's slowing down." Saya pointed out just before it halted and the doors opened automatically.

The room that they had arrived at was used for storing shipping materials and other such products that belonged to the Museum which usually came packaged up in wooden crates of various sizes, it must eventually lead to the loading dock where the service entrance was located because the doorway was wide enough for a pallet jack to move in and out of with a large crate so this had to be the correct area that Michiru and Saya had been trying to get too. After stepping outside of the elevator, the two of them saw a lone crate in the middle of the room which was rumbling around as though someone or something was trapped inside trying to get out; but caution was more important than curiosity and so the teenager reluctantly moved on since he didn't have his equipment for combating paranormal opponents if one of them was in there. As they left and proceeded down the winding hallway which wasn't well lit up compared with the storage room, Michiru suddenly noticed that there were large spills of black slime all over parts of the floor and on the walls around them; he would have to be extra careful to watch where he stepped to avoid burning his runners since he didn't have his proton pack with him.

"This doesn't look good, black slime and I don't have my equipment to counter it with." Michiru said, shaking his head with worry.

"AH! Look out Michiru!" Saya shouted in alarm as a female looking ghost dressed in what looked like a black one piece swimsuit appeared out of nowhere, screaming her lungs out at the two of them.

"Shikigami attack!" Michiru countered, invoking his Shikigami powers and throwing a small ball of fire and magical energy at the paranormal adversary; striking her square in the face as she charged towards him.

"It didn't work!" Saya cried in a panic, watching at the teenager's first attack only succeeded in stunning and burning her for a little more than ten seconds or so.

"Oh flame burning bright! Turn into a sword of wrath!" Michiru called out as the ghost recovered herself and prepared to attack again. "Raging Flame!"

The spiritual entity grabbed Michiru by the neck in an attempt to force his mouth open so she could enter inside and possess him, but her assault unfortunately placed her at point blank range for the Shikigami user's next attack which would cause her a lot more agony than the first one had done. The teenager gritted his teeth, using his left hand to try and free himself from the female foe as he thrust the open palm of his right hand upwards into her face, striking a blow at the same time which would have broken her nose if she'd been a living person. Michiru's Raging Flame attack shot forth from his right hand; engulfing the floating ghost in an inferno of red and orange flame as she flew away in retreat; covering her face as her screams of agony echoed throughout the hallway until she disappeared into thin air. The Kururugi boy breathed a sigh of relief, he was lucky he could rely on his magic to protect him as long as his opponents weren't too powerful; but now it was time to call up the Ghostbusters since he had confirmed a ghost sighting inside the Museum which would put the attending people in danger here tonight unless it was captured.

"Hello…Janine?" Michiru asked, holding his cellular phone to his head after calling the Firehouse. "Michiru here, send the Ghostbusters; we've got a confirmed sighting here at the Museum. How long before they arrive? They're already on their way? Okay thanks, goodbye."

"They're on their way here already? That's a relief." Saya commented, floating just to the right of Michiru's head as he looked around for any sign of that ghost which had attacked and fled just now. "I dialled them so that they would know Peck was being a nuisance, they must have left while we were still inside the café with Ilyssa."

"Good thinking on your part Saya, pity I didn't have my PKE meter with me; I could have gotten an identification scan of that ghost which attacked us." Michiru said. "Lucky we scared her away, at least for now. We'll just have to find out what kind of ghost she was after we meet up with Ray and the others, let's keep moving on; please get inside my backpack and watch behind me for any more ghosts okay Saya?"

"You got it; I'll watch your back for you." Saya replied before slipping inside the teenager's backpack which was now empty and more roomy for the old spirit to hide in.

Michiru continued walking through the hallway and eventually came to the loading dock which was unfortunately pitch dark with now with no light to see except for the skylight which was located on the ceiling, luckily the Kururugi boy could use his magic to help see his way around; and so he summoned a small glowing red orb of Shikigami energy which gave off enough light to illuminate the area surrounding him as he walked about the spacious garage like room. In a few minutes or so, Michiru could clearly here the loud sirens coming from Ecto-1 as it drew closer and sure enough; he was delighted to see his fellow Ghostbusters arrive on time. Winston, Ray, and Venkman were all suited up for combating ghosts; most of the team was now here ready to take on anything that fate had in store for them tonight. As the three adults got out of the car to unload their equipment, Michiru removed his backpack and placed it on the right hand passenger seat in the front since he no longer needed it.

"Sorry Saya, I'm afraid you'll have to stay here for the rest of the night." Michiru said as his old spiritual friend emerged from his backpack and found himself inside Ecto-1. "There could be confusion inside of the Museum; we'll all be firing our weapons at every ghost we can see."

"No need to apologize Michiru, I won't feel left out; I've done my part for tonight and the rest of it is up to you and the others." Saya replied, giving the Japanese student a smiling face to show he was cool with staying behind. "If anything, I can watch for more ghosts lurking around here while you're all gone and contact Janine so she can tell you; good luck inside of the Museum and don't work too hard."

"You too old friend, thanks again for your help tonight; I'll see you soon when this battle is over." Michiru said, wishing Saya best as he pulled on his proton pack that Venkman had brought over to him along with all his other necessary tools. "Thanks Peter, boy these things are a pain to put on and take off."

"You don't have to tell me twice, believe me; I know." Venkman replied as the teen had finished getting his equipment strapped on. "By the way, Egon modified your trap shortly after you and Ilyssa drove over here to the Museum together; he felt that you might need a new piece of equipment for catching any ghosts that threaten the guests during tonight's Opening Gala.

"Thanks very much, I'd take good care of it; especially when I test it out in the field." Michiru replied, taking the device from Venkman.

"So how was your time with Ilyssa?" Venkman asked, hoping to catch Michiru off guard and press him for answers.

"We had a nice tour of the Museum and got to see all of the exhibits together, including the new Gozer one which looks pretty abnormal if I may say so; then we both had a snack together inside of the café once we were done." Michiru answered politely with a normal tone of voice, hoping that he wouldn't be questioned any further than that.

"I see…sounds like the two of you had a pretty nice date, right Ray?" Winston commented with a grin.

"Yeah, until Peck came on the scene and budged in; luckily Ilyssa set him straight so Michiru wasn't in trouble." Ray replied as they walked around. "You mentioned you saw black slime and a female ghost shortly before we arrived didn't you Mitch?"

"Yes, I managed to drive her away with my magic; but I couldn't identify what class of ghost she was since I didn't have my PKE meter with me." Michiru answered as all four of them walked around spraying positively charged green slime all over the place to neutralize all the acidic black slime that was lurking all around them. "I imagine will eventually have a run in with her, but the strange thing is I still haven't been able to find Dr. Rutherford who mysteriously went missing a while ago sometime after Ilyssa and I arrived here."

"That's rather strange, Ilyssa told me that he would meet us here when we were devising our plan earlier this evening; then he would guide us through to the main gallery where you would be waiting with Ilyssa if all was going okay." Ray replied. "Oh well, I guess nothing goes exactly as planned; especially when paranormal activities are occurring. Keep neutralizing all the black slime you can see, it'll open up an inter-dimensional portal and that's how ghosts come through into our world; I'm not surprised you already encountered one ghost tonight down here."

As the Ghostbusters surveyed the loading dock and neutralized the all black slime spills that they could see around them, they noticed that there were broken crates and boxes among the shipping packages that were stored everywhere which made them wonder if any paranormal foes that may have smuggled themselves in here due to the wreckage that lay cluttered around. Michiru had been using the small energy ball he had summoned as a light source to see around in the dark, but he eventually made it vanish after finding and activating the power switch to turn on the lights so he didn't have to waste his magic which he might have to rely on again later tonight. The door Michiru and Saya had come through must have been locked automatically after closing which meant that it could only be opened from the inside, luckily they were able to reopen it again now that the power had been reactivated. They eventually travelled down the hallway, spraying green slime everywhere as they went; catching a glimpse of the female entity that had attacked Michiru and Saya a few minutes ago.

"Was that the ghost you saw Mitch?" Ray asked, getting a nod from the Kururugi boy. "She looked like a level seven class entity, maybe even more powerful than that."

"What ever happened to the good old days when we only encountered ghosts as high as class two or three? Winston asked as the four Ghostbusters entered an unlit and dark hallway which was wide enough to act as a storage area because of all the metal racks and shelves located against the outmost winding wall with various packages both on them and beside them on the floor. "They were easy to catch and that made combating ghost less dangerous and more fun."

"Sadly those good old days are gone, hence the need for the insurance claims and city contracts to satisfy the people so that we can conduct our business and avoid being shut down." Ray replied, making a wide turn around to the right in order to walk around an object covered in a blue tarp.

"Hey Ray, I'm detecting an active sample here." Michiru warned, causing everyone to gather around him and pull out their PKE meters.

"I got to hand it to you Mitch, you certainly have a knack for finding cursed artefacts; don't scan it yet because we all want to see what it is first." Venkman remarked as everyone pulled down their goggles in order to see better in the dark. "Okay, point it out to us."

"Just ahead in that left corner, its resting on that shelf right there in front of us; possibly just behind that stack of small crates." Michiru answered, trying to look carefully while holding his PKE meter in front of himself.

"Everyone keep your fingers off the scanning triggers, I'm going to give us a better look at this cursed artefact so hang tight." Ray warned, stepping forward and shoving the two small wooden crates out of the way before examining the object. "Wow, would you look at that."

"It looks like the figure of a triceratops' head or something, except with multiple eyes like an insect." Winston remarked as he looked.

"Not only that, its looks like its made of gold with emeralds in place for each pair of eyes." Venkman added before he commented further. "How could the Museum people overlook an artefact like this? I don't know about the rest of you, but this would certainly fetch a fine price on the market if anyone tried to sell it."

"Don't even think about it Peter." Ray cut in before ordering everyone to take a scan of the artefact so that it would be teleported back to the Firehouse for safekeeping. "Take a scan in three, two, one; scan."

"Ritual Mask of bad advice from the Pre-Columbian era, a faint whispering rises from it; now we know why its cursed." Winston remarked after reading the data from his PKE meter after everyone had simultaneously scanned the object with their instruments.

Once that was over and done with, the Ghostbusters resumed their journey so they could track down the ghost which they had spotted a minute or two ago. After they found their way inside the storage room where the elevator was located, all four of them gathered around the crate which was shaking around in the middle of the floor; a person's voice was mumbling inside which lead everyone to believe that a person was trapped inside. Fearing that it could be a trap, the team didn't approach it and stayed a few feet away as they observed and listen carefully in order to make up their minds about what to do next.

"Looks like we'll have to bust the lid off in order to free who ever is inside, stand back everyone." Michiru warned, discharging a proton stream for a split second at the lid; just enough to break it lose from the wooden crate without harming the imprisoned person. "Dr. Rutherford, what were you doing locked up inside of there?"

"Mitch? I had no idea you were part of the Ghostbusters? Well this is a surprise, I was down here doing a final audit on the shipping materials which had arrived this month and a frightening female looking ghost came out of nowhere. That's why I hid in here; but she nailed down the lid and locked me up inside so I couldn't get out until you came along." Dr. Rutherford answered as he climbed out of his crammed little hiding place in which he had been imprisoned. "Speaking of which; is that terrible, horrible thing gone for the time being?"

"Yeah she's gone for now, you feeling better now that you're out of that crate?" Winston replied as the assistant curator took some stretches to feel better after being trapped inside of that confined space.

"Oh yes, much better." Dr. Rutherford answered. "By the way, I'm a big fan; I had you over for my daughter's birthday party a couple of years ago."

"Really?" Ray stated. "I suppose we can get each of you some sort of souvenir after our work is over for tonight, we've got all kinds of stuff from coffee mugs to T-shirts and more."

"Oh that would be wonderful; my daughter would like that very much. Let's take the elevator and go upstairs where we can meet Ilyssa, she's probably waiting for you among all the guests who have gathered tonight to see the new Gozer exhibit." Dr. Rutherford replied, walking to the elevator and pressing the button to open the doors; revealing that same female ghost which had attacked Michiru and Saya earlier in the hallway. "There is it again! Please don't let her attack me!"

"Don't you worry; she'll have to go through me first." Ray stated, stepping in front of the ghost's path as she entered inside of his mortal body through his open mouth in order to take control of it; levitating him off the ground and causing his eyes to glow red like tiny brake lights. "AHH! Mwa ta natch calla worn ormon!"

"Ray's been possessed guys!" Winston shouted, spraying green slime on Ray's levitating body in an effort to drive the ghost out. "Hose him down with your slime blowers; it's the only way to free him from that ghost!"

"That's a nice trick; she would have possessed me if I hadn't driven her off with my Shikigami magic." Michiru exclaimed, just moments before the ghost was driven out of Ray's body which gave the teenager the chance of whipping out his PKE meter to take a scan of this new adversary. "She's a Possessor Ghost, but she can still be trapped and captured like any other spiritual entity."

"Good work Mitch, time for us to show this paranormal bitch how it feels to be trapped in a confined prison; blast her." Venkman shouted, as all of them discharged their proton streams at the floating female foe. "That's it, we've got her ensnarled; I'll throw out a trap."

"Alright! You guys rock!" Dr. Rutherford exclaimed with excitement, before turning to look at Ray who was shaking his head and recovering his senses. "But will Ray be okay after being possessed?"

"Hazza Buzza. Hazza Buzza?" Ray spoke, making everyone laugh when they heard the funny gibberish coming out of his mouth. "Bozza wazza shum."

"Oh don't worry; he'll be fine in a second." Winston replied, walking into the elevator as the others followed behind him. "Its been a couple of years since the last time Ray was possessed by a ghost hasn't it Venkman?"

"Aw Z!" Ray protested in embarrassment, making Michiru and the others laugh again.

"What? You said "she'll have to go through me first" Winston remarked with a grin. "And that's exactly what she did, we all saw."

"You're absolutely right Winston, and just like last time; it happened inside of this very Museum." Venkman added sarcastically, as poor Michiru was having trouble containing his laughter; just as Winston was.

"Things have been really strange since they started setting up the new Gozer exhibit, I can't begin to tell you the stories I've heard from the security guards that work here late every night." Dr. Rutherford stated. "This is our floor, from here we can get to the main gallery where the exhibit is being displayed; Ilyssa should be there waiting for us as well."

Once the elevator doors were open, Dr. Rutherford lead the team of paranormal eliminators through the hall until they entered the main gallery; and the Gozer exhibit was located in the middle of the other half of it which was divided by some columns. There were people dressed up wearing fancy expensive clothes and drinking champagne as they talked amongst themselves, enjoying their lives of luxury as well as the various alcoholic beverages; fancy foods and delicacies which were served on some tables located at the corners of the room. Michiru took a glance at all of them and wondered how these people could eat some of the bizarre looking snacks which he thought tasted pretty weird, but this was the type of food that filthy rich people eat and so their tastes must be different from his own. As the Ghostbusters entered the room, Walter Peck stormed over; shaking his head with disapproval since he didn't want any of them present tonight during the Gala.

"No, no, NO!" Peck stated, coming to a halt in front of the Ghostbusters with a security guard behind him on each side. "I want the Ghostbusters out of here immediately!"

"Where's his honour Pecker?" Venkman asked sarcastically as Ray bit into a snack he had grabbed from a table; the taste must have been terrible because he had a disgusted look on his face. "We've got some important paranormal information to pass along as well as a photo-op."

"The Major is indisposed right now; anything you have to tell him goes through me." Peck replied back. "No exceptions, Venkman."

"Well then, we'll just have to hang out here until he's sober enough to talk too." Venkman joked. "We'll sign some autographs and give these VIPs some photo-ops while we're waiting, I'm sure he won't mind."

"I saw a ghost earlier this evening, we've come here to ensure everyone's safety so that they won't be harmed if anymore ghosts are lurking somewhere inside the Museum; we've captured one already before we arrived on this floor." Michiru explained, trying to reason with Peck who was in no mood for listening.

"Wait, aren't you the young man I saw earlier with Ilyssa?" Peck asked as he suddenly had a flashback. "What are you doing with the Ghostbusters? Did you bring them in here?"

"My side job is working as Ilyssa's office assistance, but this is where I work full time; anyone can have two jobs." Michiru countered, already aware that it was useless trying to reason or negotiate with Peck. "Yes, I called them here after I personally confirmed a ghost sighting; so please let us pass so we can do our jobs and catch it before any of these people are put in danger."

"Oh really?" Peck declared. "Security, remove these men with excessive force and off the grounds of the Museum."

Before he could finish his sentence, Michiru picked Ilyssa out in the crowd as she fainted and begun levitating off of the floor and into the air; no one else noticed until she was suspended about twenty feet above the floor with her arms stretching out. Ilyssa almost looked like she had been crucified and tied to the top of the towering black obelisk which was the Gozer exhibit, but there were no ropes holding her; which proved that some invisible force of paranormal power was at work here and that the Ghostbusters would have to be prepared for the worst if they were to rescue her. Suddenly a blinding flash of white light appeared at the top where Ilyssa was at; shattering drinking glasses as multiple ghosts dived down and attacked the panicking guests like a swarm of predatory birds. Each of these Beauty Queen ghosts, according to Michiru's PKE meter; were dressed in pink clothing which glowed and they also had a faint purple aura around them which made them very easy to recognize. The Mayor arrived on the chaotic scene with two ladies at his sides and saw the commotion before making a getaway now that it wasn't safe with all these ghosts around, Michiru took a breath and exhaled to steady himself; this was going to be a long night.

"Look! Peck's been possessed by a ghost!" Winston shouted, catching everyone's attention as they saw him floating in the air and inviting them to fire their weapons at him.

"I never got to shoot him, this'll be fun." Venkman commented with delight, discharging his slime blower at the hovering human being until the ghost had enough and left Peck to recover from the paranormal experience. "I know what you're going to say, let's here it; let it all out."

"I'll see you all on Riker's Island for this! Just you wait!" Peck said threateningly before running away with the other guests who were fleeing before they could be possessed by the spiritual entities.

"Party's over folks! Clear the room!" Winston shouted, firing a proton stream at the possessor ghost which had been driven out of Peck a second ago. "They're attacking the guests! Mitch! You know what to do!"

"Gotcha Winston!" Michiru shouted back, manoeuvring into position and discharging a proton stream in order to help Winston bag and trap one ghost before things got to far out of control; his eyed widened when the ghost was sucked inside in just two seconds without having to restrain it inside the ultraviolet cone of pink light. "Wow! This new trap is awesome! It works just like the giant Super Slammer that sits on the roof of Ecto-1!"

"Egon named it the Slam Dunk trap, quite a handy cool tool isn't it." Winston added, picking out another ghost to target and firing his weapon again.

Michiru found himself on the floor and when he turned around as he got to his feet, he saw that a ghost was attacking him with a possessed body which was under its control; the teenager sprayed the human down in the hopes of driving the ghost out before it could strike him again. Once the ghost emerged, Michiru switched back to a proton stream and fired it at the spiritual entity; ensnaring it so that it couldn't get away. After a minute of slamming it several times, the Japanese student managed to pull it into the proximity of his new Slam Dunk trap that was lying on the floor; another ghost was imprisoned and accounted for. Michiru surveyed his surroundings and realized that this was a very difficult battle he was involved with ever since he became employed with the Ghostbusters; more difficult and challenging then any of the previous ones except for maybe his battle against Stay Puft. The possessor ghosts were taking control of the guests which meant that neither he nor the Ghostbusters could use proton streams in order to trap them until after they had been driven out of the people first, but the ghosts could still attack him and his friends; even while hiding safely inside of their hosts which were technically being used as both hostages and weapons.

The Kururugi boy took another look around and discovered that it wasn't just the guests that were in danger of being taken over, but the Ghostbusters as well; one possessed member of their team meant a loss in fighting power which was something they could not afford. And if that alone wasn't bad enough, they were also outnumbered; the ghosts were safe from attack as long as they remained inside of their hostages; a serious advantage which in turn spelled doom for the paranormal eliminators. Michiru had never been faced with such a position as this during combat, except for perhaps that one battle in Japan's feudal era when he and his friends had been forced to fight against the spirit of a fallen samurai named Yukimura who was being controlled against his will by Naraku. The Shikigami user knew he was in over his head; he definitely needed help to survive long enough until he could find a way to turn the tables in this battle. But his fellow Ghostbusters were being possessed just like the guests were, he needed someone who couldn't befall the same fate as them; and he knew who that someone was. As he repositioned himself in order to face everyone from the same direction, the young man pulled out his hand radio so that he could use it as soon as he had bought some time by stalling his enemies.

"Oh overflowing blue sky! Fill the space with chaos! Blue Sky Confusion!" Michiru shouted as he summoned his Shikigami magic, casting a spell on the people in front of him; stopping most of the people from attacking him except for three out of the crowd which were Venkman, Winston, and Ray. "Saya! Saya, do you hear me?"

"Michiru, yes I can hear you." Saya answered over the Kururugi boy's hand radio.

"Get yourself to where the Gozer exhibit is! There's an emergency that I'm going to need your help with!" Michiru shouted back, spraying everyone with his slime blower in an effort to free them from the possessor ghosts while they were temporarily confused and motionless.

Michiru had sprayed everyone that he could during the few seconds had after casting his magic spell on the people who were being possessed, but he still had to fight off his three coworkers who unfortunately weren't effected by it; they had ganged up on him which forced the Kururugi boy to mesh and dart around them in order to avoid being attacked by all three of them at once. After a minute and a half of close quarters combat, Michiru managed to knock Venkman to the floor and keep him pinned underneath his feet while he fired his comrade's slime blower in addition to his own at Winston and Ray as they attacked the young boy from both sides at once; Saya arrived on the scene just moments before all three of them were freed from the possessor ghosts. It took a moment for the three Ghostbusters to come to their senses, but Michiru was able to lead by example and get them back into the fight without any problems.

"Oh no, my outfit's soaking wet; I'm going to need an ion shower now." Ray complained, just noticing he was soaked in positively charged slime.

"What the hell happened man? Were all three of us possessed?" Winston asked looking around in confusion.

"Yeah, and I freed each of you even though I had to fight you off as well as the guests." Michiru answered as he helped Venkman get back on his feet now that he was alright again. "You guys are going to have to do as I say to turn the tables in this fight so listen close; everyone form a line from right to left and stay close together. Spray anyone attacking guest that charges us, then switch to your proton streams as soon as the possessor ghosts are forced out of them; lay all your traps down a head of you and spread them out to cover the floor around us. Ray, you and I are both at one end of our line so watching our flanks falls to us; you take the right while I guard the left. Winston, Venkman; you two guys hold the centre and make sure no one and nothing penetrate through. Saya, I need you to stay a little behind us and watch our backs from above; shout out if anyone tries to attack us from behind and I'll take care of them. Does everyone understand? Are all of you up to this?"

"Ready and waiting Mitch, you can count on us." Winston answered with a determined look on his face as he readied himself for battle.

"Who made you team leader Mitch?" Venkman remarked with a hint of sarcasm in his voice as he ensnared the ghost who had possessed him moments ago. "And what happens if one of us get possess again?"

"I'll free anyone who gets possessed so you don't have to worry, my Blue Sky Confusion spell is about to ware off on the possessed guest so get ready; here they come." Michiru replied, as the mortal human beings got into their assigned battle positions.

"Alright Peter, you heard the man so do has Mitch says and we all might live through this night." Winston remarked, taking the fight seriously after discovering that all of them except for Michiru had just been possessed by ghosts.

"Venkman, control your stream; none of us want to end up at the hospital in the emergency ward." Ray warned, helping to pull Venkman's ghost into a trap he had thrown out on the floor.

"There's a person behind you Mitch!" Saya warned, causing the Kururugi boy to turn around and raise his positron collider up just in time to block the possessed human from slamming both fists simultaneously into his head.

Michiru used his leg to shove the attacker back away from him once the possessed human had lost momentum, leaving it vulnerable to dose with the slime blower featured on his proton pack until the ghost was forced out; giving the determined warrior the chance of striking it with a proton stream so that it could be captured and trapped once it was pulled into position. Once another possessor ghost had been taken care of, Saya alerted Michiru that Winston had fallen victim to being possessed; forcing the Shikigami user to liberate his friend by spraying him with slime. Almost as soon as Winston was freed, Michiru was required to help out another one of his team mates so that the ghosts couldn't win by using his own friends as weapons; this was surely going to be one heck of a battle.

Nevertheless, thanks to Michiru new combat strategy and Saya's presence; the Ghostbusters were just managing to hold their own. While Michiru, Saya, and the Ghostbusters were still stuck in the same place fighting off paranormal opponents; Ilyssa was still mysteriously suspended twenty feet above the floor which made the Japanese high school kid worry just how tonight's events were going to play out; but he couldn't bother with that right now since he was up to his neck already with battling ghosts and protecting the Ghostbusters from being possessed so he had to put his worries aside in order to concentrate on the battle around him.

"Hold fast! Spray slime!" Ray yelled as all four of them dosed the group of attacking guests that had charged them, using their positron colliders to shield themselves before driving the people back until the possessor ghosts were forced out of them.

"Switch gears! Fire!" Michiru shouted, switching equipment and discharging a proton stream at a selected target as the liberated guests begun to flee for their lives.

"That's four ghosts we've bagged now, but there are still guests being used against us. How many more are going to keep coming?" Venkman asked, counting how many possessor ghosts they had captured in their traps so far as the battle waged on.

"Stop whining Peter! Check your targets before you fire!" Ray countered, watching another wave of possessed guests advancing towards them. "Time for Slime! Hose them down guys!"

"Switch gears! Fire!" Michiru ordered again, ensnaring a ghost with Winston and slamming it into a trap before it could escape.

Although it was a slow process to capture the ghosts because of the need to fight off and free the guests as well; the paranormal eliminators managed to hang on until the tide was turned. Eventually, no more guests were around for the possessor ghosts to use other than Dr. Rutherford who was now standing behind the four fighters where he was safe from attack; thus allowing the Ghostbusters to discharge their proton streams and capture any remaining ghosts that came in range of their weapons. Wanting to boost their morale as much as possible in the face of a long campaign of attrition, the four companions called out the total number of captured ghosts as soon as each of them had imprisoned one inside of their traps which were deployed along the floor in front of them. Saya was also doing his part by warning Michiru when any of their friends were possessed again since there were no more people left in the main gallery other than themselves; giving the team another advantage which they used very effectively to counter their paranormal opponents.

"Seven!" Michiru shouted, watching with determination and a small grin as he captured another possessor inside of the Slam Dunk trap.

"Eight!" Ray yelled with excitement, following Michiru's example and enjoying the moment as they neared the end of this first fight.

"Nine down and one to go!" Venkman cried with anticipation, waiting with the others for Winston to bag the last ghost left to imprison.

"Ten!" Winston replied with a grin, capturing the last remaining possessor ghost. "Yeah! Who's left standing on field now?"

"Ghostbusters!" All four of them shouted simultaneously in triumph, gathering up their traps and congratulating each other with high fives and so on as Dr. Rutherford smiled now that the danger was over.

The momentary pause for glory was over as all five of them as well as Saya watched a large overweight ghost appear out of nowhere high above the Gozer exhibit, he swooped down and snatched Ilyssa before disappearing into a doorway which lead to another area of the Museum; it wasn't going to be an easy task of tracking them down with so many rooms to hide in. But they had their PKE meters to pick up any paranormal activities so they would just have to follow as best as they could and hope that they were on the right path. Dr. Rutherford showed Ray to the security room in order to track Ilyssa's movements on the viewing monitors by using the security cameras displayed throughout the Museum, which would allow them to follow her and eventually make a rescue attempt once they had caught up with her and the spiritual entity who had abducted her.

"Ray, I don't feel too comfortable using my proton pack; all of these exhibits could get destroyed and I don't want that on my hands." Michiru said reluctantly as the four combatants approached the doorway where Ilyssa had travelled through; watching all the displays and info panels that went with them as they entered the new Museum section.

"I understand how you feel Mitch, but I'm afraid it can't be helped; we've got a job to do even if it means ruining priceless historical exhibits." Ray replied, knowing how the Kururugi boy felt. "You don't want that fat blob of a ghost to get away with Ilyssa now do you?"

"No, of course not. I just don't want to get in anymore trouble than I'm in now." Michiru answered, turning to the left and catching a glimpse of Ilyssa and her captor floating around before escaping again as an army of mannequins came to life and attacked the paranormal eliminators using the lethal spears they were armed with. "There's Ilyssa, let's go guys!"

"Mitch! Help!" Ilyssa shouted as she disappeared a second time from sight, motivating the Japanese student to charge his way through; bypassing and blasting any opponents he could along the way in an effort to gain ground and pursue his female friend.

"It's a mannequin ambush guys!" Winston remarked, blasting a boson dart and causing a destructive explosion which devastated all the attacking foes since the narrow hallway magnified the blast; damaging the Museum displays in the process as well. "Just blast them down to nothing so we can move on! Catch up to Ilyssa as best as you can Mitch, we'll take care of the remaining foes you leave behind and mop up as we follow!"

"Gotcha Winston, thanks!" Michiru replied gratefully, not wanting to fall behind and lose track of Ilyssa as he quickly lowered his PKE meter after scanning these new opponents; identifying them as possessed statues that were humanoid shaped mannequins with giant masks covering their heads which looked menacing from the multiple pairs of glowing red and yellow eyes that stared through them. "Ray, I managed to get a scan of the ghost that abducted Ilyssa; he's a Class Seven Ectoplasmic Entity identified as the Chairman."

"Good work Mitch!" Ray called back over the boy's hand radio. "I'll do a little digging while I'm on my way to the security office, catch you later once I've found some answers for you; over and out."

"That's another exhibit we've trashed so far, let's see if we can't wreck them all before the night is done." Venkman joked, walking along once he and Winston had finished off the remaining enemies inside of this exhibit section as they both followed Michiru through a doorway and into another.

"Can it Peter, Peck is pissed off at us already so let's not make things worse by causing unnecessary destruction; we're all being recorded by the security cameras in case you haven't noticed." Winston warned, making Michiru gulp with worry about having himself being taped during a battle against paranormal foes as he turned right and beheld the room ahead of him. "Look, another army; charge!"

Unlike the first exhibit which was a narrow winding hallway that was well lit up, this next section was an immense wide room that was very dark with only fake torches to illuminate the area; a large temple with a green ghostly aura around it stood at the opposite end and there was a doorway on either side of it which led to another exhibit section. The only way of getting to either door was to travel down the narrow walkways that led in a straight line towards the other exits and in order to switch to a different hallway that was divided by the giant tomblike surroundings was to cross one of several bridges which were located at different points of the spacious room, it appeared that the Ghostbusters would have to fight their way through if they ever hoped to catch up to Ilyssa; they had no other choice. Michiru raced through the walkway, using his shock blaster which was less risky for himself; but just as effective in destroying hordes of mannequins that ganged up on him to halt his speedy advance. Because of his running pace, he was constantly fighting at close quarters; but he would occasionally fire a boson dart to take out a horde of them from a distance before they got close enough to attack. In addition to the mannequins, there were also swarms of black flying skulls with green flames trailing behind them as they darted around above the heads of the three people; waiting for an opportune moment to make a suicidal ramming attack on a specific person.

"Saya, see if you can fly to the other end of the room and see which doorway Ilyssa and that ghost use to make an escape with." Michiru suggested, leaving his spiritual friend to soar through the air above the chaotic battle; allowing him to see everything with a bird's eye view.

"Take the fight to the bridge!" Winston shouted, blasting mannequins with a boson dart as he crossed a bridge and surveyed the battlefield before choosing what direction he should take next. "Hurry up Peter, we can't fall behind and leave Mitch to fight by himself."

"This close quarters combat is making it difficult to keep pace with him Winston, I'm not young like he is you know." Venkman replied, bringing up the rear as he continued shooting at various foes with his proton stream. "Ilyssa's gotten away again Ray, have you seen where she went by any chance?"

"We haven't made it to the security office yet!" Ray answered back as his voice echoed through all of their hand radios that they carried with them. "This Museum is crawling with so many swarms of entities, its tough to pick out Ilyssa in a mess like this."

"Roger that Ray, we're fighting our way through this mess as we speak and we fill like rats in a maze right now." Winston remarked. "We don't want to get lost or end up going in the wrong direction so try and get there right away."

"This exhibit looks like the same one we saw before the Mayan one, I hope that we're not going in circles here." Michiru commented as he led the way into a third exhibit area which was somewhat similar to the first one they had been through already.

"You should be familiar with these Mitch considering that you got to have a nice tour of the Museum with Ilyssa during your date long before we arrived." Venkman pointed out. "Or were you paying too much attention to her instead of where you were going?"

"I wasn't here on a date!" Michiru countered, making Saya laugh while turning a corner and seeing a broken skylight in the ceiling with rain lightly falling inside of the long hallway that they had ventured into it. "Uh oh, this doesn't look good; heads up guys!"

Michiru, Winston and Venkman were forced to funnel their way around the obelisks and stone monuments that lay in the narrow hallway as they battled more hordes of possessed statues armed with spears that appeared at every turn to oppose them; close quarters combat wasn't a very good experience because of the dangers of friendly fire in addition to the blasts from their weapons being magnified in such confined spaces. The good news at least was that it was easy to navigate through the area simply by following the hallway since it was narrow and therefore impossible to stray off course or get lost, until it ended and they had to enter a wider room where another exhibit was located; but this small upside vanished as soon as the three companions arrived at another entrance which was barred shut by metal security shudders that forced them to halt. Michiru wasn't particularly in the best of moods since Ilyssa was still in danger and also because of the destruction that he and the Ghostbusters were leaving behind as they travelled from one section of the Museum to another over and over again, fighting their way against paranormal opponents; feeling that there was no end in sight.

"Peter, come in." Ray asked over their hand radios.

"Hi honey, how was your day?" Venkman replied back humorously, getting a chuckle out of both Michiru and Winston. "Could you please open gate 3487 please?"

"Give me a sec…there you go." Ray answered as strange noises echoed from the security room he was in, telling the Ghostbusters that something was going on. "Uh oh, we're under attack so we'll get back to you later; over and out."

"What ever you do Ray, don't let yourself get possessed by any…" Winston warned, too late for Ray to heed his warning.

"Kazza gorba smotz corzig glump! Forga! Forga!" Ray answered back, making all of his coworkers chuckle after hearing his paranormal gibberish and confirming that he had gotten possessed yet again. ""Ah, well that was disgusting; I managed to drive the ghost out of me by spraying myself with slime before I lost control of my body. But it looks as though I accidentally scared Dr. Rutherford away during my possessed state, not that I blame him; anyone looks scary when they're possessed. According to the video monitors, you guys should be entering the American Civil War exhibit; Ilyssa just passed through there so you should be catching up to her soon."

"Got it Ray, thanks for the word; we'll take it from here." Michiru replied, looking around as they spread themselves out since this section was immensely wide. "Hey, my PKE meter's got another cursed artefact; I'll go look for it so I'll rejoin you guys in a minute.

Michiru wandered off from Winston and Venkman in the direction of where the paranormal signal seemed to be coming from, he wandered around a few exhibits until he arrived at the farthest right hand corner of the room where various civil war artefacts and objects were set on display with a summary plaque indicating the history of each one. After confirming which object was the cursed artefact, Michiru held out his PKE meter in order to scan it; but a thought crossed his mind which halted his actions and made him pause to question whether or not he was doing the right thing. Its true that every active sample which was collected helped to benefit the Ghostbusters, but this one was part of a display and the Kururugi boy didn't feel comfortable with the thought of being accused of theft.

"Uh Ray?" Michiru asked, talking into his hand radio. "I've found another cursed artefact, I know that we get paid extra for everything we scan and collect; but I don't want anyone from the Museum to come knocking on our door because one of their display pieces is missing."

"If it's a cursed artefact, then we're obligated to collect it and ensure that what ever curse its been affected with doesn't stir up any paranormal activity which could endanger the people of the Museum; and the city." Ray reminded, telling Michiru that it was perfectly alright to scan the artefact and teleport it back to the Firehouse. "I know it feels wrong and I share your concern, but its part of our work contract with the city to ensure the safety of the people which always comes first; regardless of what actions we undertake."

"Okay Ray, I just had to ask; that's all." Michiru replied back as he scanned the civil war musket which also had a bayonet fixed on the end of its barrel. "Over and out."

"Just warning you guys, I can't help but notice that the statues in this exhibit have guns; so maybe we should hurry on out of here before they come to life and attack us." Winston suggested, feeling a little uneasy about the historical significance of this particular exhibit.

"You just had to say it didn't you Winston?" Venkman remarked, watching the exit door slam shut with a loud thud as multiple Union and Confederate mannequins came to life before everyone's eyes; floating above the floor as they fought against each other. "Well there's something you don't see everyday, ghosts attacking each other instead of us; and with firearms as well."

"Stop standing about guys, scatter before you get shot!" Michiru said, ducking for cover as a Union ghost fired his musket at the boy; just missing him. "I never thought I'd be fighting against American Civil War soldiers, this'll be something to tell Kagome and the others when I get home."

"What the hell man?" Winston asked in shock as he ducked behind a model hill of grass about ten feet away from where Michiru was crouching. "Why are these ghosts fighting against each other and us as well? Can't they even make up their minds over who their fighting?"

"What are you complaining for Winston?" Venkman asked humorously, crouching behind some cover as well. "These ghosts are fighting each other so you could say that they're doing some of our work by not directing their full attention on us."

"Why don't we just take advantage of the fact that their fighting against each other and capture all of them before any of us get shot?" Michiru suggested, charging out and discharging a proton stream at the Union ghost who had tried to shoot him a moment ago. "Are you guys going to join in or do I have to catch these ghosts all by myself?"

Winston shook his head as he stood up and ran in to help out, reluctantly being forced to fight against ghosts of soldiers from the American Civil War; but it was the only way for them to move on if they were ever to rescue Ilyssa once they had tracked her down. Michiru knew that Winston wasn't entirely pleased with this particular brawl that all of them were involved with, so he repositioned himself in a closer location in order to help his friend capture ghosts at a faster rate; hoping that the battle would be over that much quicker. Cavalry buglers echoed throughout the exhibit as the Ghostbusters clashed with Union and Confederate ghosts in this skirmish size battle of the American Civil War, giving the three mortals a feeling that they were truly visiting history; considering that they were among American soldiers who were fighting against each other.

"Aw geez! I've been shot!" Venkman cussed, causing the others to look at him as they saw a large blue splat of slimy residue on the front of his uniform which had proven that he had been targeted and shot in the stomach. "I felt like I've been hit with a paint ball round, and I'm not even wearing any protective padding."

"Sounds as though you're going to pull through Peter, less talk and more ghost trapping." Winston commented with a grin, relieved that none of the ghost's guns could fatally harm any of them.

As the battle continued, Peter was shot multiple times which made his uniform extremely soaking wet and dirty from the blue paint ball like splats as well as from slime from the slime blowers when Michiru had to free him from being possessed. Winston was hit just two or three during the fight, but it was enough to give the man a small amount of discomfort considering that he'd been hit square in the chest. Michiru stayed on the move almost the entire time to avoid enemy fire except when he ensnared a ghost with his capture stream and was forced to stay still in order to pull it into the proximity of his trap which he frequently tossed out and retrieved during the battle between each time he relocated himself. Finally, the odds were evened and all three of the Ghostbusters were now pulling the last remaining ghosts into their traps; bringing this paranormal re-enactment to a final conclusion. Now that things were quiet again, Winston could breath a sigh of relief as he and Venkman followed their Japanese friend out of the Civil War exhibit.

"Looks like you took a lot of fire Venkman, you've got blue splats all over the front of your uniform." Winston pointed out after eyeing Venkman's sorry state.

"Yeah, hurt like hell too." Venkman replied. "I guess I must have targeted a commander, which might explain why so many rounds were fired at me."

"I was able to capture four Ghosts, did each of you guys catch any too?" Michiru asked curiously, joining in on the conversation.

"Yeah, we got our share." Winston answered, glancing at Michiru and only just noticing that he was still clean unlike them. "Hey Mitch, how the heck have you managed to stay clean all this time? You haven't even been dosed one with slime, and it looks as though you haven't even been shot either."

"You caught four ghosts and didn't get shot even once?" Venkman asked in disbelief. "How'd you do it?"

"I really hate to tell you this guys, but in case you haven't clued in yet; the three of us are dressed in grey." Michiru pointed out as he answered, causing Venkman to turn and look at the young teenager with utter shock. "The Confederate ghosts are dressed in grey as well, so I thought if I went after the Union ghosts; then the Confederates would think I'm one of them and leave me alone, and it worked."

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!" Winston laughed out loud before turning to Venkman with a grin. "Mitch sure knows his job eh? Ha! Ha! Ha!"

"You could have given us that tip before we joined in with you during the battle, try and remember that for next time." Venkman remarked, making Michiru laugh softly before using his radio. "Hey Ray, how are things looking on the security monitors?"

"I'm just figuring that out now, I've only just arrived at another security office." Ray explained, eyeing all the monitors to pinpoint the whereabouts of his friends as well as Ilyssa and her paranormal abductor. By the way, I managed to dig up some research on that ghost you mentioned earlier. In the early nineteen hundreds, this Museum was run by a board of trustees. Powerful guys, tycoons and captains of industry all of whom were probably filthy rich and ruthless. The Chairman of the Board was a man named Cornelius Wellsley who owned a major company called International Steel, that ghost you saw must be his spiritual entity. The board used the Museum as a respectable front to hide and obscure all kinds of dubious activities, they were mainly part of an elite club which was ruled and run by our favourite evil architect; Ivo Shandor. These board members hired women from the St. Nicholas Rehabilitation Mission for Wayward Angels, according to various and suspicious rumours; they conducted all sorts of nasty rituals and evil ceremonies using these women."

"Okay Ray, you can put a lid on it; I don't think I want to hear anything more given that Ilyssa is in the Chairman's captivity right now." Michiru responded, hearing quite enough of Ray's research data.

"I hear you Mitch, we'd better find her before that oozing tub of blubber can make his getaway; at least their both still inside the Museum." Winston added as the three of them entered into another exhibit room was much smaller than the Civil War one they had recently left. "Well, looks like we've arrived at the Egypt exhibit; brings back a lot of memories while I was working on my doctorate."

"There's lots of black slime in here." Michiru commented as flames appeared on the altar posts, lighting up the room while a black slime portal opened in the floor; releasing a swarm of flying skulls from a paranormal dimension. "Hose down the black slime portal and seal it shut!"

"You do it Mitch!" Venkman replied, firing his shock blaster at the aerial adversaries as they scattered around to attack the three of them. "Winston and I will cover you and keep these creeps off your back!"

Winston and Venkman spread out and drew the flying skulls away from Michiru in order to let him close up the black slime portal unopposed, once this was done; no more enemies would come through the floor and then they could all take out the flying skulls together. Because these opponents attack by ramming themselves during a suicide charge, the skirmish was over in half a minute or so; most of them were destroyed in flight before they could attempt it and none of the Ghostbusters were hurt. The paranormal eliminators moved onwards into a winding hallway with more Egyptian displays which indicated that the Egyptian exhibit was a very large one that had to be divided into different sections. After the three of them entered an immensely wide and spacious room which was nearly the size of the one which featured the American Civil War exhibit, the doors behind them slammed shut; and an enormous chunk of concrete fell down and blocked the entrance which would have killed them had they been standing underneath. Once they realized they were trapped, the trio watched with alarm as all of the Egyptian statues came to life; these new opponents were armed with round bronze shields and razor sharp pickaxe looking weapons that had extra long handles which made them as long as spears. The heads of the statues were carved and made to resemble the Egyptian God Anubis, which made these dangerous new opponents look very frightening; especially with their glowing eyes that burned orange like fire.

"Why do we always get locked in with these ghosts?" Does someone have that much of a grudge against us?" Winston remarked, using his shock blaster on one of them as they all charged down to take the fight to the possessed statues.

"Peck certainly does, but luckily he doesn't have the power to pull off something like this." Venkman replied, trying to humour his friend in the midst of battle as they found themselves surrounded on all sides.

"The Chairman must be responsible for trapping us here, I think I heard him laugh at us as the entrance behind us was closed and blocked off." Michiru added, using his capture stream to tear the shield away from a statue he was fighting against before blasting it into rumble with a boson dart. "Guys! Before you blast the statues with boson darts, use your capture streams on their shields!"

Michiru recovered the round bronze shield and secured it to his left arm before he raced over to aid Winston and Venkman who were both in danger of being attacked by numerous statues, try as they might; their boson darts were not strong enough to inflict harm as long as the predator like monsters had their shields to deflect the blasts with. The Kururugi boy wasted no time in firing a slime tether at each of his two friends and attaching the ends of them to a stone pillar located a short distance away, the sudden elastic force of the slime tethers pulled the unprepared Ghostbusters away from the scene; knocking down any statues caught in their path like a bunch of bowling pins. Michiru fired boson darts at the fallen foes who didn't have their shields in front of them for protection as he repositioned himself by his comrades who were now flat on their backs, a statue that hadn't been knocked down raised its weapon to strike a fatal blow at one of them; but was stopped by the teenager who saw the threat and used his shield to stop the attack. Next, Michiru shoved the monster away and finished it off with a shock blast at point blank range; thus ending the danger in order to face the other horde of statues as they advanced on his position.

The two older Ghostbusters slowly got back on their feet after the slime tether had worn off, both of them eager to return the favour and help out their young friend who was now outnumbered with a horde of monsters to face alone for the moment. Saya, floating in the air noticed that several Union ghosts that must have followed them from the Civil War exhibit were preparing to shoot Michiru; so the old spiritual entity flew up and spun in circles around both of the opponents in order to distract them from their original target. The Shikigami user was using his shield to push his opponents off balance as he slammed into them while looking for an opportune moment to blast them apart with his boson darts, the close quarters fighting made them all vulnerable to the shockwaves of the explosive blast even though each of them carried a bronze shield for protection; including Michiru. But once a blast would scatter everyone apart, the Kururugi boy could exploit their weakened states since the boson darts were being fired away from him and that his own shield would protect him as he continued to fight. By now, Winston and Venkman had returned to the fight and now all three of them could finish all of the possessed statues off; one at a time in a one on one fight until if was over.

"You certainly have a knack for this sort of job Mitch, you've saved us against and you haven't even tired yourself out yet." Winston commented, congratulating the teenager on his endurance.

"Uh guys, would someone mind telling me what Saya is doing right now?" Venkman asked, causing his two friends to look up and watch with astonishment as they beheld Saya taunting the two Union ghosts who were trying in vain to shoot him with their weapons; it was pretty funny to watch Saya buzz around and easily dodge the shots one after the other.

"Missed again, how many more will it be before one of you actually take me down?" Saya teased, buzzing around like an annoying housefly as he taunted the floating ghosts over and over again after each individual shot. "Ha! Ha! Ha! Come on, surely you get shoot better than that?"

"Okay guys, let's capture those ghosts before Saya lets down his guard and gets himself hurt." Michiru suggested with a chuckle as they all suppressed their laughter so they could concentrate on the task at hand. "Look out from below Saya!"

The two Union ghosts were so fixated on shooting Saya that they ignored the proton streams being fired at them, it was only after their PKE levels had dropped that they realized their mistake as they suddenly found themselves ensnared in the capture streams of the three Ghostbusters that were attacking them from below; their fates were now sealed as they were pulled into the traps and imprisoned until they would be transferred to the containment unit at the Firehouse once this campaign at the Museum was over. Now that there were no more enemies inside of this ruined rumble of an Egyptian tomb, the four friends made their way up some stairs and arrived at the far corner of west wall where they had hoped to fight a door leading out of here to the next room; their hopes were gone when they saw nothing but a blank wall located in place instead. In order to find another way out, Michiru pulled down his goggles and took out his PKE meter in the hopes that a paranormal occurrence would give a clue that could help them out; his prayers were answered as he saw what looked like a rectangular shaped purple aura in place of a giant slab which made up the wall in front of him.

"Ray, come in please; there's a purple paranormal fold of some sort located at the far corner of the west wall." Michiru said over his radio. "My PKE meter indicates that there's an invisible door in its place? We need to know how we can get the door open."

"It seems the ghosts have used their dimensional anomalous signatures to wrinkle the space-time continuum, you're seeing a fold in reality even though the door is still there even though the ghosts have removed the door from this plane of existence; your positively charged slime from your slime blower should dissipate the wrinkle and restore the door to its origin point." Ray explained. "Try it out."

"It worked Ray, thanks." Michiru replied, spraying green slime on the wall and feeling relieved that the doorway had returned. "Lets go."

Saya flew through the door entrance followed by Michiru and the others as they walked into a narrow hallway which was pitch black with lights flickering on and off which gave the need for Michiru to pull down his head goggles so he could see clearly in the dark; there were shelves of materials stacked here and there as well as black slime spills all around them including the walls and even the ceiling which made their slow advance a hazardous one. After turning left to continue down the hallway, Michiru's PKE meter buzzed off; indicating a cursed artefact was nearby because of the blue lights flashing on it for him to see; it was a giant stone shaped head inside of a plastic transparent garbage bag. After taking a scan, Michiru figured out from his instrument that it was from someone who went by the name of Azathotep; which sounded just as paranormal to the boy as Azetlor did.

The Ghostbusters found a water fountain and took turns getting a drink, their mouths were probably dry from battle so the cold water felt very refreshing to drink and when they were done; the four of them proceeded to the exit door which was just a few paces away. Upon opening it, they found another large room somewhat similar in layout to the Civil War exhibit even though it was much more narrow; all of them caught a glimpse of Ilyssa and the Chairman before they darted away and left more Egyptian statues and swarms of flying skulls to fight them off in a delaying action. Saya flew after the two of them while Michiru and the others clashed once again with these formidable foes; just how much longer would it be until they could actually fight the Chairman and rescue Ilyssa?

After a few minutes, the fight was over and the three combatants left the room and found themselves at a narrow hallway that was shaped like a T junction which meant that there were two paths going in the oppose direction; Michiru went left when he detected another cursed artefact and quickly scanned after seeing it inside of a glass display case. After finding out it was a red Phoenician Plague Vase made of clay, Michiru looked around to determine which direction to take; luckily Saya had waited for them so that he could lead them down the right way and this was confirmed when they caught yet another glimpse of the Chairman and Ilyssa. More Egyptian statues came to life on either side of the narrow hallway, but unlike in the Egyptian Main room; these opponents didn't have shields so it was easy for the Ghostbusters to defeat them quickly with their technologically advanced and destructive weaponry. Michiru was trying to stay on the run as he engaged the foes in his path to try and catch up to Saya who was still giving chase, but his ears suddenly recognized the beeping sound coming from his PKE meter and so he halted in order to find out what was being detected.

Coming to a halt and quickly looking around to make sure he wasn't in danger first, Michiru pulled out his instrument and found the artefact to the left which was hanging on the wall beside him; it was an enormous rectangular painting of the board of trustees which Ray had mentioned earlier over the radio when he had talked about Chairman Cornelius Wellesley. The familiar characteristic of the painting was that it also had the same paranormal feature as the one which Michiru also found at the Public Library, the image changed when looked at from another angle; the evil entities replaced the people and they were also surrounded by an aura of purple smoke. Now that the task was done, Michiru continued his chase and destroyed any and all foes that attacked him. As the Ghostbusters advanced from one hallway section to another, even Michiru and the others were able to see Ilyssa and the Chairman momentarily; which meant that their pursuit was succeeding and that they were catching up that much quicker. The last two foes in their path were both guarding a doorway which was barred by security shudders, although they had shields; they were no match for the three paranormal eliminators who were now used to fighting against them. Once they were quickly destroyed, Ray opened the shudders from the other side and let them through; it looked as though they had arrived back inside of the Gozer exhibit where the commotion had first begun.

"Look, there's Ilyssa!" Michiru shouted, racing over to where his female friend was laying unconscious on the floor beside the giant Obelisk. "Wake up Ilyssa, come on; that's it. Are you feeling alright?"

"Oh, what a nightmare." Ilyssa said softly as she woke up and found herself being held in Michiru's arms as he crouched down on the floor, looking at her with concern and relieve now that she was finally save and okay. "Mitch, we'll this is an unexpected surprise; I never thought I'd wake up to find myself in your arms."

"I-I'm just glad you're alright." Michiru replied as he helped her stand up, making her suppress a giggle as she noticed his face turn red.

"Ah, nothing beats being the hero and getting the girl after a long campaign of endless battles." Venkman commented with a grin.

"Why don't you just keep your comments to yourselves?" Michiru replied, eyeing each of them as he tried to hide his embarrassment. "When did you get here Egon?"

"I arrived shortly before all of you returned to the Gozer exhibit, I came as soon as I finished analysing all our data from the Library after reading through more of the Gozerian Codex; during which time I made an extraordinarily frightening discovery." Egon answered, getting everyone's attention now that the scientist had apparently had some bad news to inform them. "All my findings indicate that the Ghost world is pushing from multiple cross portals from their dimension into ours."

"By the way Egon, thanks very much for the new trap you made for me; it works great and came in very handy during tonight's campaign." Michiru said gratefully while complimenting Egon on the new piece of equipment which the scientist had invented and built.

"Not a problem, I'm glad it was helpful for you." Egon replied.

"Hey guys, check this out." Winston pointed to the floor, just moments before the ugly and overweight looking Chairman ghost appeared above them by entering through a fold in reality. "Uh oh, the big fat ugly dude is back."

The Ghostbusters's faces cringed with disgust as they finally got a good look at the Chairman ghost floating up in the air before them, calling him an overweight would be a huge understatement; this guy's gut was so large and round that he wouldn't be able to get inside of an elevator. His clothes, at least what remained of them were all ragged; no surprise considering that his waist size probably doesn't exist. He wore a ragged robe which was just enough to cover everything below the waist as long as it didn't tear by accident, and what was left of his coat was just the sleeves which were just held together from behind at the back; a bright yellow glowing orb like eye was located in the middle of the Chairman's chest and it looked as though it had some mysterious significance. Before any of the human combatants could make an attack, the Chairman suddenly swooped down and snatched Ilyssa from the floor; darting back up in the air and laughing as he had once again kidnapped his female hostage. Ilyssa cried for help and tried in vain to free herself from this horridly disgusting spiritual entity, as Saya and the paranormal eliminators spread out to block the exits and keep the Chairman from escaping.

"Don't let him escape with her again." Winston shouted, getting into position with the others; covering all escape routes. "Slime time!"

The Ghostbusters discharged their slime blowers at the Chairman who was now hovering above them in a stationary position, looking around in order to find where he could make a successful getaway; Saya had positioned himself above the Chairman at the tip of the giant Obelisk in order to see where he'd go if he flew upwards to one of the top floors just in case. But luckily for all of them, the Chairman wasn't going to get away this time; not without leaving Ilyssa behind anyway. A paranormal tear suddenly appeared in the floor near the Obelisk, and the Chairman took his chance; dropping Ilyssa and causing Michiru and Winston to race under and try to catch her before she hit the floor. They caught her in time even though her momentum gave them some sore muscles afterwards from the fall; but at least she was now safe again. The other Ghostbusters wasted no time in pressing their attacks, switching over to their proton streams and striking the Chairman for a few seconds before he made his escape; leaving a small heap of black charcoal bits all over the floor around the crack where he had miraculously gotten through.

"Winston, could you please take Ilyssa home before anything else happens?" Michiru asked with concern. "We don't want the Chairman to kidnap her again."

"No problem Mitch, I'll see that she gets home safe and sound; good luck to you hunting that slob down." Winston replied, helping Michiru set Ilyssa down on her feet. "Wait here, I'll just get the keys from Ray.

"I'll see you back at the office once we've dealt with the Chairman and the rest of the ghosts, stay safe Ilyssa." Michiru said, giving a reassuring look that everything would be fine. "And don't worry, I'll be sure to stay out of trouble."

"I know, just don't overexert yourself okay?" Ilyssa replied with a smile, getting a nod from the boy. "Good bye Mitch, and good luck."

"Okay, everyone. Any ideas how we can follow the Chairman through that little hole in the floor?" Venkman asked humorously.

"Yeah, goggles down." Michiru answered, pulling down his head goggles and holding out his PKE meter as he saw that the base of the Obelisk had a purple aura around it; his scan indicated that it was weakened and that it could now be destroyed. "Everyone stand back, I'm going to blast it."

Everyone backed away from the Obelisk and Michiru shot a boson dart at it once he was standing about ten feet away, the entire base shattered like a glass bottle and the rest of the towering structure came crashing down to the floor; scattering into multiple fragments of ink black rumble. Before anyone could say anything however, a gigantic pattern which was hidden in the floor underneath of where the Obelisk used to stand became to react with paranormal kinetic energy; a closer look at it showed that it was the same mysterious pattern which they had also encountered inside of the Public Library after their battle with Azetlor. All the circles, triangular, and circular lines began to glow bright blue as they moved around; shifting their positions all along the floor until the round centre section descended and transformed itself into a spiralling staircase which lead downstairs into a secret passageway that had been hidden for a very long time. Michiru took a deep breath to prepare himself, this was certainly going to be an interesting exploration, journeying underground through a secret hidden passage leading into the depths of hell for all anyone knew; but at least Ilyssa was going to be safe back at the Firehouse so she was now longer in any danger and that was one good thing which he could be thankful for.

"So, our we going down the stairs to see where this secret hidden passage leads?" Saya asked, floating down to Michiru's shoulder and looking at the mysterious staircase which had only just been discovered.

"Come on guys, we've got a Chairman ghost to capture; let's go." Egon replied, taking the lead as they descended downstairs one after another with Saya bringing up the rear until they reached the bottom.

Author's Note: This chapter was more difficult than usual to write about because of trying to tie game events together with other events in Feudal Japan and so on, I ended it here because it was already a little too long and also because this is where I will eventually plan out other events which will further change and escalate the course of adventures for Michiru later on in the future. For the record, Saya is here in the States as well and since he no longer has to subdue Sounga; I feel that its only fair he should get to have some adventure too. By the way, now that Kagome has stumbled upon possibly figuring out what's going on between Michiru and Sango; things are eventually going to get dramatic among the Inuyasha characters even though Michiru is currently still in America for a long while.

Orionpax09, I know you've probably been too busy to read these passed few chapters and that you also haven't been able to update any of your stories; I hope that you enjoy reading them whenever you eventually find free time to read them. Look forward to hearing from you soon, until then; good luck to you on what ever story or art projects you're currently working on.

Jetty1, I really don't like disappointing my fans, but sorry I didn't have enough room for including the lost parade level in this chapter; I ended this chapter in such a way that will allow me to incorporate that event into the next chapter. Just warning you in advance, the occasion of the parade will have to be a different one since there obviously isn't going to be a Thanksgiving given the fact that its late July as opposed to November; but I've got all the research material I need to tie everything together once I come up with an appropriate cause for the parade and so on. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter in the mean time; good luck on your Secret of the cursed Ring story when ever you work on it again.

Master of Death and Darkness, glad that you got a lot of laughs from Kagome unleashing her wrath on Miroku; it was pretty funny to read since she doesn't really do that in the anime even though it would have been entertaining to see. This chapter was a difficult one to write but I hope you enjoy all the events whether they're funny or not; look forward to hearing from you soon.

AeropostleKeyblade, I hope that you'll eventually find time to read and review this chapter even though you've been busy; take care.

Greymon Leader, thanks very much for all the suggestions and ideas you brought to my attention; I honestly don't know how I could have tackled all the writing blocks without your help. Now that chapter nine is completed, I can finally breath a sigh of relief and move on to chapter ten; I enjoyed talking back and forth with you about this story and let me say that I enjoyed reading your story which you yourself have only just begun. I look forward to hearing from you and I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter, I'm only sorry I couldn't writing it sooner.


	10. Confrontations among Friends

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, Ghostbusters, or anything associated with either of them. This story is being written just for fun and enjoyment.

Chapter #10: Confrontations among Friends

Michiru and Saya arrived at the bottom of the spiral staircase where they found Ray, Egon, and Venkman waiting for them at a barred gate which was blocking the entrance to an underground tunnel located beneath the Museum. Once Ray kicked down the rusty obstacle, the five companions entered through the narrow passageway and followed it until they came to a small chamber with a giant fixture of what looked like various pipes and ventilator ducts which transferred water, gas or steam throughout the underground systems beneath the city. The pathway they were on wound around the structure and lead to several other passageways located at the opposite end of the claustrophobic like space, luckily for them; Michiru's PKE meter was able to pick up a faint paranormal reading and lead the way down the left hand tunnel after kicking down the gate which was old and worn down. After getting to the other tunnel, the Ghostbusters could see a few bright blue spiritual entities flowing by like fish in the water from one passageway to another; almost as if they were leading the paranormal eliminators through the maze of underground tunnels in order to find their objective.

"This is really strange, ghosts guiding us through this maze and helping us out like us." Ray commented.

"You're telling me, quite ironic since we're the Ghostbusters; you'd think they'd attack us or flee instead." Venkman added as they walked along. "An underground area is certainly an odd place to find lots of ghosts, then again; I suppose it's the only place they can find with nearly no living beings around to disturb them if they want solitude and isolation."

"You're right about that, there's more consistent and accelerated PKE than blowing through here than I've ever seen before in our usual encounters; but it's not the origin point." Egon stated as they walked passed a broken area in the right side of the tunnel wall, revealing pipelines running through it which were leaking water at one or two weak points which were old and worn. "This is just a conduit; the question is where is all the paranormal kinetic energy being channelled too and why?"

"Doesn't it seem odd that this underground tunnel system we're travelling inside of is lit up with electric lights still in working order even though the passageway leading down here was hidden from everyone else until we only just discovered it tonight?" Michiru asked curiously.

"Yeah, perhaps this is one of those projects that Ilyssa was telling us about when Ivo Shandor did a number of construction works; it would make sense since this place is filled with paranormal activity and ghosts." Ray answered as the team arrived at the end of another tunnel and found themselves standing on a long narrow catwalk like path, overlooking a giant wide canal which was completely empty except for the paranormal entities and mist flowing through it like a river.

Running down the middle of the canal was a catwalk suspended at the same high as the one on which they were standing, supported by scaffolding from underneath and above each suspension point was a tower like structure with a bright green glowing beacon at the top; the beacon looked like a giant crystal emerald judging from its shape and yet it glowed with enough intensity to light up the dark underground tunnel which a strange appearance that resembled a lava lamp. The Ghostbusters split up and each took a different turn to the left and right since those were the only paths available to them after exiting the narrow passage that lead them here, while Venkman and Egon took the right; Michiru, Saya, and Ray proceeded left until they found they reached a dead end since the catwalk was destroyed and severed which prevented them from going any further in this direction. As they turned around to return to their two companions who had gone the opposite way, the three of them heard a faint noise which sounded like the siren alarm of Ecto-1; Michiru pulled out his PKE meter and was shocked to find a tiny miniature replica of that very car with all the exact details as if it had been modelled after the original life sized one. The Kururugi boy's PKE meter indicated that this was a cursed artefact, a remote controlled Ecto-1 that twitches and whirs by itself; quite an unexpected find in comparison to the other items Michiru had found in the past.

"Wow! Look at the detail of this Ray, its accuracy is completely perfect to the real Ecto-1." Michiru exclaimed in awe, carefully picking up the small toy car in his hands for both of them to look at. "I'm glad I had my PKE meter out or we wouldn't have found it, Winston will be surprised when he sees this don't you think?"

"No kidding, and I thought I was just hearing things when that car's little siren began to sound." Ray replied, admiring the tiny vehicle. "You found it, you should get to keep it; it'll be great souvenir for you to remember you're trip after you've returned home to Japan."

"Thanks a lot Ray, I'll be sure to take good care of it." Michiru said gratefully, taking a scan of the cursed artefact so that they continue hunting for the Chairman. "Let's get back to the others before we get lost."

Ray and Michiru retraced their footsteps with Saya following them close behind until they all arrived back at the tunnel where they continued onwards in the direction that Venkman and Egon had taken a few minutes ago. After catching up to their fellow co workers, they found that this path ended because the catwalk was once again destroyed and severed which trapped them here with no where to go except back into the area where the tunnels met at that pipeline junction point close to the hidden floor passage back at the Museum. There was nothing else for it, everyone pulled out their PKE meters and began scanning around in search for any paranormal anomalies that could lead them back on track and get them out of this mess; luckily it didn't take long for a solution to present itself. Michiru had discovered a section of the underground wall which had been weakened by black slime, leaving a crack in the wall; according to his PKE meter. The teenager aimed his positron collider and selected the necessary equipment in order to spray the surface in the hopes that it would reveal a path for him and his team to take, sure enough; the positively charged slime did its work and a passageway was exposed.

"Good job Mitch, you've found a way out of this dead end." Egon stated, following the Japanese student as each of the Ghostbusters entered the narrow tunnel one at a time. "That reminds me, we should each do a quick test of the new equipment we installed on our proton packs yesterday morning; use the function control console to switch over to the Meson collider identified by the yellow light. The Meson collider is extremely accurate and inflicts serious damage, the trade off however is that it takes a while to recharge itself after being used in combat; as you'll soon found out when each of you use it. The Overload Pulse disperses a rapid repeating burst of meson particles like a Gatling gun firing multiple bullets, which can be fired conventionally where ever you aim your weapon or in tandem if you want to hit a precise target without missing. What this means is you can select a desired target point by firing the Meson collider first, afterward acquiring it with a successfully aimed hit; every burst from the Overload Pulse will automatically home in on that target whether its stationary or moving. Just remember that the effect will wear off once you need to recharge it during battle so be careful when you use it and also check your fire so that you don't shoot anyone by accident."

"Right Egon thanks." Michiru replied, switching over to the new equipment to familiarize himself with the new offensive capabilities.

"Wow, that's quite an effective attack weapon that you have now Michiru." Saya commented, watching the Kururugi boy test fire the new equipment which Egon had recently installed in the proton pack; being extra careful by aiming it away from his companions as they all moved along through the winding tunnel. "The lights on your proton pack have changed to yellow and there's a neat looking antenna with a strange reoccurring lights rising from it, I must say it looks very pretty."

"Careful Saya, those are tiny pulses of static electricity so don't touch them or you'll be electrocuted; it hurts a lot if it happens." Ray warned.

After they continued through more tunnels which branched off from two underground chambers with several different turns in each, the company of five friends eventually found their way back to the giant canal and were standing at the end of a bridge which was conveniently located ahead of them to allow them a safe crossing over to a structure resting in the middle of the empty space like a man made island. As they cautiously walked across it, they gazed at the currents of mist and paranormal energy flowing down below them through the giant canal; wondering where it possibly ended up at. Nearing the island like structure, they saw it was wide square shaped platform which stretched for perhaps a hundred feet or more in diameter; with various storage tanks and multiple arrays of piping for channelling and containing steam and water which were all located around the platform's edge. At the centre was a large cylinder shaped tank which was built out of both metal and glass so that the liquid substance stored inside could be seen visibly, thick black slime was trapped inside with gas fumes rising from the top of its surface; about a dozen hose like pipes ran all along the floor from every direction until they all connected at the cylinder like strands in a spider web which told the Ghostbusters that they were on the right track because they had found another large site which had been modified during a construction project by the Ivo Shandor's Architecture Firm.

"I don't like the look of all this black slime inside of this underground system guys, it gives me a bad feeling that what ever the Chairman's involved with is much bigger than everything we've encountered so far; it looks as though we'll be looking through every last place in the city that's been modified by Ivo Shandor until we find the answer to all of these paranormal occurrences." Michiru remarked, eyeing the black slime suspiciously as he and the others explored the area.

"Don't worry Mitch, we've been through tough periods before and we've still survived long enough to bring down all the dangerous ghosts." Egon concurred, holding out his PKE meter to scan for various paranormal activities. "Everyone keep a sharp look around and stay alert, we don't know what will happen if we accidentally trigger something."

"Wow, that's a lot of black slime; it'll take weeks to isolate it before we can even attempt to neutralize it with positively charged slime." Ray commented, looking at the cylinder. "I don't think we can even produce a quarter of what we'd need to counter the negative effects, and we don't even know how far its being distributed underneath the city; let alone what's beyond this place."

"I don't think our problem is as big as all that Ray, we would have had an endless supply of phone calls if paranormal activity was occurring everywhere in the city just because of this underground paranormal conveyor so we shouldn't be worrying that much." Egon replied, looking around. "Although, the question on my mind is why Ilyssa seems to be the interest of the Chairman ghost?"

"Well for one thing, she's a hot woman; it's no surprise why he'd take an interest in her." Venkman said sarcastically as he continued walking along the bridge, drawing everyone's attention. "Come on guys, I'm just trying to brighten our moods up with a few jokes; I meant no harm."

"I hardly think Ilyssa was being targeted by the Chairman or by Stay Puft all because of her good looks Peter, or is her attractive figure the only thing on your mind right now?" Michiru replied with a serious voice, turning around on the platform as he glanced at Venkman.

"Why don't you tell me?" Venkman countered with a goofy grin as he stared back at the Kururugi boy who was always too easy to embarrass.

"Peter now is not a good time to try my patience." Michiru warned, clenching his fists as he resisted the urge to call on his Shikigami powers to shut up his fellow employee who was becoming a pain in the neck.

Before anyone else could comment, the end platform of the bridge suddenly collapsed just moments after Venkman joined them on the island structure; They all scattered to the outside edge of the place to try and find another bridge while Saya floated upwards to get a better observation, but the five friends realized that they were now trapped with no means of crossing back to the catwalk and they would now have to endure what ever fate awaited them deep down underground in this labyrinth of secret passageways. Sudden noises began to echo all around the trapped team and as they looked around in vain to identify the source which had yet to reveal itself; the lid at the top of the cylinder started flowing upwards due to internal pressure from the black slime. Some sort of chain reaction was occurring which meant that it had been set off or triggered, possibly when all of them walked into the trap that they now found themselves in, that could only mean trouble was on the way and they would have to fight their way out of it if they ever wanted to escape alive.

"The cylinder lid, it's flowing upwards; something's gone wrong." Egon pointed out, studying the occurrence carefully with his eyes to determine the cause of the incident.

"Look out, it's the Chairman." Ray warned as a crazy laugh echoed throughout the massive underground canal until the Chairman finally floated above off to the side of the stationary structure so he could taunt everyone with his annoying laughter. "About time he showed up, now we can teach him not to mess with us or our friends, blast him guys!"

"I got a scan guys, his weakness is being hit with a Meson collider." Michiru said after putting away his PKE meter and pulling out his positron collider so he could defend himself in battle.

"Good job Mitch, aim for the big yellow eye in the middle of the Chairman's chest; that should eventually bring him down." Ray added, discharging a proton stream at the floating fat enemy entity; followed by swiftly by Egon and Venkman. "We'll keep him preoccupied with our proton streams in order to dissipate his PK energy while you test out the new equipment and see how well it works at bringing him down."

As all of them stood fast and fired their weapons together, the Chairman summoned some energy floating down the canal underneath the platform in order to charge himself up for the fight; Michiru managed to lock on with his Meson collider after firing a well aimed shot that nearly hit the yellow eye and began striking the Chairman in the chest with repeated bursts from his Overload Pulse. The Chairman wasn't prepared for an attack such as this and so he flew over the heads of the Ghostbusters and darted downwards on the other side behind the storage tanks and pipe arrays where he could hide himself, Saya tried watching the Chairman and his movements from his vantage point; but even he found it difficult to accurately keep track on the elusive entity given the fact that his vision was partially blocked by the storage tanks and the floor grating which made up the platform on which his four mortal friends were standing.

"The Chairman is hiding beneath your feet, he's coming up from the far left corner you; look behind you!" Saya called out in a panic.

Turning around, the paranormal investigators saw the Chairman emerge from another part of the platform, floating safely just within the line of fire and sight of his mortal enemies; ready to fly away or dart in order to hide his overweight body behind the safety of the thick metal storage tanks which surrounded the edge of the platform. Suddenly, a bright yellow light shot forth from both of his hands and as he lowered himself to avoid being attacked, a red and pink light emerged from each corner of the platform. What looked like a water treatment tank shaped like a round shallow pool erupted with paranormal activity; steam rose up from it as a change in temperature suddenly took hold of each corner of the stationary flattop on which the Ghostbusters were now trapped. Everyone's eyes widened with shock as they beheld what horrific looking creatures crawled out of what they now realized were portals of black slime deliberately placed at each corner of the platform for the sole purpose of surrounding any victims who were unfortunate enough to find themselves caged inside of this dark underground hellish lair only to be fed on a silver platter to these hideous nightmarish monsters.

Michiru had wisely pulled out his PKE meter to identify each of these new monsters in order to hopefully find a weakness that could be exploited, but in doing so; he temporarily put himself and his comrades in danger for a very few minutes since they were now short a man in the thick of the fighting. The first monster that emerged from the black slime portal was a large four legged arthropod which had an ink black and blood red coloured exoskeleton, its head rested directly on top of the body's centre and looked like that of a cobra judging from its shape as it spat red balls of acid from its savage jaws; nearly striking the unprepared Kururugi boy in the process as he dodged the attack after identifying this new menace as a Venom crawler. Luckily for Michiru, all he had to do was douse the dangerous thing with positively charged slime until it was killed; he was surprised that its body exploded which meant that its molecular structure couldn't cope with the attack. Although that made these new enemies easier to destroy, the catch was how to avoid being shot with an acid ball attack; something which the other Ghostbusters quickly found out as they combated these hellish beasts.

"The Chairman ghost is coming back on your left side Ray, everyone get ready so you can intercept him with your weapons!" Saya shouted, quickly alerting everyone with the warning message as they gathered together and scanned the area for the fat ghost. "That's it, your hitting him; keep up the fire there!"

"What good do our proton streams do if we can only shoot that floating tub of belly fat for a few seconds?" Venkman asked in frustration, discharging boson darts in every direction to try and blow up all the storage tanks that were obscuring their view and walling them up like caged animals. "Drat! At this rate, we're going to be mincemeat for these four legged freaks by the time this battle is over."

"I regret to say that even I have to a agree with Venkman here guys, his boson darts took down less than a twelfth of all the storage tanks blocking our view and as long as more monsters continue to crawl out of those black slime portals while the Chairman takes a breather; I'd say this is a fight we can't win." Ray added reluctantly as everyone surveyed the situation around them. "If anyone has any bright ideas or magic spells to get us out of this, I'm open to hearing them now before this battle becomes one sided."

"Why don't I concentrate on sealing all the black portals when ever they're opened, that'll minimize the number of enemies attacking us here on the platform; the four of us together should be able to beat anything that comes through if I'm not fast enough." Michiru suggested, as the four Ghostbusters moved back to back against each other to aim and fire their weapons in all directions while they formulated a new battle plan. "As soon as Saya signals the Chairman's reappearance, provided that the four of us aren't busy; we can hit him with our combined attacks until he's defeated. The three of you continue dissipating his PK energy while I use the Meson collider and aim for his weak spot, which should be enough to turn the tides in our favour; how does that sound Egon?"

"Sounds like a plan to me, everyone catch all of that?" Egon replied, getting a yes from both Venkman and Ray. "Alright then its time for us to divide and conquer, round one coming up; scatter!"

"Yeah!" Ray roared, charging ahead and firing his slime blower at two Venom Crawlers that were in his path until they were dead.

"That's right little Creepy Crawlies! Now it's our turn to triumph on the battlefield!" Venkman teased sarcastically, vanquishing several monsters while Michiru raced from one platform corner to the next; sealing up each portal one at a time while Egon and the others mopped up after him.

"All four of the portals are sealed!" Michiru shouted, just before catching a glimpse of the Chairman ghost returning in the air.

"Chubby Chairman at Mitch's three o'clock!" Ray shouted excitedly, getting everyone's attention as the four Ghostbusters deployed themselves and opened fire together. "Pour it into him guys! Pour it into him!"

"Okay, scatter again and good hunting!" Egon commanded, as he noticed the Chairman used his powers to reopen the black slime portals again. "Keep a sharp look out up there Saya; we're counting on you to watch the Chairman's movements!"

"Understood Egon!" Saya replied loudly, keeping his gaze fixed on the fat bellied entity hiding beneath the floor grating like a big fat coward.

More new monsters appeared in addition to the Venom crawlers, there were black humanoid zombie like creatures called Slime Fiends with faceless heads that attacked like mindless primitives with only their clawed hands to wield as weapons; but they also had the ability to spit red balls of acid just as their Venom crawler allies possessed which made them an even more dangerous threat. As everyone found out, the two creatures shared the same strengths and the same weaknesses which made fighting them that much easier since no one had to change equipment; except for when the Chairman returned to the battlefield again. Although the Slime Fiends slightly differed in terms of appearance, their bodies exploded once they were killed in battle; which put everyone on edge since no one wanted black slime or internal guts on their clothes. The slime blower was certainly proving to be an invaluable weapon tonight, it freed people from being possessed by possessor ghosts, and down here; it was protecting the Ghostbusters from acid attacks by killing off the deadly creatures. If anyone was unfortunately hit with an acid ball, they could easily spray themselves to counteract the effects and cancel it out before it could burn or harm the human body; provided they reacted in time.

The Chairman had returned once again and was now using his powers not only to reopen the black slime portals, but also to perform attacks of his own to try and regain the advantage in battle. Once such attack was creating five blue spheres of paranormal energy and sending them to their targets all at once; forcing everyone to halt their own attacks and dodge to avoid being hit. On two occasions, Ray and later on Egon were grazed and landed flat on their backs; forcing Michiru and Venkman to help them to their feet in the middle of the fighting which continued. The Chairman wasn't attacking as often which indicated that Michiru's battle plan was succeeding, they only needed to outlast him and his minions and then it would be over; or so everyone hoped. However, a third new enemy was summoned to combat them once the Venom crawlers and Slime fiends were proven ineffective; one with an advantage that allowed it to fly which made it more difficult to defeat. These new entities were identified as Black Slime ghosts, a rather ironic name considering that they have a blue appearance instead; but they could also shoot balls of black slime which was as deadly as the red acid balls that the previous two menaces could use as a weapon.

No one was willing to give up now that they had proven themselves capable of handling any combat situation, they were the Ghostbusters after all and as a result; they had their reputation to uphold. Unfortunately, this type of ghost couldn't be caught conventionally; but they could be beaten with the slime blower such as the other paranormal opponents were. Although the Black slime ghosts could dodge or fly out of range, Michiru was using the Meson collider to his full advantage by locking on to those that he could hit and shooting them multiple times with the Overload Pulse in order to bring them down so that none could get away; those that didn't keep their distance were quickly dealt with by the other Ghostbusters who elevated their slime blowers to strike fatal blows at various targets until there were none left floating around at all. Saya was still floating around high above everyone and staying out of attack range as he watched his friends below him, he especially kept a close eye on the Chairman ghost in order to warn the four combatants that their primary target was coming into an exposed position for them to attack him.

"Chairman's back!" Saya pointed out loudly, making sure to point out the correct position. "Coming up from behind you Michiru!"

"Thanks Saya!" Michiru replied gratefully, aiming carefully before firing his Meson collider. "I think he's going to attack us again guys."

"His energy is weakening, it's only natural that he'd try to finish us off himself; he must have been using too much energy to summon his allies with." Egon stated as he studied the Chairman's actions with curiosity.

The Chairman summoned one giant purple ball of paranormal energy, but instead of throwing it or guiding it in order to strike an intended target; a sudden burst of what looked like static electricity concentrated into a yellow beam of energy shot out without warning. The burst struck each person followed by another and another until each of the Ghostbusters had been hit once with the attack, in addition to that; paranormal surges of purple and blue light shot up through the floor grating directly under the feet of each person after the beam had hit them one just a moment ago. The Chairman entity continued laughing as he made his exit, taunting everyone yet again now that he had surprised them with that unexpected attack. More black slime ghosts appeared to continue with the fight and wear down the mortal humans so that the laughing loaf didn't have to fight as much and risk further injury to himself. Saya kept the attackers at bay by distracting them with his dodging tricks and allowed Michiru to help his three partners to their feet since they were too sore to recover alone after that big attack.

"Ow, oh man that stings." Ray said as Michiru knelt down and slowly lifted the man up to his feet. "Thanks Mitch, wow; did that ever hurt."

"No kidding must have been a shocking experience." Michiru joked, trying to humour his friends as he helped them out one by one.

"Ow, I'm down; he got me." Egon said softly as Michiru helped him to stand up. "Thanks very much, I needed the assist."

"Can I get a little help over here please?" Venkman asked, not even trying to move which made Michiru heap him up in one swift motion. "Ouch, a little warning next time Mitch; don't move so quick."

"Sorry, but we're still in a battle here; so be quick or be dead." Michiru countered with a grin, making Ray and Egon chuckle.

"There aren't that many more monsters or ghosts left, the Chairman's strength must be fading quickly; we'd better be ready when he comes back." Egon deduced after looking around the platform as he tackled with the few black slime ghosts that were left to cause an annoyance. "There he is, everyone get ready; fire!"

The four paranormal investigators discharged their weapons again and struck the Chairman in the weak spot on his chest, but they felt the shock of another powerful attack and this time; Michiru was also hit and now all of them were lying flat on their backs. Luckily for them, the four corner slime portals remained sealed so there were no creepy critters crawling out to attack them as yet. Saya floated down to see that they were all okay enough to be counted as alive as they inched around in order to get into a position that allowed them to stand up without causing too much pain. Egon was the first to make it to his feet; Venkman and Ray were taking their time while Michiru was distracted by the Chairman who he could see underneath him through the metal grating on which they were. As he watched carefully, Michiru's face suddenly turned sour as a thought crossed his mind; one that he knew the others wouldn't be very pleased to hear if he said it out loud.

"That little cheat!" Michiru cried in a pissed off tone, drawing everyone's attention as he remained on his hands and knees; looking through the floor grating.

"Was is it Michiru?" Saya asked with concern, knowing from the boy's voice that his friend was mad at something.

"That Chairman is only exposing himself where ever he wants, when ever he wants." Michiru answered, getting to his feet as he explained. "As soon as he flees, he heads down there right beneath our feet where we can't touch him. He can attack us himself when he chooses or he can open those corner portals and sic his minions on us, but while he's down there; he's recharging himself by harnessing PK energy from the paranormal currents that are flowing through this canal system like a blasted hydroelectric plant."

"You mean to tell us that he's having a coffee break to reenergize himself up to full juice while the four of us are stuck here in this underground cage wasting away from battle, toil; hunger and thirst?" Ray asked in surprise, making the young teenager nod.

"What is going on here? We're in a cage; our asses are on the line and after all the ghosts and creeps we've whooped; that guy is still winning?" Venkman asked sarcastically, not taking the news well. "Well no wonder that fat floating tub of lard is laughing at us, you can hear him right?" Dawn, this is one time I wish I could trade places with Winston; I'll bet he's relaxing and having a great time with Ilyssa right now too."

"Peter, don't lose your head just yet; all of us are still alive and today happens to be Thanksgiving so be thankful for our good fortune." Egon countered.

"We're stuck inside a paranormal arena so Blubber Butt can watch us fight and die like gladiators and all you can say is be thankful because it's Thanksgiving?" Venkman asked sarcastically, wondering if Egon had a screw loose in his head.

"Egon's right Peter, we've got plenty to be thankful for; we got to meet each other when I first came here by accident." Michiru explained, making each of them smile one by one. "We got to make friends with Ilyssa, we got to have a great party together; we got to be heroes by defeating all the ghosts thus far since I've joined so life is good."

"Yes…but we'll have to end our brake right now because it looks as though the Chairman's coming back for another fight." Saya warned, noticing that the overweight opponent was returning again. "You'd all better get ready in case he opens the portals again, we don't want to be attacked from all sides at once."

The Ghostbusters lined up together and began firing their proton streams at the Chairman while Michiru aimed carefully in order to line up his weapon with the weak point of the target which was getting difficult to accomplish given that the ghost was moving around so much in the air, laughing like a maniac. While the three older men continued listening to the Chairman's laughter, the Japanese student was thinking of a backup plan using a Shikigami spell to turn the tide of battle which he felt sure the Ghostbusters wouldn't mind because of their predicament and also because of the fact that they were inside of a secret underground canal where no one would see anything. Michiru grinned with delight as he imagined how it would unfold, for no one would notice the spinning star shaped pentagram appear beneath his feet; everyone would be too focused on the battle and the light from the proton streams would help to conceal the red glow it was emitting. By now the Chairman had taunted them enough, and he was now preparing another paranormal attack by using another purple sphere of energy which emitted the same yellow bursts that could strike each of his mortal enemies one after the other; and one more attack would definitely be enough to drain what little strength the Ghostbusters possessed which would surely win him the battle if nothing was done to stop him.

"I'm all hears Egon, can you name one single thing that we have to be thankful for right now at this very minute?" Venkman asked sarcastically, knowing that the scientist couldn't possibly come up with an answer while being was focused on their present situation.

"Keep firing Peter, we might not get another chance once we get attacked again." Ray warned, as he and the other adults tried to continue their proton stream attack with what little amount of time they had left before the Chairman unleashed his attack on them.

"Oh brightly burning light! Give me your healing power! Protective light!" Michiru shouted, calling on his Shikigami power and creating the red star shaped pentagram beneath his feet which glowed brightly as it spun around; gathering what ever magical energy the Kururugi boy needed to cast his spell. "Chairman, your fun time is over; now it's our turn to laugh at you for a change!"

The Ghostbusters had become aware that their teenage friend was using his magic, but although they wanted to see what was happening; they didn't dare risk halting their attack on the Chairman as long as he was making himself an easy target to shoot at. What happened next would definitely be a sight to remember for the team of paranormal investigators, a bright beam of white shot out of Michiru's positron collider and slithered around the Ghostbusters like a snake on the floor until it surrounded them by returning to the young boy's side; then it transformed into a shimmering white and slightly golden serpentine dragon with its body and facial features plainly visible despite how bright its familiar form was to see at such close proximity. The Chairman unleashed his assault and brought the four mortals to their knees, but he only succeeded at infuriating the spirit familiar which suddenly saw Michiru and his companions under attack; the awesome supernatural being bared its open jaws at the evil entity who suddenly began trembling with fear as he realized all too late how much ire he had awakened from within this new adversary.

Saya, who had been with them during the attack had perched himself on top of the Serpentine dragon's head and was resting comfortably, holding the creatures horns with his hands to steady himself if things suddenly moved around without warning; he had a rough idea of what would occur next and he wanted to ensure he had a front row seat to watch the climatic conclusion to this great battle. The dragon's scale clad form suddenly produced multiple crisscrossing beams of green, yellow and white light all over the place which bathed the Ghostbusters and blinded the Chairman as Egon, Venkman, Ray, and Michiru found that their exhausted bodies had been fully replenished with both energy and defensive stamina; proving that they could also revitalize themselves when their situation was dire. When the light faded, Michiru suddenly fired his weapon and struck the Chairman square in the chest with a Meson particle; then he fired multiple bursts from his Overload Pulse which were enhanced by travelling through the dragon familiar's body and shot out of its mouth with such force that each burst struck the Chairman with deadlier consequences.

The Chairman had managed to duck after being hit nearly a dozen times so he could retreat underneath the platform and recover himself, but as he arrived there; he was chased by the Serpentine dragon who continued breathing magically enhanced Meson projectiles at him so that he wouldn't have the chance to cheat death ever again. By now the Chairman figured out his only chance for survival was to flee, and so he fled as fast as his fat floating body could move through the canal until he could outdistance himself from the Ghostbusters and more importantly, the spirit familiar who had struck a lasting amount of fear inside of his memory; as well as a clear message never to mess with the Ghostbusters ever again. The dragon familiar could only move a certain distance away since it's tail was attached to Michiru's positron collider and so once the Chairman reached the bend in the canal, he vanished from sight and was now far away; meaning that he would have to be pursued again before he could finally be defeated. The battlefield became quiet once everyone stopped firing their weapons and the Serpentine dragon spirit finally returned to Michiru and was groaning apologetically since his prey had gotten away, Saya flew over and was having a hard time containing his laughter since he enjoyed the experience of watching the Chairman flee.

"Please don't worry my friend, our main task was to recover the strength of my friends and me; but I do admit you also did a spectacular performance of chasing the Chairman and causing him to run away so I'm sure he won't be able to recover so quickly." Michiru said with a gracious smile as he tried to cheer up the spirit familiar with his kind words. "You've done the Ghostbusters a great service today and we'll always remember it, I promise you that we'll hunt down the Chairman again and make sure to finish what you started; farewell then and thank you again for your help."

The spirit familiar of the Serpentine dragon replied back in a playful cry, smiling as its massive nose gently touched Michiru's face; sending feelings of warmth until it vanished into the air. The Shikigami user lightly touched his cheek with his fingertips, recollecting every detail of this extraordinary event; making sure that he would always carry the memory with him for the rest of his life. Saya had managed to calm down by now and his laughter was brought to an end as he waited patiently for everyone else to come to their senses so they could resume their journey and eventually find a way out of this massive underground labyrinth. The Ghostbusters were really taking their time to process what they had just witnessed, Egon was fiddling around with his glasses and making sure that they were still in focus while Venkman was repeatedly trying to bring Ray back to reality by snapping his fingers in front of the man's face; Michiru and Saya both started chuckling to themselves since they couldn't resist the opportunity to laugh at the present state of their three friends.

"Riding on the dragon familiar when it was chasing the Chairman was a very exciting experience, especially when I got to see him getting targeted by your magically enhanced Meson projectiles; I'll never forget it." Saya remarked.

"Quite a show you and your familiar did together Michiru, I must say I honestly wasn't expecting you to use your magic in a place like this." Egon stated. "Great achievement, you were able to replenish all of us and stop the Chairman from killing us at the same time."

"It wasn't my intention to scare him away though, I hope we won't have a hard time tracking him down again; he might be fully juiced like we are by the time he find him." Michiru replied. "I was having second thoughts because I didn't want to use a destructive spell and cause the canal roof to collapse on top of us, that's mainly the reason why I choose the other spell instead and accomplish two tasks at once; I was mad at the Chairman for cheating so that's also why I resorted to using my Shikigami magic."

"Don't worry about him getting away; we were just as mad at him as you were so I can understand how you felt." Egon added before turning to see if Venkman and Ray were ready to depart. "Venkman, are you and Ray ready to continue on our search for the Chairman?"

"Yeah, just give me a minute; wake up Ray." Venkman answered, shaking Ray by the shoulders and bringing him back to reality.

"Did you see that? That was incredible!" Ray stated excitedly as Venkman pushed him along so they could get to the edge of the platform and carefully crawl one at a time across the remnants of the busted bridge which was still partially intact for them to use as long as they were extra careful with their body movements. "Can you cast another cool spell Mitch? We all want to see another one don't we guys?"

"Ray, move along." Egon ordered as Michiru and Saya suppressed their laughter as best as they could, wondering how long it would take for Ray to completely recover his sanity. "I'm afraid I may have to scan Ray's mind for mental malfunctions if he doesn't return to normal within the next half hour."

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! S-Sorry Egon." Michiru burst out before calming himself as he tried to find a detection of the Chairman with his PKE meter. "I can't pick up any signs of the Chairman on my PKE meter; he must be out of scanning range which would mean we've got to find a needle in a hay stack now."

"That's unfortunate, I don't suppose you have any ideas or magic spells up your sleeves that could help track him down do you?" Egon asked, causing the boy to turn around and look at the scientist with a questionable look. "I meant no offence, just curious."

"Well no…but the Chairman was interested in capturing Ilyssa for some unknown reason and all of us except for you had to chase him through the Museum in order to stop him from getting away with her as a prisoner; its possible that he'll try to abduct her again since she only has Janine and Winston at the Firehouse to keep her company while the five of us are still stuck underground like rats in a maze." Michiru answered, thinking carefully in the process. "Would it be possible to contact Winston and have him come to the Museum entrance with Ilyssa? At least we wouldn't be separated over such a great distance under those circumstances and the five of us would be close enough to come to their aid if the two of them ever got in trouble; if we can get out of this underground labyrinth that is."

"Good thinking, but we don't know the layout of this underground canal system or the tunnels that we travelled through to get here; we'll have to get Janine to help us with that before we can arrange a rendezvous point for us to meet up with Winston and Ilyssa." Egon replied as he reached for his walkie-talkie. "Winston? Come in please. Over? Did you copy that Winston? Please respond. Over?"

"We must be too far underground for the hand radios to work Egon, but Saya could always get to the surface quickly and fly back to the Firehouse and contact Winston for us while we continue our search down here." Michiru suggested.

"Saya?" Egon asked, getting the wise old spirit's attention before giving instructions. "We need you to return to the Firehouse and ask Janine to find details blueprints of the underground sewer, gas and water line systems so that we can navigate through this hidden labyrinth that the Shandor Firm must have constructed in secret. We also need you to warn Winston that Ilyssa may still be in danger of being attacked by the Chairman since both of them will be separated from us for a while until we can get out of here while we continue searching for that ghost. When Janine digs up what ever construction blue prints she can find, you'll have to make your way back underground and try to find us; you might need Winston to help you find a conventional passage back underground since you obviously can't fly through solid concrete while carrying a map. I know this is a lot to ask, but do you feel you're up to the task?"

"You can count on me Egon." Saya answered, getting ready to depart on his errand. "Hope to see all of you again soon when I return, good luck."

"Thanks Saya, good luck to you too." Michiru said, wishing his spiritual friend well before he flew away and left the Ghostbusters to continue on their hunt through the subterranean system of tunnels and canals.

Meanwhile far away in Feudal Japan, Inuyasha and his companions sat comfortably in a circle around where supper had been served inside of Kaede's house so the shaded interior protected them from the hot sun beating down on the surrounding landscape outside, they were just about to start eating the enormous meal which Kaede herself had cooked for them a short while ago and the half demon was now just finishing telling Totosai the story of how Michiru Kururugi had come across the sword Sounga and managed to travel to a far away country with Saya accompanying him. Totosai listened closely as he mentally processed every important detail that passed through Inuyasha's lips while Myoga perched himself on top of Tetsaiga's handle which was leaning against Inuyasha's shoulder; giving the old flee demon a better view to look around and interact with everyone since his body was so tiny. Miroku and Sango were both seated on either side of Inuyasha while Shippo sat to Miroku's left followed by Totosai, Kaede and finally Kohaku who sat just to the right of his older sister so that they could be together.

Although Sango and the others had already heard some of Inuyasha's story, all of them still listened in since they were all anxious to learn any new adventures that their Kururugi friend was having and more importantly; how much danger Sounga was capable of now that Totosai was finally present to answer some questions about the evil demonic sword. Inuyasha had waited a few hours after he and his friends ate a late breakfast together because he didn't fancy having to tell them tales of Michiru's adventures while his voiced sounded funny due to his nose being broken again, and so he waited until it had completely healed before he began the laborious task of bringing Totosai up to speed. Shippo interrupted Inuyasha when he explained that Michiru had somehow successfully found a way to travel back in time in order to visit them again, the little fox demon was cheering with delight and it took Sango and Miroku together to calm him down so Inuyasha could continue where he left off. Finally after a long period of time, the half demon reached the end of his tale which came as an enormous relief now that he could take a breather and relaxes with the others and interact in an ordinary conversation so that he could rest his voice as well while he ate supper with everyone.

"Anyway, the sword Sounga is being imprisoned inside of a specially built container which was made specifically to subdue its evil power so we don't have to worry about it causing harm as long as it's trapped inside." Inuyasha said, ending his tale so as to bring Totosai up to speed. "Now Saya and Michiru are both still unable to return here until they can find a way to leave the far away country without getting in trouble or caught, and while they're helping out the Ghostbusters combat restless souls and other monsters; they are being allowed to stay at the home of those guys so they can eventually return here safely."

"Wow! That was a great story Inuyasha!" Shippo said, recalling all the events he enjoyed the most and pictured them in his mind again.

"Thanks, glad you enjoyed hearing it." Inuyasha answered, sighing in relief that everyone was entertained and satisfied; Sango gave the half demon a grateful smile for not mentioning all the bits of talk over the phone which were just for herself and Michiru only so that no one else would know but them.

"Well it's a good thing that Michiru can revisit us as soon as he finds a safe way to return home, being an outsider with the Sounga while trapped inside of a foreign domain far away would definitely be a very unfortunate situation to experience." Miroku commented.

"I'm very sorry for venting on you with my hammer Inuyasha; I shouldn't have blamed you for the fact that Sounga and Michiru were transported far away since you didn't know about the sword's existence until well after the unfortunate incident had occurred." Totosai said, hoping to make up for his earlier actions. "Even in my ripe old age, I regret that my mind isn't as good as it used to be which is why I jumped to the wrong conclusion and lost my temper when I arrived here and saw you. The Sounga is a deadly and dangerous weapon of unimaginable evil and when I heard that your human friend had come across it, I was panicking because of how much danger all of humanity is faced with; especially since there are no demons in Michiru's world judging from what you've told me so I naturally feared the worst and just couldn't believe that a mere mortal could resist becoming possessed by Sounga's power."

"Yeah, I quickly suspected that as soon as you started lashing out at me with your hammer earlier today when you arrived old man." Inuyasha replied in understanding, secretly enjoying the fact that Totosai had messed up and was forced to apologize; a good feeling that made tonight's supper seem like an even better event. "Anyway, I take it that you know enough about the Sounga so you can tell us more about it and why it's so dangerous; perhaps you can tell us about Sounga first and how it managed to end up at Kagome's house in her world."

"Well I suppose we'd better start at the beginning, Sounga is a sword which is possessed by the spirit of an ancient evil demon who's forces any human that welds it to slay ever human being on the face of the earth until no one and nothing is left living." Totosai began. "In countless generations, power hungry men sought for the Sounga so that they could gain unequalled power in order to rule the known world; but instead they were enslaved and used to kill one another over many centuries. We can all be thankful that Inuyasha's father put an end to that cycle of genocide which threatened to wipe out mankind, for he alone possessed the strength and will power to subdue Sounga's evil so that he could be free to weld that deadly sword as he wished without being forced to carry out Sounga's intentions."

"You must understand Inuyasha, we're left in a real predicament so we only did what we thought was best at the time; we couldn't have known that Sounga would find its way into the hands of your friend!" Myoga cried out, begging for forgiveness as Inuyasha gave him and Totosai a hard stare even though he meant no offence.

"I didn't say anything, I was just glaring and thinking while listening to what each of you have to say so continue on and let's hear the whole story; never mind what I'm doing." Inuyasha countered, not in the mood for falling behind schedule; for he wanted to know everything he could so that he tell Michiru later on in case there was anything dangerous he needed to know about.

"Our story dates back almost two hundred years or so when Inuyasha's father finally passed away and left this world, leaving Myoga, Saya and myself to carry out our master's last wishes in accordance with his will; how to dispatch the Tetsusaiga, Tenseiga and Sounga." Totosai continued as everyone paid close attention. "Myoga placed the Tetsusaiga within the remains of Inuyasha's father and hid the path to find your father's grave inside of the black pearl which dwells inside of Inuyasha's eye. I made sure that the Tenseiga was passed on to Inuyasha's brother Sesshomaru, which only left the Sounga to deal with; but unfortunately we weren't left any instructions regarding what to do with it in our Master's will. We couldn't give Sounga to Inuyasha because he was born less than a day before his father died which is when we we're faced with this predicament and since he was only a half demon, he wouldn't be strong enough to weld it or prevent it from causing harm to others. We didn't want to attempt to give it to Sesshomaru because of how unhappy he already was at us for only giving him the Tenseiga which he is displeased with, we were afraid him venting his anger out on us if we approached him so that course of action was also out of the question."

"The Sounga, along with the Tetsusaiga and the Tenseiga which Inuyasha's father possessed, were known as the three swords of Supreme Conquest; together they held the power to dominate the three worlds." Myoga added, giving Totosai the chance of catching his breath.

"The three worlds?" Shippo asked in confusion. "I thought there were only two worlds, our world and the world Kagome and Michiru come from."

"No Shippo, Myoga is taking about heaven, hell and earth; the three of them are often referred to as the three worlds." Miroku cut in. "Let me explain it like this, when a person dies; their soul goes to heaven if they were a good person in life or their soul goes to hell if they were a bad person in life; bad like Naraku always was. Heaven is where Buddha and the gods reside while hell is the netherworld, the world of the dead; and earth is where all of us live because we are mortal. Do you understand it better now?"

"Hmm…a little bit." Shippo answered, still trying to properly process everything he had been told by Miroku.

"Each of the swords corresponds specifically to one of the three worlds, the Tenseiga of heaven can save a hundred lives with one sweep when its welded while the Sounga of hell can open the gateway to the netherworld and summon a hundred dead souls and finally; the Tetsusaiga also known as the guardian of men can fell a hundred foes with one sweep." Totosai explained.

"It sounds like the Sounga is a much greater danger than any of us ever thought; I only hope that nothing bad happens to Michiru or the people he's staying with." Sango said with a concerned expression on her face. "I know that it's imprisoned and immobile right now, but still; I can't help but worry."

"I understand how you feel Sango, that's why I asked Myoga to bring Totosai here so we could have this discussion; it's important that we find out as much information as we can about Sounga so we can tell Michiru and the Ghostbusters." Inuyasha spoke up, trying to put the demon slayer at ease since he knew she was already burdened with enough worrying and suffering. "Once we've done that, they'll know as much as we do and we can all rest easy while being prepared for the worst; carry on Myoga."

"Well we didn't know what else to do and that was when Saya came up with the suggestion that he attempt to subdue Sounga's evil power for a long period of time." Myoga continued. "He instructed us to cast him together with the Sounga into the Bone Eater's well where at the bottom, it would remain out of sight; it seemed like the only course of action available to us at the time. According what Saya said, if a demon's remains were cast into the well; they would simply disappear which is what we all hoped would become of the Sounga."

"But it didn't disappear, instead it ended up at Kagome's home until it broke free of Saya's control; which is what caused Michiru to be transported half way around the world and dropped in another country." Inuyasha declared with anger, grinning as he tried to control his rage. "I wish I would have known all of this sooner so I could have prevented that from happening, but Michiru wouldn't want me to lose my temper over what can't be changed so I'll let it go…eventually."

"Totosai, is there any way that Sounga can be defeated if it begun causing trouble or danger for Michiru and his friends?" Sango asked.

"I'm afraid there is only one way, but unfortunately for your friend and his companions; they are unable to exploit it because they do not possess the means with which to combat it on the battlefield." Totosai answered. "You recall how Inuyasha's Tetsusaiga and Shesshomaru's Tenseiga each have an ultimate attack which can cause an incalculable amount of damage when one of them is swung in combat? Sounga also possessed an attack of that level and calibre which is known as the Dragon Twister, now if Sounga is hit or struck with a single attack from either one of those two individual swords; it will grow stronger. The only way to defeat Sounga is for both ultimate attacks of those two swords to be used simultaneously together as one, which would mean that Inuyasha and his brother Sesshomaru would have to put aside their differences and fight together as a team; only together can Sounga be overcome and defeated."

"That's impossible!" Shippo burst out in disbelief, drawing everyone else's attention. "Both of them hate each other's guts, they'd rather fight against each other than join forces; I knew that their big egos and grudges would somehow be their undoing and now we all know why. OW! What was that for Inuyasha?"

"Shut up and keep your opinions to yourself." Inuyasha answered after delivering one smack to the young fox demon's head which promptly shut him up for thinking out loud. "Now be quiet, none of us can think with all the noise you and your big mouth keep making."

"Now Inuyasha, Myoga told me that you asked him if Sounga was just as dangerous to humans as it is to restless spirits did you not?" Totosai stated, getting a nod from the half demon. "Well it can be. I already told you and the others that Sounga can summon dead souls from the netherworld which would be a dangerous threat on its own for Michiru's friends who specialize in catching ghosts for a living. Sounga can possess a restless spirit and force them to do its bidding as long as they had a body with which to weld the sword with. And if a very powerful spiritual entity were to possess the Sounga than they would be able to use it as a weapon as long as they also had a body to use and hold the sword with."

"Could you tell me something that I don't already know old man?" Inuyasha sighed, nearly at the end of his patience after hearing everything thus far. "There must be something else you haven't mentioned yet so tell it to me, I don't care how serious, dangerous or unimportant it may sound; tell it to me."

"When Sounga is grasped by the hand of a being, human or demon; it can have the power to read the thoughts of that very person. More specifically, it has the ability to read the deepest thoughts or personal desires that the person wishes to keep secret from those around him or her; which causes them to lose control of their sanity and judgement if they cannot ignore what Sounga has discovered." Totosai explained. "Its no secret that any person with a precious secret loses their temper if it is revealed to others without their consent or before they are ready or willing to reveal it themselves, thus allowing Sounga to blackmail them into carrying out its evil will by welding the sword. Another physiological tactic is by influencing or intimidating a host to weld Sounga while under the ruse that it can help them achieve their personal goals in exchange for carrying out the murderous cycle which Inuyasha's father thankfully brought to an end. Now in the event that a person is unwilling to bend to Sounga's will, then Sounga will torment the person by reading their thoughts and using what ever information it discovers to break the person's mental will until they are no longer able to resist its evil power."

"Inuyasha, you mentioned that your friend Michiru was able to resist Sounga's evil power when he grasped the sword's handle for the first time during his unfortunate teleportation to this far away country you spoke of during our last discussion together." Myoga asked. "Did Michiru ever mention if Sounga tried reading his mind or anything of that nature?"

"No he didn't and I can only conclude that it didn't happen because Michiru was able to use his magic in time to save himself from Sounga's evil power; he would have told me otherwise if that had happened." Inuyasha answered.

"Inuyasha, your father is the only person we have ever known to be strong enough to subdue Sounga's evil power and weld it as easily as you weld your Tetsusaiga; any other demon or human regardless of their strength, will power and ability would end up being possessed by Sounga if they ever came into contact with it." Totosai added. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that your friend Michiru is a person who miraculously survived thanks to his Shikigami magic that he welds, however; Sounga won't be caught unexpected again if Michiru were to grab hold of the sword a second time. Though from what you've told me of his achievements and abilities thus far, I cannot judge Michiru or say what his chances are so all I can do is warn you that he must prepared for the unexpected; none of us will know what could happen if Sounga attempts to control him again and I tell you here and now that none of you want to know for it would be to horrible and unbearable if you did."

There was a sudden silence as Totosai's words echoed inside the minds of each person who heard them, Sango felt a chill crawl up her spine as her mind began to dwell on the fear of the unknown; a realm that had all the answers to the questions which to some people were better left alone and undiscovered. Although Michiru was living in the Modern world which according to Kagome had countless advantages thanks to the advancements and achievements of mankind, Sounga would remain unrivalled as long as it was far away from the Tetsusaiga and the Tenseiga which both had to be used as one in order to defeat this evil entity; and that meant Michiru and the Ghostbusters were always in danger regardless of the fact that Sounga was imprisoned. Inuyasha knew of this as well, and although he had seen a tiny fraction of the modern world where Michiru and Kagome both lived; he couldn't argue with what Totosai was saying. The circumstances of Sounga's current predicament was well as that of Michiru's made it impossible to predict was fate had in store if they were forced to face each other and see who's will power would prevail in another clash of psychological warfare, to make matters worse; both of them were far away in another domain which meant that Inuyasha and his comrades could not play any part in deciding the outcome if anything of that nature were to happen again.

"Thanks for coming all this way to answer my questions Totosai, now I can tell Michiru what he needs to know the next time I talk with him." Inuyasha responded, standing up and preparing to leave. "I'm going to Kagome's home to try and contact Michiru so he knows as much as all of us, at least then he'll be fully prepared for the worst and stand a better chance of survival in case anything bad happens with the Sounga; I'll let all of you know how he's doing once I come back so see you later."

Once Inuyasha had gotten up and left, Miroku tried using the opportunity to move closer so that he'd be sitting right beside Sango which would close the distance between the two of them, but Sango suddenly stood up and took her leave as well; for she just remembered that her brother Kohaku had not yet eaten any supper and she had lost track of time due to the important matters which Inuyasha and Totosai were discussing with all of them. The monk silently cursed the fates for denying him the chance to stroke Sango's exquisitely well formed posterior while she was sitting down with everyone, for it was a memorable experience which brought on even deeper fantasies of lechery which he dreamt of routinely and now that Naraku was dead and gone; Miroku was wondering how long it would be until he could take his relationship with the demon slayer to the next level. It was no secret that Miroku desired to bed attractive young women, but Sango was a goddess in his mind; at least in beauty which is why one of his hands always managed to find its way to her buttocks even though he knew he would immediately be punished with a hard slap to the face for such a rude action.

Although Sango always scolded him for each and every occasion when he groped her so inappropriately, Miroku knew in the back of his mind that the demon slayer still had feelings for him which indicated that he was still an important person in her life and more than just a friend; this was proven when she rejected the proposal of marriage offered by Lord Kuranosuke Takeda even though many attractive women in the Feudal era would have gladly accepted the offer given that the young Lord had status and immense wealth which Miroku himself did not possess. He even remembered Kagome saying that he was also better mannered than Miroku which also pointed out which young man most girls would rather marry if given a choice, and yet; Sango turned down the offer which evidently meant that she had feelings for Miroku despite his mannerisms and life of poverty and trickery. And so Miroku was positive that he would be with Sango eventually, Naraku was dead so it was only a matter of time until Sango was at last ready to move forward; but the monk predicted that it wouldn't happen until after she had helped her brother Kohaku fully recover his memories and physical strength after being under Naraku's control for such a long period of time. Once that was accomplished and her worries for her brother were brought to an end, then he felt that they would both be able to pursue a romantic relationship; and eventually start a family with children of their own.

"Ow! What was that?" Miroku asked, being brought back to reality as the mental image of Sango and himself in bed together vanished from his mind when he felt a sudden impact in the back of his head.

"Oops, sorry Miroku; I was practicing badminton by myself and the racket flew out of my hand when I swung too hard." Shippo answered apologetically as Miroku picked up the item and looked at it curiously for a moment before handing it back to the young fox demon who was playing a short distance away.

"That's alright, just be more careful from now on when ever you're playing with it." Miroku replied.

"Well, I think I'm going to go to bed early; travelling all the way here has taken its toll on me so I'll see you all in the morning." Totosai said as he stood up and stretched before going to retire for the night. "Thanks for the meals Lady Kaede, your cooking was very tasty; and your hospitality is appreciated."

"You're very welcome, have a good sleep Totosai." Kaede replied.

While Totosai took his leave and left Shippo, Miroku and Kaede to finish up what ever food and drink was left; Sango was inside of the hut just a short walk away. She was feeing Kohaku once again as she had been doing during every meal of each day that passed since he had been liberated from Naraku, her brother was not as tired today and was able to hold the bowl of food in front of him and eat it himself without any assistance other than being balanced while sitting up from his bed; which showed that Kohaku's strength was returning little by little even though his memories remained unchanged. The demon slayer smiled quietly to herself, seeing her younger brother slowly recover at least physically was a good sign; meaning that Kohaku would eventually return to his former self as he had been when her family members and fellow demon slayers lived together and flourished before Naraku had massacred all of them. Kirara was presently watching over both of them and still being in her fighting form, waiting patiently for the two of them to get ready for bed; it was still early in the evening even though the sun was just beginning to set. After a few more minutes, Kohaku had finished eating and was adjusting himself in order to get comfortable enough to go to sleep; leaving Sango to watch over him until she was ready to go to bed once she felt tired.

"Kirara? Michiru asked Inuyasha to give you a hug for him and to feed you some fish as well since he misses both of us a lot; but I'll be the one to do him that favour since Inuyasha had to leave and visit Kagome's world. Does that make you happy?" Sango asked, holding Kirara in a tender hug as the two-tail growled back affectionately; resting her snout on the demon slayer's shoulder to return the embrace and show her response. "Okay, I saved some of the fish that Kaede had caught and cooked for tonight's supper; I hope you're still hungry."

The playful cat demon started wagging her two tails happily, making a light thumping noise as they struck the floor of the hut; her mouth hung open and panted in anticipation at the sight of the ten smoked fish which Sango had saved on a plate for Kirara to feast upon. But instead of sliding the plate of food in front of Kirara so she could eat them, the demon slayer picked up and tossed each of the individual fish at the two-tail; forcing her loyal companion to snap her jaws in an attempt to catch each of the tasty morsels in her mouth so she could devour them one at a time. This proved to be a very enjoyable experience for the two of them, Kirara got immense satisfaction from playing a game like this with the food and Sango found it to be equally entertaining; especially when she laughed during the odd time when a fish bounced off of Kirara's nose in a failed attempt to catch it inside of her mouth which sent the piece of food flying in the air and landing somewhere inside the hut where they were staying. One of the fish had wakened Kohaku from his sleep after landing right on his face, after coming too and looking around to see what was going on he found what he saw to be a funny looking event; making both Kirara and Sango even more happy when Kohaku joined in and tossed the scattered fish at the cat demon until she had eaten them all. The three of them went to bed after sharing a few minutes of laughter together, and for the first time since each of them could remember; both Sango and Kirara fell asleep with nothing but happy thoughts in their minds.

Meanwhile in modern day Japan, Sota was watching TV in the hopes that he could see some news footage of the Ghostbusters; it was nearly supper and Mrs. Higurashi had just finished cooking all of the food which only left the kitchen table to be set so that her family could sit down and eat. Kagome was sitting at her desk in her room as the hours ticked by, trying hard to complete as much of her schoolwork as she possibly could; she was now more eager than ever to get it over and done with so she could end her grounding and visit the feudal era where her friends lived. However, this was easier said than done because of how many assignments had added up while she was away from home travelling throughout the lands from village to village in search of Naraku with her friends; including Michiru Kururugi whom she and the others had just recently befriended. The reborn priestess thought of how Michiru was doing, right now she'd be delighted to exchange her problems with his; being in a foreign country didn't sound so bad after hearing all the fun stories that passed between Michiru and Inuyasha over the phone. Of course, Michiru was very lucky to have met people who were kind enough to take him in when he needed help; and all of the boy's battles against ghosts and monsters didn't exactly sound any different from the perils Kagome faced when she was in the feudal era.

Suddenly Kagome's mind dwelled on the possibility of Michiru being in love with Sango, causing the high school girl's mind to go deep in thought as the memories of her little eavesdropping incident came back to her; blocking out any thoughts of the homework resting on her desk. Kagome pondered how Inuyasha had become aware of Michiru's feelings for Sango, Inuyasha was usually quite slow if not blind to figure out a romantic relationship between a boy and a girl; but that wasn't true in this case. Instead Kagome found herself as the one who was blind and unable to see it, which was understandable given the fact that she was now grounded in the modern world and unable to visit and interact with any of her friends; otherwise she might have been able to discover it just as Inuyasha had somehow done. Although Kagome wanted to talk to all of her friends to find out more about this matter, she was unable to do it since she was grounded; and also because only a few of them knew about it in the first place. Shippo and Miroku probably didn't know anything, which left Inuyasha and Sango and possibly Michiru if the Kururugi boy even knew the extent of everything that was happening so far. Perhaps Kagome could call Michiru over the phone and ask him about Sango; it couldn't hurt since she missed the chance of talking with him on the phone during breakfast.

"Kagome, supper's ready." Mrs. Higurashi called from downstairs, interrupting her daughter's thoughts in the process.

Kagome walked downstairs to the kitchen and sat down with her family at the table, after waking up early and spending all day doing nothing but homework assignments to get caught up; a home cooked meal was a welcome sight for the high school girl who needed the healthy energy boost to keep going. It sounded impossible, but Kagome was actually doing quite well with her homework as long as she repeated this routine over and over again; staying home all day gave her more time to get caught up and was way more relaxing then having to go to school and moving along even slower; staying home was good and as long as her grandpa could always come up with believable excuses to keep her teachers off her back then everything was fine. Kagome had managed to complete nearly a tenth of the amount of homework she had in addition to the few assignments which her brother Sota brought home every school day, and when he handed them back to the teachers the next day when he went to school; things were looking up which meant that she'd be able to get caught up before Christmas.

"So how much homework have you done sis? One hundredth?" Sota asked sarcastically.

"I'm doing just fine, in fact; I'm doing a lot better than you ever would if you were in the same situation." Kagome countered back with a playful glare as she made sure not to fall for her brother's little trick of rubbing the predicament she was faced with.

"Well that's good to hear, I'm nearly running out of excuses to tell your teachers; you're lucky they haven't been calling here as often as they usually do or you'd be in real trouble." Kagome's Grandpa commented, making his granddaughter wonder what excuses he had been using so far and just how many of them were utterly ridiculous. "I suppose as a last resort, I could always tell them you're pregnant; that would shut them up and keep them off your back for good if they get too persistent."

"WHAT?" Kagome shrieked her eyes and mouth hanging wide open as her face turned pink."

"That would be believable, after all; Mom and I did catch her doing naughty things with Inuyasha not that long ago." Sota remarked with an evil grin on his face. "Oh I'm sorry, you were only trying to find a stolen map inside his kimono; but it looked different from our view."

"SHUT UP!" Kagome fumed, her blushing face turning a darker shade as it transformed from pink to red. "DON'T YOU DARE MENTION THAT TO MY TEACHERS OR TO ANYONE AT SCHOOL OR ELSE YOU'LL LIVE TO REGRET IT! YOU HEAR ME?"

"Now now everyone, enough with the jokes and let's just enjoy our supper together." Mrs. Higurashi suggested, trying to be the voice of reason since no one else in the kitchen was going to set an example.

One glare of sheer death from Kagome promptly shut Sota and her Grandpa up, turning their faces as white as sheets; the same thing which had happened to Miroku when Kagome had lost her temper and put the lecherous monk in his place with her words of wisdom along with the beating she gave him as well in an effort to burn them into his mind which seemed to dwell on nothing but lechery. Too bad that it couldn't work on Inuyasha which forced Kagome to resort to saying her sit commands in order to set him straight and see things her way when ever the two of them argued together, she hated arguing with him; his stubborn attitude really made it hard for her to talk to him normally the way she always managed to do with any of her other friends from the Feudal era. After a short while, the Higurashi family finished eating supper and cleaned up the kitchen together. Sota went to the living room to watch TV in the hopes that he would see some news footage of the Ghostbusters while his Grandpa decided to go to his bedroom and lay down for a nap, having eaten too much at supper which made him sleepy. Kagome decided to take a chance and try to contact Michiru, although the time of day would be different where he was; she had missed the last opportunity to speak with him and she especially wanted to talk with him about the matter she had discovered when he had eavesdropped on his last conversation with Inuyasha.

Unable to give in to her patience and wait for him to contact her instead, Kagome picked up the phone and dialled the number to call the Ghostbusters in the hopes that she could talk with Michiru; a few minutes later Janine answered the phone and regrettably informed her that the Shikigami user was out working and unavailable to talk which meant she would have to wait for him to get back first. But she didn't want to wait, for she would probably be asleep by the time Michiru and the Ghostbusters had returned from another campaign of catching ghosts and she need all the rest she could get so she could continue completing her schoolwork in the hopes that she could have it all done by Christmas; which meant she was willing to risk being a pain since she already knew she would be treading in hot water anyway during their conversation about Sango and the little matter which also involved Michiru and Miroku. Before Kagome could dial the Kururugi boy's cell number however, she was suddenly distracted by her mother's voice as she called out to her daughter from the front door.

"Kagome?" Mrs. Higurashi called out, getting her daughter's attention from the kitchen. "I'm going out to do some late night shopping, I won't be back until late in the evening so be sure to go to bed at a descent hour and have a good sleep; see you tomorrow morning at breakfast."

"Okay Mom, bye." Kagome replied as the two of them waved at each other before her mother left the house, then she called Michiru's cell number and listened to the ring tones; hoping that the boy had his cellular phone on him and that he'd also answer it.

Meanwhile on the other side of the world, Michiru and his three companions continued walking along underground in order to track down the Chairman ghost who had fled for his life after the Shikigami user had frightened him with the Serpentine Dragon familiar which had come to their aid when he had cast a magic spell to save them from being beaten in the battle which had occurred almost an hour ago. Ever since Saya left to go on his errand, Michiru had been marking a trail by shooting some slime tethers behind them as company of combatants ventured through the numerous underground tunnels and passage ways of this giant labyrinth; at least it would make it easier for Saya to find them or for them to retrace their footsteps if they found they were going in the wrong direction. The journey was dark and they were fortunate that their flashlights and head goggles made it easier for them to see where they were going so that none of them would get lost or separated, but they were getting immensely tired; tired from hours of fighting and from staying awake for about eight hours so far after only having several hours of sleep before hand. Venkman checked his watch and saw that it was 3:00 in the morning, they had been underground for roughly two hours and the air wasn't exactly clean and fresh which made their travel a slow one. Suddenly everyone stopped in their tracks as they heard the ringing noise of a cell phone going from one of them, it was a big surprise since not of their hand radios were working an hour ago; Michiru unzipped his left breast pocket and pulled it out so he could see who was calling at such an early hour in the morning.

"Its Kagome's number, she or Inuyasha must be calling from Tokyo; I guess something's come up." Michiru answered after looking at the ID of who was calling.

"Does neither of them know what time it is right now?" Venkman asked in a tired voice. "Its 3:00 in the blasted morning for crying out loud."

"Can it Venkman, this is a blessing in disguise; we must be higher up than we were an hour ago so our hand radios should be working which means we can call Janine back at the Firehouse." Ray stated with relief. "Call her up Egon; see if she can hear us."

"Got it." Egon replied, pulling out his hand radio in an attempt to establish communications with Janine and the others.

"Ray?" Michiru called out. "I'm just going to go back a little ways so I can answer my cell phone, better that I answer it now instead of later when we run into the Chairman again."

"Alright, don't take too long and don't wander off either." Ray replied, getting a nod from the Japanese student before he walked a short distance away in order to have some privacy while he talked with who ever was calling him. "We might as well sit down and take a break Venkman, we're going to be here for a bit and I'll reckon it'll be a few hours more until we eventually find ourselves top side again."

"Let's hope we do soon, I'm think I'm suffering from claustrophobia down here." Venkman complained as the two of them sat down on the cold stone floor while Egon attempted to contact Janine.

"Hello? Hello? Michiru asked, holding the cell to the side of his head in order to talk and hear clearly after relocating himself just thirty feet away from his comrades who were still within sight thanks to the flashlights and head goggles they were equipped with.

"How are you doing Michiru?" Kagome asked, glad that her friend had answered her phone call since she missed the last opportunity to speak with him. "Is everything going well with you over in America?"

"Didn't Inuyasha tell you how I'm doing after he finished talking with me the last time I called your house?" Michiru asked in confusion, wondering why Kagome hadn't found out at least that bit from Inuyasha since it was the only piece of info that could have been shared with her.

"No he didn't because he left right after talking with you and I was busy so I couldn't chat with you that day." Kagome answered. "This is why I'm calling you know so we can talk and catch up."

"Do you have any idea what time it is right now Kagome?" Michiru asked, thinking that she was calling him because of some emergency instead of the sole purpose of just having a chit chat. "Its 3:00 in the morning, I only had a four hour nap about nine hours ago and on top of that; I'm still hunting with the Ghostbusters right now. Please pardon me if I sound a little frustrated right now, but I thought you were calling because of some emergency or something; you had me worried when I saw your caller ID."

"Sorry Michiru, I missed talking with you the last time you called so I thought I'd try calling you instead." Kagome apologized, mentally scolding herself for not realizing just how big the difference was in the time of day between Tokyo and New York; and also for what she was about to bring up over the phone with her friend. "I can't visit Inuyasha and the others until I get caught up on all the homework I've missed so you're really the only person I can talk to right now."

"I understand Kagome, what do you want to talk about?" Michiru replied, coming up with another question to create some humour. "You didn't call me just to ask to help you out with your homework did you? Because if you did, I'm going to give you all the wrong answers to each and every one of your questions; that should make us even wouldn't you say?"

"Oh very funny, if you did that; Inuyasha would be furious with you for keeping me stuck at home for even longer seeing as how he's always nagging at me to help locate sacred jewel shards." Kagome countered, laughing softly to herself. "I'm amazed he isn't interested in collecting them all now since Naraku's finally dead and gone."

"Perhaps it's because of me and the fact that I'm stuck here in America all because of the sword Sounga." Michiru replied. "Or it's because he's more interested in hearing all of the stories I have to tell about battling ghosts and paranormal monsters, he did tell me he wished he could be over here so that we could fight and beat them together; I guess he enjoys getting into fights regardless of the dangers involved."

"That's Inuyasha for you; he's always up for a fight even when it's not appropriate for starting one." Kagome added. "The matter I wanted to talk with you about is a seriously important one, but I need to know something from you before we can discuss it."

"Which is?" Michiru asked, wondering what brought this on.

"Do you trust me Michiru?" Kagome asked, knowing where this conversation was going.

"I'm afraid I'm not following you Kagome." Michiru answered, completely lost and unable to see what she was getting at. "What kind of question is that?"

"Are there things you can talk about with Inuyasha that you can't talk about with me?" Kagome asked, wording her question differently so that her teenage friend would understand.

"That depends on what those things are Kagome, everyone feels differently about discussing certain matters with their friends and in some cases, a person may choose only to discuss an important matter with a particular friend or person that they feel they can get along with the easiest." Michiru explained, wondering why Kagome suddenly had doubts about him trusting in her given that he had known her just as long as he had known Inuyasha. "I'm sorry if I've given you the impression that I don't trust you Kagome, but I still don't understand what you're driving at; I've known you as my friend just as long as I've known Inuyasha so what makes you think that I trust him more than I trust you?"

"You haven't answered my question Michiru." Kagome countered, the guilt of eavesdropping on Michiru and Inuyasha over the phone began to resurface within herself which made her feel more uncomfortable about this whole affair; but this was the price for digging into a matter which she had no involvement with.

"No Kagome, I haven't discussed anything with Inuyasha that was meant to be kept secret from you." Michiru answered after recalling the last conversation he had with Inuyasha and everything they had talked about together, he was beginning to think Kagome was under too much stress because of her homework and that was leading her to think that he didn't trust her as a friend or something. "Why are you suddenly asking me questions like this?"

Kagome was at a loss for words, she was positive that Michiru had told Inuyasha about his love for Sango and that would explain why the half demon was passing on verbal messages back and forth between worlds for both of them since they obviously couldn't see or talk with one another; it was the only way Inuyasha could ever find out given how dense and clueless he was when it came to reading the signs of a romantic relationship or even understanding one. Was it possible that she was wrong? Wrong about everything? It couldn't be because why else would Inuyasha be helping the two of them communicate? Had Inuyasha undergone a mental enhancement or something which improved his mind, making him just as smart as herself if not more? There was no more time to stay silent and think, for she had to answer Michiru in order not to draw suspicions from him; so she decided to try another approach to find out the answers she needed.

"When ever we all took time off from our travels in Feudal Japan, you always spent the day with her. Why is that?" Kagome asked. "Do you like her?"

"Well…I wanted a chance to get to know her better since I only met her and Miroku when the rest of us returned to Kaede's village after travelling to Akebi village, the old temple and Kasasagi Town." Michiru answered as honestly as he could, hoping it would end afterwards even though he was afraid of where this conversation was heading. "After our first day off together, I just felt drawn to her and when I eventually found out that Naraku had killed her whole family as well as abducting her brother Kohaku; I imagined how much suffering she's had to endure and that's why I decided to make friends with her so that she wouldn't feel so alone anymore. Over the course of our travels together, Sango's become more than just a friend to me; she's become a special person."

"You told her you love her just before you left all of us and returned home didn't you?" Kagome asked, sending a shot of pain through Michiru as he could only stay silent after hearing those words. "You did, even though you know she likes Miroku; didn't you? Didn't you?"

"You make it sound like I've done something wrong, I couldn't ignore how I felt for Sango; no matter how much I may have tried during my travels with her." Michiru responded, trying not to brake down over the phone as Kagome's voice tore at him with each new question. "I've given you enough answers Kagome, its time for you to give me some; so I'll ask again. Why are you asking me questions like this?"

"I need to know why Inuyasha knows more than I do about what you're telling me right now, I need to know why you're so interested in Sango even though you know that you're playing with fire by coming between her and Miroku." Kagome asked as she lost control of herself, her words and her voice burning into Michiru's mind as he listened over his cell phone. "Why are you even trying to be more than just a friend to her when neither of you can travel between worlds to see each other? Why is Inuyasha sending verbal messages back and forth between you and Sango? "

"I have no idea why or how Inuyasha knows more than you, I never told him anything about how I feel towards Sango; which I might add is my business and not his or yours. Besides that, how could you know about Inuyasha sending verbal messages back and forth between us if you haven't heard this from Inuyasha or from anyone else because you're stuck at home?" Michiru countered, realizing Kagome's mistake as he pieced everything together after recalling his conversation with Inuyasha. "Unless you heard us talking over the phone yesterday, you were eavesdropping on us and you jumped to different conclusions; one was right and the other was wrong. That's why you thought Inuyasha knew so much of what I've said now even though I never spoke of it and he didn't ask. That's how you found out that Inuyasha's been helping us stay in touch with each other and that's why you're also angry about it, isn't it; isn't Kagome?"

"I'm sorry…" Kagome replied quietly, overcome by guilt for what she had done in addition for eavesdropping earlier. "I'm sorry Michiru."

"So am I…for everything. I'm sorry for saying those three words to Sango; and I'm also sorry for putting her in any pain because of what I had said." Michiru answered, taking a breath and exhaling slowly to stay calm even though he felt a heavy burden of emotional pain build up inside of himself. "I'll leave you to your thoughts now Kagome; take care until we both find the free time to talk again; goodbye."

Before Kagome could reply, she heard Michiru hang up on her which meant that he wasn't in the mood for anymore talking; at least for tonight. The reborn priestess sighed as the weight of guilt began to get heavier with each passing moment, she had been found out for eavesdropping by Michiru over the phone and worst of all; she had shattered any trust that she now had with the Kururugi boy because of it as well as for how she had questioned him over such a personal matter which she clearly had no business in. This was all caused by the simple fact that she had jumped to the wrong conclusions when she had heard Michiru talking with Inuyasha over the phone in the morning earlier that day, while she was right about Michiru having secret feelings towards Sango; she was completely wrong when she believed Michiru had told Inuyasha about how he felt towards her as well as the fact that her half demon friend was more trustworthy to the Kururugi boy than Kagome was. Although she had more answers now, she had come by them after paying the price of shattering what ever trust the Shikigami user had in her all because of her curiosity which meant she had to try and amend that trust in order to repair the damage she had done to the bond of friendship between him and herself.

But before undertaking that challenging task, Kagome first had to know absolutely everything else so that this disaster would not occur a second time; especially if it involved another of her friends. She didn't like it, but the only person she could talk to now was Inuyasha; for he had somehow managed to figure out everything without being caught or forced into an argument. Sango and Miroku would each have to be talked with at a later time once she had all the answers she needed from the half demon, if she could get him to talk and spill everything that is; but all three of them were in the Feudal era right now and so she couldn't speak with Inuyasha unless he came back to visit her in the modern world. The alternative would be for her to visit the Feudal era herself and speak with all three of them one at a time, but she was grounded and she had already abused her mother's trust once; she would be grounded for life if she ever did it again. However, her mother was out doing some late night shopping which gave Kagome a window of several hours or so to visit and if she was lucky; she could return before her mother got home and avoid getting caught. This was no easy decision for the high school girl, dare she disobey her mother's word; she had done so once already and she had just caused enough trouble for one night during her little talk with Michiru which she didn't want to experience that level of emotional pain and guilt again.

There was nothing else for it, unless she got her answers from Inuyasha; she wouldn't be able to talk with Miroku and Sango or be in a position to repair the ties of friendship between herself and Michiru. There was no telling when or if Inuyasha would return tonight and this could be the only chance she would have in a very long while, she could not pass it up; and so Kagome quickly checked to see what her brother and Grandpa were doing so she wouldn't get caught before she left. One look confirmed that her Grandpa was fast asleep having a nap in his bedroom, she had already seen Sota watching TV and playing video games in the living room and so she knew that he was wide awake; she would have to be extra careful at sneaking out of the house to avoid getting caught. She couldn't waste any time packing anything so Kagome quietly walked to the front door and slowly opened it as carefully as possibly without making any noise, then she slipped outside and quietly shut the door behind her; now she was free to race across the yard to where the shack was located. Upon her arrival she opened the doors just as a bright supernatural light shot out of the Bone Eater's well, giving Kagome a shock as she paused cautiously; Inuyasha had returned which meant she couldn't have asked for a better opportunity than this moment to talk with him.

"Hey Kagome, why are you here?" Inuyasha asked casually, before turning serious after observing the look of hesitation and uncertainty on the young girl's face. "You aren't thinking of sneaking out and going to my world are you? You're grounded and you'll be even more grounded if your mother finds out what you're doing, so go back inside and do some more of your homework stuff."

"Inuyasha?" Kagome asked, taking a deep breath to compose herself for want was about to unfold. "I just had a talk with Michiru on the phone, I have some questions for you and I need some honest answers; are we clear?"

"I hear you Kagome." Inuyasha replied, knowing that what ever was on Kagome's mind sounded very serious; it involved Michiru which meant that he had to pay close attention in order to answer honestly as he was being asked to do. "Ask your questions."

"Why are you sending verbal messages back and forth between Michiru and Sango? How is it that you know about his feelings for Sango without him telling you about it? And why didn't you tell me when you first found out by yourself? Kagome asked in a harsh tone, with a hint of guilt; pain and sadness that the half demon could also see within her as he looked at her face and in her eyes.

"The answer to your first question should be fairly obvious Kagome, I was helping them to stay in touch with each other seeing as how neither of them can do so themselves; let alone travel between worlds to see one another like you and I can do when ever we want." Inuyasha answered, trying desperately to control his temper as he now found himself confronted with the fact that Kagome and managed to stumble upon the delicate matter which he had hoped to keep a secret just between himself and Sango until it could be revealed at a more appropriate time. "As for your second question, I know because I heard him as he told Sango he loves her just moments before he returned home after laying Utsugi's body to rest at the Kururugi Cemetery; I'm not surprised the rest of you didn't hear it since none of you have superior hearing like I do since I'm a half demon. Finally, I didn't tell you because I knew how you would react and importantly; because Sango asked me not to tell anyone."

"Sango said that?" Kagome responded before regaining her composure. "Then how come Sango knows as much as you, but Michiru doesn't?"

"Because I told her that I had heard Michiru's words to her as he left! I told her so that she could have time to prepare herself in case anyone else eventually made the same discovery, just as you have now. You have no idea how much pressure she's under or how much pain she's going through right now because of hearing those three words from Michiru, she's still torn between having to choose between him and Miroku which isn't going to be an easy decision for her to make; especially under such circumstances which you yourself are only going to make worse if you're planning on questioning her." Inuyasha declared, giving Kagome a glare as he tried to make her understand the seriousness of the situation. "I choose not to tell Michiru that I knew about him saying those words to Sango because he's already under enough stress as it, being taking against his will and dumped in a far away country thousands of miles from home with that sword Sounga; not to mention it would only cause him pain and put even more stress and pressure on him which I don't want to happen since he needs all the help he can get to try and find his way safely back home. But I supposed its too late for that seeing as how you've managed to force the truth out of him yourself, is there anything else you want to ask me Kagome; because I should be allowed to ask you some questions now if you're done."

"No! I'm not done!" Kagome yelled as her eyes began to water with fresh tears. "I just found out enough to know that Michiru loves Sango and that neither of us knew that you already overheard him say so to her before he returned home, I just ruined our friendship by questioning him for answers and he probably feels just as low and sad as I do right now; all of that could have been avoided if you had just told me everything from the start and not kept it a secret from both of us!"

"How did you even find out enough which made you question him in the first place?" Inuyasha asked softy, trying to stay calm while Kagome cried in front of him.

"I overheard both of you the last time you were talking with each other over the phone." Kagome answered weakly, wiping away the tears from her eyes before they could fall down her face. "I know it was wrong, but I couldn't help it. I talked with Michiru over the phone, our nice chat eventually fell apart when I began to question him about Sango, and that's how I found out how you knew more than both of us."

Inuyasha stood at the bottom of the stairs watching, completely silent while Kagome sat at the top crying softly; the pain of her guilt becoming too much for her to bear which is why she needed to talk about this now in order to get it out of her mind before anything worse occurred. Although he was furious with her for eavesdropping on his talk with Michiru and even more so for also finding out that she had forced the whole truth of the delicate matter out of Michiru, Inuyasha just couldn't find it in him to yell at Kagome after seeing her current state of depression; all because of her guilt as well as the fact that he felt partly responsible for not telling her everything from the beginning even though he had the best intentions along with plenty of reasons not to tell her or anyone else but Sango. The half demon waited patiently for her to recover so that they could continue with their conversation, it seemed that they had gotten through the worst of it; but only time could tell as the minutes went by one by one. How would Inuyasha break this news to Sango now that Kagome had become aware of everything? How was Michiru coping with all of this after discovering that Inuyasha had known all along about his feelings for Sango and now Kagome as well since she somehow made him talk and reveal everything to her all at once? As much as he wanted to talk with Michiru and try to set things right, he knew he was more needed here; at least for time being.

"What do you intend to do in order to fix all of this Kagome?" Inuyasha asked, hoping that his question would motivate her to try and resolve the situation by making amends with the Kururugi boy whom they both regarded as a friend.

"I told him I was sorry and he said the same to me before he turned off his cell and ended our chat, I promise I'll do what I can to set things right between us; but only after I've talked with Sango and Miroku first." Kagome answered as she stood up, making Inuyasha take a defensive stance in an attempt to block her path to get to the well which was just a few feet behind him. "If you're worried about my mom finding out, she's gone shopping and won't be back for a few hours so I won't get caught as long as I return quickly after a short while. What are you doing Inuyasha? Get out of my way."

"I'm glad that you'll promise to set things right between yourself and Michiru, I really am Kagome; but believe me when I tell you that going to my world will not help to make things any better." Inuyasha replied with a pleading look on his face, hoping to convince Kagome that visiting the Feudal era was not the proper course of action to take. "In fact, you'll only make things worse by questioning Sango and telling her what's already happened between us and during your talk with Michiru; she's already under enough pressure as it is. Besides that, what does Miroku have to do with all of this anyway?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Kagome responded, halting in front of Inuyasha with only four feet of space between them both. "I'm going to tell Miroku to wise up and think seriously about his relationship with Sango, now that Naraku's dead and he's got some competition; that should set him straight so he won't mess things up when he tries to make a move on her."

"Oh please Kagome, Miroku can't even keep his hands off Sango; let alone attempt to amend things with her without acting like a lecherous pervert while his mind is in the gutter." Inuyasha countered, disguised that Kagome still felt highly of Miroku even when Michiru was obviously a better candidate who was more worthy and deserving of Sango's affection. "More importantly, telling Miroku will only escalate the situation; Sango nearly broke down and cried when I told her what I had found out and she's really worried about choosing between Michiru and Miroku because she would be hurting who ever is left alone once she's reached her decision. Even you should be able to understand that Kagome, and that's why I can't let you tell any of this to Miroku; think of how much worse that would make Sango feel. Think of how Miroku would react if you told him all of this; think of how even more badly Michiru would feel seeing as how he's still trapped in the far away country."

"I understand what you're saying Inuyasha, but we can't keep this a secret from either of them; they're our friends as well." Kagome protested, taking another step forward. "Its only fair to Miroku that he be given the opportunity to amend his relationship with Sango, especially since they've known each other for a much longer period of time even before Michiru came into all of our lives. Are we supposed to just sit and do nothing, forcing Sango to wait for someone who heaven only knows when he'll return or even if he'll ever return at all? Naraku is dead, Sango finally has Kohaku back; this is the last chance she'll have to move forward with Miroku and see where their relationship leads to. Besides, how do we know that Michiru didn't say he loved her just out of desperation because he couldn't stay with her and was forced to return home?"

"Are you questioning my friend's feelings?" Inuyasha asked, not liking where this conversation was going. "I understand that you feel sorry for Miroku Kagome, and you are right about Sango spending more time with Miroku over our travels together compared with the few experiences she's shared with Michiru; but Miroku's had more chances about taking his relationship with Sango seriously and he's messed all of them up. I don't know about you Kagome, but that tells me he doesn't love Sango the same way that Michiru loves her. Doesn't Michiru deserve even one chance given how many chances Miroku has had already, not to mention the fact that Miroku at least lives in the same world as Sango does which allows him to see her nearly all day for every day; something that Michiru doesn't have?"

"That precisely why a relationship between them can never bloom, Michiru may have found a way to travel through time; but Sango can't travel between worlds like you and I can." Kagome countered sourly, causing Inuyasha's mind to click after hearing her sentence.

"I can't believe I just heard you say that…" Inuyasha said, suddenly leaping forward and grabbing hold of Kagome as he leapt upstairs and outside of the shack in one swift jump; landing twenty feet away on the ground from the doorway. "You leave me with no choice Kagome, if I have to keep you here by force; than so be it."

"Let go of me! Inuyasha let go!" Kagome demanded, striking blows at his chest with her arms and fists in an effort to brake free of his embrace.

"I won't let you go! I won't let you make things worse than you already have!" Inuyasha replied back, turning in circles in order to keep Kagome in place as he looked around at their surroundings and suddenly beheld an unexpected sight which sent a chill up his spine; making him still so he could look Kagome in the eyes with a pleading look as if his life and the lives of their friends rested in her hands at this moment. "Kagome please, I'm begging you not to go and speak with Sango or Miroku; for all our sakes; please just stay and let fate run its course. Wait until Michiru returns home, Sango said she won't make a decision until Michiru returns home and then revisits my world; please."

"Inuyasha…" Kagome replied. "Sit!"

"AHH!" Inuyasha cried as his face and body impacted the ground in an instant, sending pain throughout his body as he tried to get up and stop her from leaving. "NO! DON'T DO THIS KAGOME! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT'LL HAPPEN!"

"SIT!" Kagome shouted again, causing the half demon to fall to the ground once more; lifting his head up to look at her in an attempt to change her mind one last time.

"PLEASE KAGOME! YOU'LL END UP REGRETING THIS IF YOU GO! PLEASE STOP WHILE YOU STILL CAN!" Inuyasha begged, grabbing hold of Kagome's left ankle and holding it firmly; but gently enough to avoid causing her any pain or injury. "THINK OF SANGO! THINK OF MICHIRU! THINK OF…"

"SIT!" Kagome yelled with a cross look on her face, cutting Inuyasha off from saying anymore words as his face struck the ground. "I'M NOT GOING TO STOP UNTIL YOU LET GO OF MY ANKLE INUYASHA! INUYASHA! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT!"

Inuyasha could only lay there and endure the bombardment of sit commands that the reborn priestess was unleashing on him, although he had managed to grasp her ankle and prevent her from venturing back to the Feudal era; his body couldn't take much more of this repeated cycle of pain he was experiencing. No matter how much he resisted, his body would eventually become weak and exhausted; which meant the muscles in his hand and arm would slacken enough for Kagome to break free and then there would be nothing to stop her from travelling to his world and talking with Miroku and Sango. After another additional minute of the merciless sit commands, Inuyasha finally released his grip on Kagome's ankle; leaving her to race back to the shack as she wished with no more obstacles between her and the well. As Inuyasha slowly got to his feet, his mind became divided over what course of action he should make; for he was now faced with two possibilities with almost no time to decide or even carry out what choice he would make. Dared he race after Kagome and face a second series of her sit commands or should he stay and go to her house where he could attempt to contact Michiru and tell him of everything which had now just unfolded along with the information he had recently discovered about the evil sword Sounga?

Despite the predicament which Michiru was stuck in as well as how low his morale must be after being interrogated by Kagome, Inuyasha knew in his mind and his heart that the Shikigami user was a strong person; and the half demon had enough faith that Michiru could pull through and survive any situation regardless of how dangerous or painful it might be for him to deal with. Sango on the other hand was faced with another predicament which was in no way as dangerous as Michiru's fate, but it was just as painful; if not more because it affected the ties of friendship between herself and those around her whom she regarded as her new family ever since she had become a member of their team. The last thing Sango needed was for Kagome to interrogate her given the amount of pressure she was already burdened with, not to mention how much worse her fate would be if Miroku was told about Michiru's feelings for the demon slayer; she had nearly fallen apart in front of Inuyasha when he told her that he knew of Michiru's last words to her before his departure and he could only imagine what would happen if Miroku were to take advantage of Michiru's absence by trying to amend a relationship with her since he always managed to ruin every attempt in the past.

The half demon slowly walked forward, taking one step at a time until he reached the entrance of the shack; finding himself at the top of the staircase which lead down to where the Bone Eater's well stood below him. Part of his mind was telling him that this was a fool's errand and that his attempt to try and over take Kagome before she could talk with the others was all in vain, but he had to try; or he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he didn't when the time came to talk with Michiru after everyone had found out the truth. Balancing himself as best as he could, Inuyasha paced down the stairs and in a minute; he was at the bottom with the well just in sight. Suddenly without warning, some unknown force shook from inside the half demon; causing the pain in his body to increase and feel twice as bad. His eyes widening with fear as he looked at the well which was within reach, he bent his legs and leapt through the air in a desperate attempt to jump down the well and end up in his own world before the pain could feel even worse; but he used too much force to overcome the pain his body felt which resulted in him to overshoot the well and land just on the other side. Inuyasha's legs buckled upon landing, his body fell backwards into a sitting position as the back of his head struck the edge of the rock hard stone well; his eyes darkening until he fell unconscious into a deep sleep from which he would not wake until he recovered from the blow to his head.

In the feudal, Sango had woken up a short while ago from her sleep which could better be described as a nap given how so little time had passed during her unconscious state; she had slept well for the first time in ages which would account for how awake and refreshed she felt even though it was still early evening. Though the sun had gone down and it was now dark, the night sky was lit up with an infinite number of bright stars which gave off enough light to see even in parts of the village where no fires or torches were burning; it was the perfect night to go out for a walk. Upon leaving the hut, Sango strolled around Kaede's village and took delight at watching the peaceful scenery of the people whether they were turning in for the night or staying up a little late to enjoy themselves without a worry in the world to disrupt them from their activities. After wandering around most of the village, the lovely demon slayer eventually made her way back to where she had dined at suppertime with her friends and companions; Kaede, Totosai and Myoga had all gone to bed which left Shippo and Miroku around the camp fire near the table which was now empty with no food left except for a few crumbs.

"Hello Shippo, what's that strange toy you're playing with?" Sango asked curiously, glancing at the badminton racket that he had gotten from Kagome.

"Oh, you mean this?" Shippo replied, getting into position to show off and demonstrate how to use the tool in order to hit the plastic bird which he held in his other hand. "This is a badminton racket, and this little thing is a bird; I got them from Kagome. This is how you use them in a game that she says people play in her world where she lives, watch here; see how the bird flies up when I hit it?"

"Yes, it looks like a lot of fun." Sango said with a smile.

"Are you doing well Sango?" Miroku asked curiously after turning his head and adjusting himself to face her.

"Yes I'm doing fine; I just came out to go for a walk after having a short nap." Sango answered as she continued walking in the direction of the mysterious fields. "All of you have a pleasant evening and get a good sleep tonight."

"Don't mind if we do, thank you." Myoga answered back.

"Sango?" Miroku asked, getting Sango's attention as she halted. "May I accompany you on your walk?"

"Alright Miroku, if you'd like; just for a little while." Sango replied, waiting for the monk to get to his feet so he could join her.

The two of them walked side by side together, leaving the village behind and moving by the mysterious fields where the mysterious crops are planted and harvested using various combinations of seeds and soil; the starlit sky appeared more beautiful out here and away from the huts and campfires of the village which made the evening walk a memorable experience. Sango began to wonder how long it would be until Michiru could finally return home so that he would be able to visit everyone again, perhaps the two of them could enjoy a peaceful walk like this together just as she was doing right now with Miroku by her side; but she decided to block it out in order to avoid thinking about the dilemma she would soon have to face when he really did return to her world. After following the path which turned and eventually lead to the forest where the Bone Eater's well was located, and shortly beyond that was the river where Sango and Inuyasha had talked about Michiru together when she had finished her bath earlier before the half demon's arrival. A short while later, the two young adults arrived at the river where they both stopped to admire the sound of its following current; the starlit sky reflecting faintly off of the surface of the water which was yet another beautiful sight to see as well as the lush green forest around them.

"This is a very beautiful night, and the forest seems so peaceful and safe right here where we're at." Sango said with a smile, gazing at the lovely scenery of the environment which surrounded them on all sides; completely still with no demons or bandits lurking nearby to pose a threat to herself and Miroku. "If only the whole forest could be just like this all the time, then everyone could enjoy a glimpse of beauty like we have here tonight; and remember that the world isn't all as dangerous and dark as one might think."

"Yes the night in indeed beautiful, as is the forest in such a peaceful state; but even the combined beauty of them together like this cannot compare with the beauty that you are Sango." Miroku said after sticking his staff in the ground, his words suddenly catching Sango off guard as he stepped behind her and placed his right arm gently over around her right shoulder and resting his hand on her left shoulder to hold her; closing the distance between them in the process. "You truly are a goddess of unequalled beauty, I admit that I am at a loss and cannot find anymore words to express how I feel for you; but I'm sure you understand what I mean and know what I'm trying to say to you on this beautiful night which if I may say is still young."

Sango had let her guard down ever since she had gone out for a walk after waking up from her nap a short while ago, when Miroku had asked if he could accompany her on the remainder of her walk; she politely said yes. In doing so however, her mind had completely overlooked the fact that he might overstep his boundaries and try to grope her as he usually did so many times in the past; she just couldn't remember any of those moments given the beautiful night and how greatly she had slept for the first time now that Naraku was gone and she finally had Kohaku back. Sango's mind was now recovering from the unprepared shock of Miroku's words; her senses gradually returning to her and becoming alert once again; especially when she felt the unwanted presence of Miroku's other hand which had managed to find itself upon the left side of her buttocks and was moving back and forth from it down her left leg and up again in a rhythmic movement. A frightening chill shot up the warrior woman's spine as she trembled for a moment, feeling Miroku's hand stroking her lecherously while she could also feel his face inching towards the side of her head and neck; her uncomfortable state of vulnerability growing worse with each passing second as she couldn't stand this unbearable situation any longer. Reacting instinctively in self defence, Sango grabbed Miroku's right arm with both hands and pushed backwards until she pinned the monk against a nearby tree; so fast that Miroku didn't know what was happening. After pulling the monk's right arm away as she turned around, Sango held Miroku just below his right shoulder with her left hand; and delivered a painfully hard slap against the side of his face with the other.

"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH ME LIKE THAT EVER AGAIN MIROKU!" Sango declared, glaring at Miroku's face with enough ire to rival that of Kagome which the monk would soon not forget after hearing her verbal warning which he dared not ignore or forget.

"S-Sango uh, I-I…" Miroku responded poorly, his mind and voice still not recovered after receiving the death glare Sango had given him.

But Sango walked off back to Kaede's village on her own, for she especially wanted to get away from Miroku after being the victim of yet another groping incident from his lecherous hands; the memory of whole thing made her sick which also destroyed what she had hoped to be a nice evening walk in the forest. The demon slayer pondered what to do and how to take her mind off of the unbearable situation she had just experienced, the answer came to her in a flash; she decided to take a break and travel back to Demon Slayer village which had been her home. It was far away from Kaede's village which meant that she wouldn't have to worry about any inappropriate acts from Miroku, and it would also provide the opportunity for her and Kirara to re-establish their family bonds with Kohaku; Naraku was dead and gone so it seemed like a great idea. After returning to the village, Sango briefly told Shippo that she was going to take a trip with her brother back to Demon Slayer village and that he tell Inuyasha and Kagome if either of them ask where she had gone. Upon hearing this, Shippo could easily deduce that Miroku had groped her again; Sango's tone of voice as well as the fact that she had returned without Miroku with her also confirmed what he had found out. But Miroku had never made Sango angry enough to make her want to leave just to get away from Miroku and put some distance between him and herself, which meant that the perverted monk must have done something really bad to cause this level of reaction; the young fox demon grinned evilly as he saw Miroku returning from the forest alone.

"Why do you always have to be such a perverted idiot Miroku?" Shippo shouted in disgust once the monk was close enough to hear his words, throwing a piece of burning wood from the fire in the process.

"AHH! Shippo what are you doing?" Stop it! AHH! Stop!" Miroku yelled, dodging the burning chunks of wood as the fox demon threw them at the unprepared monk one after another.

Kagome, who had just only climbed out of the Bone Eater's well a few minutes ago was walking down the path through the mysterious fields and was approaching Kaede's village; not noticing the minor event of violence taking place ahead of her until she recognized the voices of Shippo and Miroku shouting at each other amidst the scattered pieces of burning firewood which she saw the young fox demon throwing at the helpless monk who could only dodge and wait for Shippo to run out of throwing weapons. The high school girl broke into a run and promptly shoved Miroku out of the way, making Shippo freeze as he was about to throw another burning wood chunk which would have it her instead; finally bringing the fight to an end as Kagome tried calming both of her friends down in order to find out why they were fighting in the first place. Shippo had stopped and was sitting still waiting to talk to Kagome, but Miroku was still jumping around because one of the flaming wood chunks had gone down each of the sleeves from his blue kimono and both were hot enough to cause his clothes to catch on fire; not to mention burning parts of his body which was very painful to endure.

"AHH! HOT! TOO HOT!" Miroku yelped, managing to pull the flaming chunks of wood from inside his kimono and toss them away before he suffered from anymore burns.

"OH SHUT UP MIROKU!" Kagome yelled, giving him a glare as the monk suddenly clamped his mouth closed and sat down quietly by the fire. "Now which of you would like to tell me why both of you were fighting?"

"Miroku made Sango mad, AGAIN!" Shippo answered, getting Kagome's attention as Miroku stayed quiet and prepared for the worst. "She's planning on taking a trip back to Demon Slayer village with her brother and Kirara, that's what she told me after she returned alone from her walk in the forest which Miroku had accompanied her on; at least while they both went together INTO THE FOREST!"

"Is that so?" Kagome asked with a hint of sarcasm and sweetness in her voice, glaring at Miroku for a few moments before redirecting her attention back to Shippo. "Can you tell me of anything else that went on between Sango and Miroku while I was away?"

"Well there was that one time when Sango caught Miroku spying on her while she was taking a bath in the river, he escaped from her and managed to run into Inuyasha and I as we were about to make sure he didn't try anything like that; so we decided to punish him since it was already too late for us to stop him from peeking. Why don't I act it out for you to show exactly what happened? First, Inuyasha pushes Miroku over on the ground, THEN HE DRAWS OUT HIS SWORD…" Shippo explained after pushing Miroku on his belly and holding up his badminton racket, making Kagome's eyes widen as she holds her hands to her mouth; fearing the worst. "And SPANKS MIROKU A HUNDRED TIMES ON THE BUTT, JUST LIKE THIS!"

"AHH! AHH!" Miroku cries out as the fox demon spanked him on his behind nearly five or six times before Kagome put a stop to it.

"Okay! Okay! I understand! I don't need to see anything more!" Kagome stated, tightly hugging Shippo against her chest while standing up in order to keep her fox demon friend away and out of reach to prevent him from spanking Miroku again; she was relieved that was the worst Inuyasha had done to Miroku given how worried she was when being told he had drawn out his Tetsusaiga. "Thank you very much Shippo, you should go off to bed and get some sleep now; I want to be alone and talk with Miroku here."

"UH OH!" Shippo replied mischievously in an effort to rub it in to Miroku before taking his leave once Kagome had set him on the ground. "Goodnight Kagome."

"Goodnight Shippo, I'll see you the next time I visit." Kagome said, making the fox demon halt and leap back into her arms for a hug.

"Aren't you going to stay with us for a while?" Shippo asked with a sad face, his cute eyes making Kagome feel bad. "But we miss you a lot."

"I know Shippo, I know and I really wish I could stay; but I'm afraid I have to go after I've talked with Miroku and Sango." Kagome said, hugging Shippo tenderly to make it up to him for having to leave again. "I'm really sorry, I promise to come back again when I get the chance; and I'll bring a whole big pile of candies and sweets just for you. How does that sound?"

"Okay, I'll forgive you." Shippo replied, smiling weakly as he jumped out of her arms; turning into his giant pink form in order to float away. "I'll tell Sango you want to talk to her so she won't leave yet, bye Kagome."

"Bye Shippo! And thank you!" Kagome said, waving until her young friend had vanished from view; causing her to turn and face Miroku.

"Now wait Kagome, I can explain…" Miroku said while trying to stand up.

"MIROKU!" Kagome shouted, promptly shutting Miroku up so she could speak her mind. "SIT DOWN! SHUT UP AND LISTEN WELL! My time here is limited so you should feel grateful that I can't beat you up like last time for having your mind in the gutter, but don't worry; I've got something else in mind that will properly motivate you and hopefully re-educate you so that you don't miss-treat Sango ever again. Do you remember when all of us were travelling together and we all stayed at the residence of a young lord by the name of Kuranosuke Takeda?"

"Y-Yes…" Miroku answered, managing to calm down now that he knew Kagome wasn't going to beat him up or yell at him. "He was the young lord who proposed to Sango and asked for her hand in marriage; and offer which she turned down because of her feelings for me. That's the only time I've ever seen someone interested in Sango like that, but it really made me jealous because I was afraid she would accept; you have no idea how relieved I felt when she rejected his proposal."

"Good, now you're thinking seriously for once." Kagome replied. "Do you remember when Michiru returned home shortly after he helped all of us to defeat Naraku?

"Yes, but I don't see what he has to do with our talk about Sango and I." Miroku stated.

"I recently found out that Michiru told Sango he loves her just before he was magically sent home, even though he knew he didn't have the power to visit this world at the time; and even though he also knows that she still has feelings for you." Kagome said, making Miroku as white as a ghost. "I was surprised at first, but it eventually made sense once I thought about it for a while; he spent time with Sango during every day that all of us took off to have a break from our travels together. I have no doubt that the two of them became close friends over the course of the duration that he spent here with us, its not a surprise given how easy it was for them to get along and cooperate with each other; which is more than I can say for you with your history of foul ups and rude behaviour."

"Michiru said that?" Miroku asked, wondering if Kagome was just making this up as a means to scare him. "You're lying; Michiru wouldn't do that; not when he knows how Sango and I feel about each other. You're making this entire thing up just to scare me…you are aren't you?"

"I'm very serious Miroku, dead serious in fact." Kagome answered, the look in her eyes was more than enough to show she was telling the truth. "Now I can't speak for Sango, but I know Michiru is very much in love with her even though he's in a lot of pain right now because of how his actions have affected everyone as a group; including Sango and you as well."

"Well he should be since it isn't an enjoyable experience being in love with a woman who already belongs to another man." Miroku said.

"GET THIS THROUGH YOUR HEAD MIROKU! SANGO IS NOT YOUR WOMAN! SHE IS A WOMAN! SOMEONE WHO IS TORN UP INSIDE BECAUSE SHE NOW HAS TO CHOOSE BETWEEN YOU AND MICHIRU!" Kagome countered sharply, burning her words into Miroku's mind as she glared at him. "Its only a matter of days before Michiru finds a way to return home and eventually to here as well, Sango is going on a trip for who knows how long so she can have some time to herself; I can safely say that she'll reach a decision over which of you she wants to pursue a romantic relationship with by the time Michiru finally returns to visit your world. I highly suggest you make good use of that time while both of them are away so you can properly amend your relationship with Sango, then she might be willing to reconsider her decision when the time comes for her to make up her mind; this is your last chance Miroku and I hope you don't mess it up. Now I'm going to have a talk with Sango before she leaves, you can stay here and think about everything I've told you if you still intend to repair the damage you've done; or you can give up and go flirting with all of the pretty village girls like you always do when ever we travel around together."

With that lengthy statement, Kagome left to go find Sango; leaving Miroku alone at the fire to ponder on everything he had just been told. In all the days he knew Kagome, she had never once lied to him which meant that what she had warned him about was true; his chances of becoming Sango's companion for life were numbered now that Michiru had told Sango he loves her. But did she love him back? That was the biggest question on Miroku's mind, and he silently cursed himself for groping her and making her angry with him during the walk they shared together; now he really wished he anything but a lecherous creep in her eyes. Kagome was right, he would have to think hard and long about how to make amends to Sango now that Naraku was dead and her troubles were behind her; especially after finding out he also had Michiru as his adversary who was also competing for Sango's affections. Although Michiru was currently trapped in a far away land and unable to return home or to the Feudal era, that disadvantage wouldn't be an obstacle for long; Miroku already knew this since he learned the Kururugi boy had discovered a way to travel through time between worlds like Kagome could. Though he didn't like to admit it, this was going to be one battle that he could not dare to lose; and Sango would have the final part to play which would decide who would win her heart and who was doomed to remain alone and nothing more than a mere friend forever.

Kagome raced along, eager to get this done and over with since she had to get home before her mother did; or else she'd be grounded for life. She went to the hut where she knew Sango would stay and sleep with Kohaku, but upon arriving and entering it; she found neither of them inside. Kagome took a quick look around and found that the demon slayer had finished backing up her small amount of belongings, weapons included and that she was carefully resting Kohaku down on Kirara's back so the two-tail in her giant fighting form could fly them both back to their home where they could take a break away from everyone and everything for as long as Sango wanted. The reborn priestess called out to Sango in an attempt to catch her attention before she left, for she had to talk with Sango to find out why she was going away and more importantly; how she felt about Michiru and Miroku each as individual persons. The demon slayer turned towards the sound of Kagome's voice and sighed heavily, knowing that she was going to try and persuade her to stay and ignore what Miroku had done; but Sango's mind was already made up and not even Kagome could make her change it.

"Sango wait, why are you going away?" Kagome asked. "If it's about what Miroku did, then I can understand; but I have to speak with you before you leave."

"It's not just about what Miroku did Kagome, it's about a lot of things which I'd rather not talk about; I'm sorry but I can't talk about it with you." Sango answered, feeling guilty for having to leave Kagome like this given how so little time they've had since they all defeated Naraku together.

"Sango, I need to know. How do you feel about Michiru?" Kagome asked, causing Sango's heart to skip a beat and her breathing to stop for a momentary pause. "Do you feel anything for him that's in any way similar to what you feel for Miroku?"

"H-How long have you known Kagome?" Sango asked quietly as she turned to face Kagome with a guilty expression. "And more importantly how did you ever find out?"

"I-I overheard Michiru talking over a phone with Inuyasha back at my home, a-and I thought that Michiru had told Inuyasha about what he said to you before he was summoned back home to my world; but I was partially wrong because Inuyasha knew without Michiru telling him about it." Kagome answered. "When I questioned each of them, they both told me all that they knew individually; and that's why I came here to ask you about all of this so I could know how you felt."

"I know Michiru probably would have answered honestly because that's the kind of person he is." Sango responded the emotional pain she had managed to bury within herself was now starting to resurface again; her feelings and memories coupled with her fears and doubts all crashing together in one torturous experience. "But Inuyasha gave me his word that he wouldn't tell anyone other than me about what he had discovered, so how did you persuade him to talk? Did you threaten him with your sit commands?"

"NO! I never did, only after we finished talking did I resort to using them because he wouldn't allow me to come and see you." Kagome said, making Sango eyes blink. "He gave me all his reasons for keeping it a secret during our discussion, and I understood why he did it; but friends don't keep secrets from each other and that's why I had to come here and talk to you myself."

"Kagome, I haven't known Michiru for very long so I honestly can't tell you how I feel about; I still feel torn up inside because of my feelings for Miroku which I also begun to question ever since we defeated Naraku just a short time ago." Sango reluctantly answered, overcoming her hesitation as she tried to find the right words to accurately express her emotions and thoughts on the matter. "I understand that you're upset at me for keeping it a secret, but I felt that this is something I could deal with better on my own; which is why Inuyasha gave me is word that he wouldn't tell Shippo or Miroku about it. Speaking of which, have you talked with either of them at all before coming to see me?"

"Yes." Kagome answered weakly.

"Who? Was it Miroku?" Sango asked softly, getting a nod from Kagome. "What what did you talk about with him?"

"I-I…" Kagome stammered.

"You told him everything didn't you?" Sango asked with an angry voice and a sad look on her face which was about to get worse as her eyes began to water uncontrollably with tears.

"Ahh!" Kagome cried as she covered the side of her face, feeling a sudden sting of pain on her left cheek; Sango had just slapped her.

"You had no right to do that Kagome!" Sango cried out angrily as the two girls who had known each other as friends for such a long time now found themselves on opposite sides in a feud, one which couldn't be resolved until they each found it in themselves to forget and forgive what they had done to one another. "Forcing Michiru and Inuyasha to tell you everything is bad enough, but now you had to tell Miroku as well? What were you thinking? Do you have any idea how this is going to affect all of us from now on?"

"I told him because I wanted to properly motivate him to think about his relationship with you seriously so that he'd stop miss treating you as he has for so long!" Kagome answered, tears following freely from her eyes and down her face just as they were with Sango; both of them crying together as they continued through the difficult discussion. "I was also afraid that you would throw away everything you shared with Miroku since you joined our team; I didn't want you to forget the good times you've had with him even though his manners need amending! Michiru may have found a way to return here to see you, but he still has to find a way to return to his own home first; who knows how long you would have to wait until he finally sees you gain."

"I chose not to make a decision until after he returns so I can face him and Miroku together at the same time, I know that means waiting for a long while; but that time allows me to figure out how I feel for each of them!" Sango replied. "You wouldn't understand Kagome, you and Inuyasha can see each other when ever you want; but I can't travel to your world and see Michiru because I don't have any magical powers or supernatural abilities!"

"All the more reason why a relationship with him will never last! He can come and see you, but you can't go and visit him!" Kagome remarked, causing Sango to cry even more; her anger and strength had been spent. "I'm sorry for bringing this on you and I'm sorry I told Miroku without coming to ask you for permission first! I only wanted to help you so that you aren't forced to deal with this alone. I felt horrible for forcing the truth out of Michiru and Inuyasha, I wouldn't be able to get over it unless I could talk to you and Miroku; all of us beat Naraku together which means we should be able to solve this matter together as well. I'm sorry I didn't mind my own business and stay out of all this, and I'm especially sorry for ruining my friendship with all of us just to dig up some measly answers!"

"I'm still your friend Kagome, and your still mine; but you have to let me leave if you really want to help me right now." Sango replied, her body trembling as she continued to cry. "I'm going with Kohaku and Kirara back to what's left of our home where we all lived as a family, and I'm not coming back until after I've had enough time to think carefully about everything that has happened between all of us. I know you're suffering, but we're all suffering and I hope we can mend everything together when I return; goodbye Kagome."

Kagome could only stand and watch as Sango climbed on to Kirara's back and carefully secured herself and Kohaku who lay sat asleep in front of her before the two-tail took off into the night sky, Sango could only hope that she was taking the right course of action available to her; for her mind would forever be burdened with troubling memories of tonight's events until she arrived home where she could sleep and drift away from her worries. In the morning after a much needed sleep, then she could search inside of herself for her feelings and answers she needed in order to make a final decision and choose which young man she truly loved; the man whom she would spend the rest of her life with until the end of their natural lives. With nothing else to do, Kagome raced back in the direction of the Bone Eater's well so that she could get home before being caught by her mother; but getting home to go to bed and sleep was an even greater motive given the amount of pain she and each of her friends had now been forced to endure in such a short time.

It had been nearly six hours since Michiru and the Ghostbusters had descended into the secret passageway which had been hidden in the floor underneath the Obelisk at the Museum, they had been travelling for what seemed like ages underground through a maze of tunnels; one could only wonder if any of them would ever see the sky again. Michiru was completely silent amidst the small talk echoing back and forth between Venkman, Ray and Egon who were all just walking ahead of him; for his morale had seriously been shaken ever since his talk with Kagome on his cell phone. He naturally kept it a secret which he hoped to bury within himself so his judgement and concentration wouldn't be impaired when he and all of his companions had finally tracked down the Chairman ghost who still managed to allude them since the readings from their PKE meters were very weak and faint due to the fact that they weren't travelling towards their target in a straight line. The Kururugi boy sighed as he trotted along, continuing to leave slime tethers behind him to mark out the path they were taking; he only hoped Saya was having better luck than he was right now. During Michiru's torturous talk with Kagome, Egon had contacted Janine and managed to formulate a plan so that all of them could meet up together at a specified rendezvous point in order to catch the Chairman ghost in the event that he tried to kidnap Ilyssa again while they were all separated; Winston agreed to drive both Ilyssa and Janine in Ecto-01 where they would wait outside the Museum until Saya could join up with Egon's team and give them the map which Janine had found to help them out in their hunt.

"Banzai!" Saya shouted from behind Michiru, scaring the heck out of everyone as he floated around laughing his head off at all of them. "I scared you, I scared you. Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!"

"Oh Saya, give it a rest." Michiru said, not in the mood for any jokes or pranks."

"How did you manage to find us down here without any coordinates?" Egon asked.

"Oh, I used a man hole to get into the underground systems which were positioned closely to the secret passage way we all found in the floor of the Museum; I read this map that Janine had printed out for me and I eventually made my way into where we battled the Chairman." Saya answered. "As I continued to search underground, I suddenly noticed the trail of slime tethers which I thought would eventually lead me to the four of you since slime tethers can only be made from your proton packs; and it worked."

"I don't remember leaving a trail of slime tethers behind us?" Ray stated in confusion.

"I left them behind us in case we had to retrace our steps or if we took a wrong tunnel, I didn't want to get lost down here since we didn't have a map; until Saya found us." Michiru responded.

"That was good thinking, nice going Mitch." Venkman complimented.

"Alright then Saya, let's take a look at his map you have." Egon ordered as the wise old entity floated in front of the man and held out the map for him to study."

"This is where I descended underground, this is where the five of us fought the Chairman on that platform structure where Michiru used his magic to save the day; and this is the pathway I followed the slime tethers which puts our position right…here." Saya explained while pointing on the paper map with his tiny finger as everyone studied the map carefully.

"Hmm, judging from our current position and from the faint PKE readings we've been detecting; the Chairman ghost must be located somewhere inside of this drainage section of the underground sewers." Egon deduced as he did some calculations in his head. "Now the good news is that our destination will eventually lead us up and out of this underground hellhole as long as the Chairman doesn't give us the slip, but the bad news is that this drainage section is unfinished and still in the construction stage; meaning its going to be a very hazardous combat zone for us to be firing our proton streams inside of."

"What makes you say that Egon?" Venkman asked curiously.

"Because the engineers who were recently working there postponed their operations until further notice, though they never mentioned why which drew suspicion; according to the newspaper article I read a little over two months ago. " Egon answered. "They left all their tools and equipment behind; including lots of high explosives."

"Well that doesn't sound very safe, coming from certified engineers." Ray remarked.

"How long do you suppose it'll take us to reach that location Egon?" Michiru asked.

"Only about an hour of walking, provided we don't get lost or separated." Egon answered. "So I suggest we press on if we all want to get top side on the surface as soon as possible."

"I couldn't agree with you more." Venkman commented.

The five friends continued on their way as best as they could with what little amount of strength each of them had left, although they were tired; their spirits were lifted now that they would eventually make it back to the surface eventually where they could breath fresh clean air and look at the sky once more. It was the will to endure that kept them going; despite the foul fumes and rotting senses they could smell as they drew nearer to their destination where they hoped they could corner their allusive adversary who had escaped them yet again. Saya and the Ghostbusters began to ascend as the tunnel they were travelling inside of slowly went upwards, they could even hear the sounds of numerous voices which meant that they had to be close to the surface by now. Finally after a long march, they entered into a vast underground chamber with crisscrossing pools of rotting dirty sewer water; which they were thankful to discover was not raw sewage or anything of that nature.

"What does this sign say here Ray?" Michiru asked while trying to rub off some dirt and compensation on an aluminium plate with some words painted on its surface.

"Drainage section #267." Ray replied before activating his hand radio. "Winston? Do you read me? Over?"

"Coming in loud and clear Ray, great to finally hear from you." Winston replied over the radio. "Did Saya manage to find your position? Over?"

"That's affirmative Z; we've all just arrived at Drainage section #267 of the underground sewer systems. Can you redeploy Ecto-01 and park above our position? Over?"

"Not for very long Ray, the road above your position has been closed for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade which is scheduled to start in less than an hour from now; the crowds of spectators have already gathered around to see the event." Winston answered. "I'll park there as long as I can, but that's all I can promise; over."

"Thanks Winston, do what you can and make sure Ilyssa and Janine stay inside the car; it's the safest place for them to be if the Chairman ghosts surfaces top side before we do." Egon ordered, using his radio. "Over and out."

"Look guys!" There's Chubby Chairman floating right over there!" Ray pointed out. "To bad it's so dark down here; we can't even see what's around us without any lights.

"There's a power generator just over here across you Ray, let me see if I can activate it." Michiru said, pulling the lever and switching on the power which turned on a series of work lights placed all around the chamber; lighting up the underground drainage section in just few seconds."

"Well done Mitch." Venkman said, suddenly noticing that the Japanese student was staring at something with a troubled look on his face. "Hey Mitch, what's wrong with you? Have you had a heart attack or something?"

"Uh oh!" Ray said as everyone looked around the chamber. "This does not look good."

The current position of the Ghostbusters was about six feet above the floor of the chamber which was a large rectangular shaped interior with various concrete fixtures located here and there with multiple pipes and tanks built around and above them. Egon had been correct, engineers had left their tools and equipment; as well as multiple boxes of explosives charges which were carelessly scattered all over the inside of the subterranean environment in which the squad of combatants had to conduct their work. But that wasn't the worst of it, not only did they have to fire their weapons in here to fight the Chairman's spiritual entity; they first had to descend six feet down in order to travel from one point to another on the main walkway which made up the floor. Running parallel along either side the main concrete walkway were two long canal like streams filled with following dirty sewer water, each four feet wide by four feet deep below; leaving a five foot gap of concrete in between the two which made up the walkway. Swimming inside the two streams and occasionally crawling out of them to dry off in the steam from the nearby pipes and ventilator ducts, were perhaps about ten or twelve fully grown alligators who had more or less moved in to claim this underground chamber as their residence; they looked hungry too.

"Well I think we've figured out why the engineers decided to postpone their operations down here until further notice, don't we guys?" Venkman asked sarcastically.

"That's a logical guess Venkman, the engineers are city workers after all and don't get paid to risk their lives; like we do." Egon replied.

"Money grubbing chickens." Ray said in fit of envy. "They make more money than we do and yet they work for less hours and get more benefits."

"Ray, forget the cowardly engineers and try and think of a way for us to fight the Chairman without having to go down there and getting eaten alive by those alligators; I don't need to remind you that they look really hungry and that they have powerful bites." Egon suggested. "Unless we can catch or beat the Chairman, I'd say we have no choice but to climb up to the surface and try another way."

"Egon, how many entrances lead to this chamber besides the one we're standing in right now?" Michiru asked curiously.

"I don't know, let me check the map." Egon answered, as he studied the map for clues. "According to the blueprints, there's just one more which is located at the opposite end of the chamber over there where you can see the Chairman floating around."

"How much weight do you suppose the slime tethers can support if one end was attached to the roof of the chamber?" Michiru asked, thinking of a plan.

"That's a tough one Michiru, it can support a large amount of weight due to its elasticity but as you already know from experience; they become brittle and break in a matter of about ten or fifteen seconds." Ray explained as he tried to answer Michiru's question.

"Alright then, follow me Saya; here goes nothing." Michiru replied, firing a slime tether at the ceiling of the chamber and leaping forward as he swung down and across by about ten feet; firing again before coming to a halt so he could keep up his momentum in order to minimize the time he held on to each of the green coloured tethers.

The Ghostbusters shouted out as they watched in horror and amazement at what was occurring in front of them, Michiru was swinging across the ceiling over and over again like a circus performer; staying above and out of reach from the alligators as he slowly made his way to the other side of the underground chamber. Saya was going along to act as an extra pair of eyes just to be safe and also to watch the elasticity of the slime tethers so he could warn Michiru to move faster if he was going to slow, but the Kururugi boy was managing just fine and within two minutes; he made his way to the opposite side and landing safely at the top of the other six foot high staircase where he was out of danger. He could hear his fellow Ghostbusters cheering for him back where he had left them at the other end, grabbing hold of his hand radio; Michiru carefully surveyed his surroundings before contacting Egon and the others to formulate a plan of attack to finally eliminate the Chairman ghost from the field of battle.

"Egon, come in please." Michiru asked over his hand radio "Can you read me over?"

"Loud and clear Michiru, what is your condition over?" Egon replied.

"I'm still fit for duty if that's what you're asking." Michiru answered. "Now that I've redeployed at the other end of the chamber, we have the Chairman boxed in right between us; but I fear he can still escape either through the stream canals or possibly through one of the crawlspaces which lead from each of our positions and up top side to the surface. Please acknowledge over?"

"Acknowledged, we understand and see them." Egon confirmed. "What's your plan to get at the Chairman, over?"

"So long as we stay up here and out of range, then the alligators can't harm us; and we can fire our weapons at the Chairman if we so desire." Michiru explained. "However, if we fire our proton streams at strategically placed crates of explosives instead; we can cause him to panic and head to the surface because he won't dare escape through the stream canals with the alligators all running wild amidst the chaos as the battle unfolds."

"Sounds good Michiru, you take the first few shots; we'll fire in support once our target comes within range after you scare him." Egon replied. "Good luck over there, to the both of you."

"Thanks, standby for firing; over and out." Michiru warned, discharging his proton stream at a box which was out in the open and was resting underneath from where the Chairman was hovering in the air.

The small wooden box of high explosive charges burst apart violently in a ball of orange flame, sending splinters of burned wood and shrapnel flying around; giving Michiru and Saya a good laugh as they scared the heck out of the Chairman ghost who was on the move now. The Shikigami user continued firing his proton stream at several more boxes of explosives which sent the fat foe into a panic, fleeing for his safety to the opposite side of the chamber where the other Ghostbusters were waiting for them with their weapons aimed at the ready; more explosions began to erupt from beneath the Chairman and only after looking around carefully did he finally identify his attackers. Because he didn't have enough PK energy, he couldn't make any attacks of his own; which meant he was on the defensive and unable to safe himself unless he could escape from the Chamber. Egon and Ray were busy trying to weaken what little strength the Chairman had by firing directly at him with their proton stream, causing the giant ghost to ascend down to the walkway where more explosives were laid as well as the alligators which were now taking notice of the smelly fat and overweight tub of paranormal flesh which looked very appetizing given how huge he was.

"Okay Chairman! You got to sic your critters on us while you had a rest, now it's our turn; DANCE!" Michiru shouted while talking into his hand radio to humour his friends on the other side, discharging a proton stream; causing a box of explosives to burst apart and simultaneously infuriate the nearby alligators who began to snap their jaws at the Chairman Ghost.

"Oh, that was beautiful; let's do that again!" Saya said excitedly as he watched the entertaining scene unfold before him.

"Come on Ghost!" Venkman yelled, joining in as he fired a proton stream as well; causing the same resulting effect as Michiru had done. "You can dance better than that! Yeah, that what I'm talking about! That's better! Much better! "

Ray and Egon eventually followed Venkman's example, unable to resist the hilarious situation that this battle had turned itself into; it was as if they were on a shoot out hunting for game or something. Setting off the explosives caused parts of the Chairman's body to become burnt, attracting the alligators who could smell the sent of cooked flesh; making them hungry as their colossal mouths began to water. By now all of the alligators had become wild with hunger and turned their attention on the Chairman ghost, snapping their jaws at him when he got too close to them and the streams; leaving him trapped in mid air close to the ceiling where the Ghostbusters could freely fire their weapons at him and weaken his strength even more. This meant that no more explosives had to be used which was a good thing since no one wanted to be blown to bits or buried alive down here underground, but since the five of them were positioned at stationary locations; they couldn't use their natural advantages of speed and mobility which were vital for combating ghosts and other paranormal opponents. Michiru decided that this had gone on long enough, and so he moved backwards until he was far enough away so that the Chairman Ghost would try and escape to the surface using the crawlspace on his end of the chamber. After a few more minutes of fun and firing, the frightened entity fled the battlefield again; heading up to the surface which allowed the Ghostbusters to follow so they could finally get above ground again. Ten minutes later, the four paranormal eliminators crawled out of the manhole and found themselves in the middle of a paved road with crowds of people on either side; but there was no sign of the Chairman Ghost or Ecto-1 either.

"Winston, come in; what's your location?" Egon asked as everyone stretched their tired arms and legs, glad to be back on the surface again where they could see the sky; and breath in the clean sent of fresh air.

"We're located just down the street a little ways from where you and the guys are standing and stretching around, Ecto-1 is parked in the middle of the road; I've covered it up with a huge black tarp to conceal its identity and to keep Ilyssa and Janine hidden from any ghosts that come around to rain on our parade." Winston explained. "And speaking of the parade, it's almost ready to start; so get moving."

"Alright, hold your position and stay alert; be sure to tell us of any activity that you see in your area." Egon replied. "We're about to commence our search for a getaway ghost, we'll keep you informed of our progress; over and out."

"How are we going to find one ghost inside of an enormous open area like this with crowds of people everywhere on each side of the road?" Michiru asked, shaking his head as he looked around. "We're going to be hunting for a needle in a haystack out here guys."

"Don't worry Mitch, that floating bath tub of lard sticks out in a crowd; and we've also got our PKE meters to help us hunt him down." Venkman said, trying to cheer Michiru up. "And when we find him, we're going to barbecue him for Thanksgiving Dinner right guys?"

"If you're serious Venkman, you can feed the Chairman's corpse to Slimer; I can't think of anyone else who'd want to eat him." Ray said.

"Ray, Venkman; I'm picking up some strange readings on my PKE meter." Egon pointed out, holding his instrument carefully as he tried to ascertain the direction of the signal. "It seems to be coming from the parade, but I can't see anything unusual; even with my goggles."

"Perhaps we'd better mingle with the parade people and get a closer look." Ray suggested. "Then we could pick up a better signal."

"Won't that get us into trouble? Peck is mad at us already for what happened at the Museum late last night." Michiru asked.

"Don't you worry Mitch, the three of us will come up with a distraction while you lay low and find out where the Chairman is hiding like the scared Chicken he his." Venkman answered with a mischievous grin. "Once you do, radio us and well roast him up like a Turkey."

The Shikigami user didn't believe that Venkman was serious, nevertheless; he listened carefully to the three adults as they came up with a plan to sniff out the Chairman. The four of them would stay hidden inside the manhole and wait for the parade to arrive at their location, and then the three adults would come out and cause a distraction in the middle of the parade which would hopefully draw out the Chairman ghost and simultaneously keep all of the people distracted as well. Michiru would stay inside and wait a few minutes before merging with the parade people and keeping hidden so that he could try and trace the Chairman's location whether he was laying low or taking the bait, then he would alert his friends and the four of them would meet up and take down the target together; with support from Winston if necessary which everyone hoped wouldn't happen since he was needed to drive and deploy Ecto-01. The plan seemed fairly straight forward and gave them nearly all the advantages they possessed during their campaign in Times Square, but with so many crowds of people around; Michiru didn't know if he could get through this mission.

By now the cheering grew louder and the parade was approaching their position, getting ever so closer with every minute that went by; finally the moment had arrived. Egon, Ray and Venkman climbed out of the man hole and began to playfully march at the head of the parade; playfully dancing and attracting all the fame and cheers the crowds had to offer them. Michiru quickly poked his head out to watch the oncoming people and mobile stages accompanies by dancers, musicians and giant animal shaped balloons floating about their heads that were being pulled along by the mobile stages. After counting down the minutes and estimating the positions of the oncoming traffic, he carefully climbed out and mingled with the people who were riding on top of the large mobile stage that was following some sixty feet behind the three Ghostbusters who miraculously managed to remain unnoticed by the security personal even though the crowds of cheering people could easily spot them. There was no time to waste, Michiru had to find his target fast before the plan fell apart; he held up his scanning instrument carefully looking and listening for any signals or detections.

"BOO!" Saya said, appearing out of nowhere and startling the unprepared Kururugi boy to death. "I scared you didn't I? Ha! Ha!"

"What are you doing here Saya?" Michiru asked.

"Hey just because I'm a ghost doesn't mean I can't help you out." Saya answered. "Any luck with finding the cowardly entity?"

"I'm not entirely sure, I can tell there's a signal coming from over there near the back of the parade; but I can't see anything." Michiru answered, shaking his head since he couldn't understand what his PKE meter was detecting.

"Wait, look at that balloon there; isn't slowly moving towards us without being dragged or directed." Saya pointed out, causing Michiru to pull down his goggles and hold his instrument perfectly in line with the giant dog balloon that Saya was pointing at.

"Yeah, I think you're right; look at its face." Michiru said softly as the balloon slowly increased its momentum and got closer, causing the young man's PKE meter to buzz and beep; he quickly took a scan and was able to confirm that the Chairman was indeed inside the dog balloon and that he was also controlling it. "Egon, guys; come in. The Chairman ghost is hiding inside one of the giant parade balloons, the dog one that's currently flying towards you from behind with hostile intentions; take necessary offensive actions and evasive manoeuvres. Saya, you'd better return to Ecto-1 so you can stay hidden; people will start asking questions why we have a ghost like you following us instead of attacking us."

"No problem Michiru, good luck and see you when it's all over." Saya replied before disappearing.

The dog balloon which Saya and Michiru had identified was patterned after the appearance of a grey coloured cartoon dog, with white paws and grey shoes on his hind feet; and it was wearing what looked like an aviator's head warmer with goggles over its eyes that were coloured black just like its small tail. The dog balloon looked as though it had become alive, for it was moving around by itself and smashing its paws against the sides of buildings; causing enough minor damage to alarm parade performers as well as the crowds of people who had gathered to witness the parade. Michiru scurried over to where the Ghostbusters were, who for some reason failed to respond to his message that he had sent them; making the Kururugi boy wonder why as he eventually caught up to them.

"Why aren't you guys shooting at him yet?" Michiru asked in disbelief.

"He's not after us; he wouldn't have attacked us if we were his targets." Ray answered, as all of them looked up and the floating balloon which had become alive once it was being possessed and controlled from within.

"That's the Chairman inside there, he must be after Ilyssa again; he's heading straight for Ecto-1." Egon replied. "Come in Winston, our enemy entity is heading right for you; we'll try and slow him down while you attempt to get away."

"Not a chance Egon, we get to help you catch ghosts too, Ilyssa and I can't let you guys have all the fun now can we?" Janine's voiced aired over the radio. "We're staying right here, and there's nothing you say to chance our minds; unless you say you love us."

"There's no time to argue, let's just take down this ghost." Ray suggested.

"Full streams!" Venkman shouted, as everyone fired their weapons at the giant dog balloon; drawing its attention towards themselves in order to keep it from attacking Ecto-1."

"Is it just me or does anyone else think this giant dog balloon looks very angry at us right now?" Ray asked.

"I have to agree, given how he's baring his fangs at us with that strange roar coming from his mouth." Egon stated.

"Never mind his appearance guys." Venkman responded fearfully. "Would someone care to explain why none of our proton streams are doing any damage to this giant ghost?"

"He's created some sort of paranormal barrier around the balloon; we can't use our proton streams to dissipate his PK energy; which means we're beat." Ray said reluctantly. "How do you like that? We going down against a ghost inside of a giant dog balloon filled up with gas."

"Gas!" Michiru shouted, getting everyone's attention. "That's just a balloon filled up with helium, if we caught off its supply or reverse the flow pumping into the balloon; he'll deflate and become smaller. Wouldn't that make it easier for us to fight against him?""

"Great idea Mitch!" Egon said. "We'll distract him; you find his helium source and cause him to deflate so we can take him down."

As the three adults resumed their offensive attacks on the possessed parade balloon, Michiru carefully looked around and saw a thin air hose leading from the rear of the animal balloon down to the back of the parade where he could just about see the helium tanks which were used for inflating and deflating all of the balloons which had been set up for the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. The Shikigami user raced over through the scattered mess of abandoned music instruments and other items that lay cluttered all over the road until he arrived at where the helium tanks were all assembled together on one mobile stage, but before activating the control valves; the young boy suddenly became inspired by another idea which he also thought would help his companions win the battle and save the day.

"Winston, Michiru here; come in over." Michiru asked over his hand radio.

"Michiru, Winston here; go ahead over." Winston responded as Michiru could faintly hear Ilyssa and Janine laugh in the background.

"Hi Winston, I need you to redeploy Ecto-1 into a position beneath the giant dog balloon that the other Ghostbusters are presently fighting against; the Chairman ghost is possessing that balloon and I don't want him to get away again." Michiru explained. "Once you've repositioned Ecto-1, I also need you to uncover the black tarp and activate the Super Slammer trap; I'm going to reverse the flow of the helium and deflate the balloon which will weaken the target until he can be trapped inside. Please send Saya over to my location, I require his assistance. Please acknowledge over."

"Understood magic man." Winston replied which made Michiru smile at the nickname he had been given. "See you after the battle, over and out."

Now that another plan was set in motion, Michiru turned the control valves and reversed the flow of the helium; he watched the giant balloon float down and deflate ever so slowly as Ecto-1 drove into position from underneath it just has the Kururugi boy had instructed. As the helium gradually left the inside of the huge dog balloon, the paranormal protective barrier which the Chairman ghost had created to protect himself from attack also began to dissipate; making him more vulnerable to the deadly proton streams which were being discharged at him from below in such rapid succession. Since the tide of battle had now turned, Ray turned off his weapon so he could help Winston remove the huge black tarp which covered the roof of Ecto-1; allowing them to activate the Super Slammer. Saya floated over in under a minute and was ready to help out in any way he could, for he was proving to be just as helpful as Michiru was to the Ghostbusters.

"What do you need Michiru?" Saya asked curiously.

"I'm going over to help trap the Chairman ghost so he won't get away again, I need you to stay and keep an eye on this gauge right here; shut this control valve to trap the gas inside the tanks and then everything will be done." Michiru answered. "Can you handle it?"

"You bet I can handle it." Saya said triumphantly.

Michiru took off and raced back to where the Ghostbusters were still engaging the possessed dog balloon just behind Ecto-1, after changing equipment; Michiru stood by waiting for the Chairman to try and make his escape once he knew he couldn't win the battle. The last of the helium was being removed from the balloon and Saya shut off the valve to trap the gas inside of the storage tanks before returning and going inside of Ecto-1 where he was once again out of sight and safe from harm, the balloon was still managing to stay afloat in the air even though it had been completely deflated; this was mainly caused by the fact that the Chairman Ghost was still inside and he was trying to get out of it. The Ghostbusters were now firing their weapons at almost point blank range, hitting their target and causing so much damage to the balloon that the Chairman entity tore his way through the burned fabric in order to make his escape.

But Michiru and the others had been prepared for this, while Michiru fired his Meson collider square in the Chairman's chest before he bombarded his weak spot with multiple bursts from his Overload Pulse; the other Ghostbusters were blasting the fat foolish ghost with their proton streams which were doing great amounts of damage to the already weakened entity. In under a minute, the Chairman's body of flesh disintegrated into a blue vapour of paranormal gases; leaving only a tiny bright ball of yellow light which was undoubtedly his soul. The tiny remnants of the Chairman's spiritual entity was presently hovering over top of the giant Super Slammer trap which rested on Ecto-1's roof, because the force of the trap was so powerful and also because the Chairman ghost now had no more energy to put up a fight; he found his spiritual entity was pulled inside of the trap instantaneously. There, he would remain imprisoned until he was transferred to the giant containment unit which was where all the other ghosts were stored together. This was a very happy moment for the Ghostbusters, after what seemed like forever; they had finally defeated the Chairman ghost. Venkman was only too happy to announce the news of their triumphant victory over the ghost who had ruined the parade, but the crowds of people were big fans of the Ghostbusters and judging by their cheering; they were still happy as if nothing bad had happened.

"Michiru, Saya; you guys did an unforgettable job on this campaign." Ray declared over his hand radio so that Saya could also hear Ray's words of praise from inside the car coming from Ecto-1's radio set. "We couldn't have survived underground or made it back up above ground without your invaluable help, thanks very much for saving our necks down there; and for up here too."

"Not a problem Ray, not a problem." Michiru replied, glad that the battle was finally over and that everyone was safe and sound.

"Uh oh, here comes the party pooper." Venkman warned, getting everyone's attention as Walter Peck strode up and began venting his wrath on the Ghostbusters even though they had just saved the day.

"You guys have ruined everything! The amounts of damages that you've done to the city are catastrophic and astronomical!" Peck yelled, giving each and every member of the Ghostbusters a crazed glare which suggested he had lost his sanity. "As head of P-COC, I'm taking all of you down to the Mayor's office for questioning; the party's over so get a move on and get out of here!"

"Hold up guys, I got this; don't worry." Venkman countered as he grabbed a powerful stage microphone which he had recovered from one of the mobile stages left on the parade when all the participants had been temporarily scared away until the ghost had been caught and the danger was over. "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WHICH OF YOU OUT THERE IS A FAN OF THE GHOSTBUSTERS?"

Everyone cheered loudly in response to Venkman's question, making Peck glare at Venkman as he enjoyed listening to the crowds of people who obviously held the Ghostbusters in such high regard. But that wasn't the end of Venkman's little show, he wanted more; and he also wanted to put Walter Peck in his place for disrespecting the Ghostbusters and what they stood for after all their glorious achievements and accomplishments thus far. Janine and Ilyssa both got out of Ecto-1 and came over to congratulate the Ghostbusters on the successful completion of capturing the ghost who had escaped so many times until now, Janine embraced Egon while Ilyssa who had now changed back into her regular leather attire gave Michiru a hug to show her relief at seeing him safe again. Venkman was too busy taunting Peck while taking in the fame and glory from the cheering crowds to notice, but Ray and Winston still caught a glimpse of their Japanese friend being momentarily in physical contact with Ilyssa; they would have to keep it to themselves for now and wait until all of them were back at the Firehouse together before they could bring it up in a conversation.

"Ray, I think its time we put on some tunes." Winston suggested, cranking up the volume and playing the famous Ghostbusters' song; making Venkman hold the microphone close to the open window where Winston was sitting at the driver's seat so all the people could hear it and feel happy and rejoiced.

The Ghostbusters packed up their equipment inside of Ecto-1 until they were ready to leave; a taxi came by to help transport some of the company back home since Ecto-1 could only carry four people inside of it. Ilyssa had called the taxi to drive her, Michiru and Janine back to the Firehouse which left Saya to drive home with the other four paranormal eliminators. Poor Venkman failed to notice Michiru being invited into the Taxi cab with the two female friends until it was too late, which meant he had missed the opportunity to drive home with Ilyssa seated beside him; both Winston and Ray were laughing their heads off at their partner's bad luck as they watched the taxi drive pull ahead to drive in front of them. After both vehicles got through the barricades which had blocked off the road to close it for the Thanksgiving Parade, they each drove off; followed by numerous cheering fans who chased them on foot to show their appreciation and moral support until the two of them were out of sight. On the way home, Michiru was frequently interrupted by the voices of his fellow coworkers driving inside of Ecto-1 since he had accidentally taken his hand radio with him in the car instead of packing it away with his other tools and equipment; he was laughing with his two female companions while listening to the comedic chatter for a minute or two. Janine was sitting in the front passenger seat in order to give the taxi driver directions to get back home while Ilyssa sat in the back with Michiru seated next to her on the left, after hearing one more hilarious minute of chatter from Ecto-1, Ilyssa leaned closer to the Kururugi boy and turned off his radio; leaving them in peace and quiet to enjoy a proper conversation until they arrived home.

Author's Note: I apologize for the huge delay as well as how long this chapter turned out, but this chapter was especially difficult to write; I needed the large amount of time to make sure everything was arranged tied together and arranged in the proper order. I would like to give a special thanks to Jetty1 who suggested that the lost level featuring the Thanksgiving Parade which was cut out of the Ghostbusters game to be included, had he not made the suggestion when he did; I would not have been able to find the temporarily available information which was necessary to make this section of the chapter a reality so please feel free to thank him for his suggestion.

I would also like to give thanks to Orionpax09 for advising me on the confrontations between all of the characters from the Inuyasha cast, they were especially challenging and difficult to write given my limited experience and writing skills; please thank him for the invaluable help I received and needed in order to bring them to life in this chapter. Thirdly, I would like to thank Greymon leader who constantly kept me writing by giving me advise and moral support over the last two months which has helped me to finally complete this chapter which regretfully, I should have finished over a month ago; please thank him for his support which helped me finally complete this chapter which all of you have been able to read.

Last but not least; I would finally like to thank all of the other fans who have read my work and have sent in reviews telling of your responses to each and every chapter I have written for this story thus far. Without your feedback, I wouldn't have the inspiration to continue; nor learn any lessons or suggestions which would help improve the story and make it a more enjoyable adventure to read. I hope all of you are doing well and that the new year holds many good times and joyful experiences to remember for each and every one of us, thank you all once again and good luck to you on your stories or writing projects whether they're in your heads or already on paper.


	11. Rest, Relaxation and Research

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, Ghostbusters, or anything associated with either of them. This story is being written just for fun and enjoyment.

Chapter #11: Rest, Relaxation and Research

It was roughly ten o'clock in the morning on November 22nd and everyone was now arriving home back at the Firehouse where they could wash up and take a break to relax and grab a bite to eat, Ecto-1 pulled inside the main entrance of the building and a few minutes later; the taxi driving Janine, Michiru and Ilyssa arrived just outside to drop off the three of them. Once Janine paid for the ride, the taxi drove away; leaving the lot of them to go about their business and help the others unload the traps and the proton packs so they could transfer all the captured spiritual entities into the containment unit downstairs. While Egon and Michiru inserted each of the traps into the storage facility one at a time to perform this paranormal prisoner transfer, Winston, Venkman and Ray pulled out the long extension cables until the length of them stretched from the containment unit downstairs to where Ecto-1 was parked on the main floor above; thereby allowing them to flush out and transfer the spiritual entity of the Chairman ghost from inside the Super Slammer trap all the way down where he could be imprisoned with the others and locked away where he could do no harm or attempt to kidnap Ilyssa again. Saya had accompanied the four male adults since the containment unit had caught his interest and he was anxious to learn all that he could about how one would properly operate it, so they gave him a simple crash course in order to explain how it worked and what switches to use for performing certain tasks and functions; after a short matter of minutes he had managed to grasp all that he needed to know. Once this was done, Michiru had a quick shower and changed into clean clothes; wearing his clean work outfit over top of them.

Janine had returned to her desk in order to check for any phone messages or emails that had been left during her absence while Ilyssa wandered around to go upstairs and tidy up the kitchen since it would be lunch time in two hours, the Ghostbusters had not eaten anything in quite a long while so she knew that everyone would be very hungry; she filled up the kettle with some hot water and plugged it in to boil in order to quickly prepare some coffee and hot chocolate for everyone to drink and warm themselves up until she could make lunch. Meanwhile Egon and Michiru were now refilling the slime blowers on each of the proton packs by pumping positively charged slime from a storage tank that was inside of the basement close to the containment unit, the battles which had occurred at the Museum and underground had been long and each of the Ghostbusters had nearly used up all of the slime from the slime blowers featured on their proton packs; hence the need to replenish them back up to full supply. After a while, their work was done and all of the equipment could be repacked back into Ecto-1 so that they would be ready to leave at a moment's notice once they were alerted of any paranormal activity taking place in the city. A few minutes later, the Ghostbusters had loaded up the car and were just about to take things easy when the front door opened up; all of them sighed as Walter Peck and the Mayor walked inside without any warning or invitation.

"Would someone care to tell me why my Library, Museum and Parade are all going down the toilet?" the Mayor asked in a harsh tone with an angry expression on his face, clearly he wasn't pleased or happy about anything that had gone on.

"I keep telling you sir, the Ghostbusters are nothing but scam artists determined to extort you and the city for more money; regardless of how much damage they cause to your reputation or to the properties they claim are being haunted by ghosts." Peck answered with his explanation which was clearly filled with his own accusations and personal insults.

"I suppose you're unsatisfied with the work we accomplished and would rather have all the ghosts roaming around as free as birds so they can cause trouble and destruction on a massive scale instead, now that's a brilliant idea; let's see how long it takes you and P-COC to catch ghosts without our help or our tools." Venkman countered with a grin as he and Peck both glared at each other. "Then again, you wouldn't be able to catch even one ghost because you're just a brown nosing bureaucratic pain in the…"

"Both of you! Pipe down!" the Mayor shouted, eager to stop both men from turning this debate into their own personal war of verbal insults and remarks. "Now will someone tell me what the heck is going on which demands you to cause so much destruction during your paranormal investigations?"

"Mr. Mayor, an enormous event is on the horizon which threatens to cause catastrophic devastation when it occurs; some sort of paranormal activity at the Museum exhibit triggered a systematic psychic occurrence which can best be described as a mechanism that we don't yet know the nature of." Ray began, trying to set an example and engage in a proper conversation even though he also wanted to get back at Peck for all his insulting remarks.

"No, of course you don't; this mess would have been cleaned up earlier and easier if you did know and if you chose to act on it." Peck cut in with a grin as all of the Ghostbusters momentarily glared at him in the hopes that they could make the man keep his mouth shut.

"As Ray was explaining before Peck's interruption, this mechanism is feeding enormous amounts of paranormal energy from somewhere; we all even saw a giant canal system channelling it beneath the city during our underground exploration through the secret passageway we discovered beneath the New Gozer Exhibit and the main floor of the Natural History Museum." Egon continued, following Ray's example of controlling his temper while trying to get his point across so that the Mayor would understand the severity of the situation. "Once enough paranormal energy has been gathered at a concentration point for distribution, it will most likely cause so much paranormal activity that it will break down the dimensional walls between our world and another; and then it will be too late to prevent the catastrophe once it spreads everywhere like a flood."

"This other world is slowing crossing through into our world as it gradually breaks through the dimensional wall that keeps them divided, that explains where all the ghosts and animated monsters are coming from and why they're causing all these paranormal occurrences throughout the city." Ray explained further. "Two physical worlds can't exist in the same space, that's the basic scientific law of elementary particle physics; meaning only one world will be left once the astronomical paranormal reaction has occurred."

"We got a memorable glimpse of the other world during our investigation at the Library not too long ago, and it looks anything but peaceful and safe; a nightmare has now become a reality." Venkman warned. "In short, imagine Brooklyn and the Bronx with no Queens in the middle."

"Whole city blocks sinking into a fifth dimensional abyss, including all of the buildings and structures as they fall apart within minutes." Egon continued. "People panicking in the streets as they find themselves falling beneath paranormal earthquakes that shake our world apart as the ghost world takes its place.

"Cockroaches the size of polo ponies, animated monsters made from newspapers and left over debris from the ashes and junk remnants of what was once our world." Ray added. "Trust me, they're real and we've battled against plenty of them in the passed few days."

"How would you like Stay Puft coming back again, but bigger than before?" Venkman asked sarcastically while Michiru rolled his eyes.

"I get it Venkman; we're in trouble because of this problem. Now as Mayor of the city, what am I supposed to do about all of this?" The Mayor asked after waving his hands to stop the Ghostbusters from telling him of what the future holds if things get worse and worse.

"We need to prepare the city for the worst possible scenario." Michiru answered, hoping that the Mayor would understand everything.

"The city is my responsibility, not yours; now just do your job and stop this thing before it causes anymore damage and devastation!" The Mayor replied quickly before turning around to walk out and leave.

"Well that didn't go so well." Michiru commented once the Mayor was gone.

"What did you expect him to say? Well done and good job? Peck remarked, testing the patience of everyone around him. "The Library, Museum and Parade have all been ruined thanks to you clowns and your ghosts, the damages are going to be unbelievable; your three strikes are up and now it's going to cost all of you."

"I hate to interrupt you while you're in the middle of your macho speech Peck, but we all heard the Mayor ask us to do our jobs and stop this paranormal calamity from happening; so nothing you say is going to threaten us or our job security." Venkman said with a grin.

"Venkman, you and your ghost busting buddies are at the end of the line; you've been setting a very bad example for your new employee who I might add looks a little young for this kind of work." Peck countered, directing his attention to Michiru as he kept pointing his finger back and forth at Venkman and at the Kururugi boy in the middle of his ranting and raving. "This kid may have gained some experience working here, but someone his age should be working somewhere else; it would be bad press if he was to get injured or killed on the job and then you guys would have to explain to his parents why their son is dead. Heed my words and smarten up, or else…"

"Excuse me, I'm not a kid; and choosing what work or job I want is none of your business Peck." Michiru protested, drawing everyone's attention. "So stop pointing your finger at each of us while you talk because you're being offensive and rude. I don't know about the others, but I feel like a tree being pecked at by a wood pecker; so back off and shut your trap before someone else shuts it for you."

Peck stood speechless as everyone else other than Michiru broke out laughing their heads off at the Shikigami user's choice of words, they knew Peck would be furious; but it was well worth letting it all out and it would also divert the man's attention away from the Japanese student. Michiru could only glance back and forth at his colleagues as they continued to vent their laughter which only helped to make the head of P-COC even more angry than he already was, the Kururugi boy could only hope that his sudden outburst wouldn't enflame the situation they now found themselves in; but he had a bad feeling that it was already too late for that and now it was Peck's turn to speak his mind.

"I should have fired you phoney foul mouthed misfits back when you ruined the exhibition opening gala at the Museum last night!" Peck declared in a fit of rage as the laughing died down, looking at each of the Ghostbusters while waving his right arm around like he was the Mayor's right hand man or something. "I hope you enjoyed your moment of humour, because I'm going to put an end to all this madness now; so listen up! I'm shutting you guys down! I'm revoking your operating licenses, cancelling your government contracts; and putting you out of business pending further investigation. That's right, as head of P-COC; I have the authority and I'm shutting you and your business down today! You're all fired! Each and every one of you guys is fired, pending further investigation; beginning first thing Monday morning!"

"But you'll lose your job if we lose our business, and you heard the Mayor ordering us to stop the city from being threatened by the paranormal event that's coming into our world; firing us means you'll be fired too." Ray warned, not liking where this was going.

"It'll be worth it, so have a nice day because you're all now out of work; AND GET THAT THING AWAY FROM ME!" Peck countered as he turned and stormed out of the Firehouse, leaving everyone quiet.

"I think we need to keep an eye on him guys, he sounded serious way angrier than he usually gets." Egon suggested, after lowering his arm with the activated PKE meter he had been holding in his hand which was detecting some paranormal readings from Peck during the Environmentalist's little vent.

"You think?" Venkman asked sarcastically. "We always have to keep an eye on him when ever he shoots his mouth off and threatens us like he did just now."

"No, I mean we really need to keep an eye on him; my PKE meter was detecting some disturbing levels of PK energy coming from him during his little venting speech when he said he'd shut us down and revoke our operating licenses."

"Sorry guys, I guess I shouldn't have opened my mouth and talked like that." Michiru said apologetically.

"Oh don't let it get you down Mitch, you weren't the one who brought this on us; Peck's been after our hides for years so this isn't any worse than what he's usually dished out at us." Ray replied in an effort to cheer up the Shikigami user. "Besides, your little comeback there put that prick in his place and gave us all a good laugh at the same time so you should feel proud of yourself; I know the rest of us are right guys?"

"You better believe it Ray." Venkman answered with a grin. "Why don't we all go upstairs and have some food and drink to celebrate our success? After all, we did stop the Chairman ghost from kidnapping Ilyssa and we finally managed to catch him after a long battle."

"Sounds great, but I ordered some pizzas a while ago shortly after Ilyssa and I returned here from the Museum and I haven't got any yet so I'd like to call up the restaurant and ask why I'm still waiting for them." Winston replied.

"And while we're at it, let's see if we got any messages while all of us were out catching ghosts; I think we could all use a short nap as well after being up for over twelve hours." Ray suggested, taking the lead and going upstairs as everyone else followed.

Once everyone arrived at the top of the staircase, they all walked through the lab and sat down together at the kitchen where Ilyssa had just finished tidying up; everything was perfectly clean and neatly organized. The Ghostbusters were quite tired from spending such a long period of hours hunting and combating numerous spiritual entities and there was no doubt in Ilyssa's mind that each of them were glad to finally take a brake and relax now that everything was alright again, the lady served some mugs of fresh coffee and hot chocolate to each of the paranormal investigators so that everyone would have something hot to drink; it was a warm welcome which brightened up their moods since it was winter and also because they had all just been fired by Peck a few minutes ago. Saya, who had been hiding behind Ecto-1 when Peck and the Mayor had both walked in uninvited, flew upstairs to join everyone at the kitchen table once he was sure no one else would come through the main doorway; he didn't want to get caught and waited for several extra minutes before emerging from his hiding place.

"Why are all of you suddenly looking so glum?" Ilyssa asked curiously as she only just noticed that their moods had changed. "After all the cheering and fame you received from the crowds at the Thanksgiving parade this morning, you should be happy and excited; you're real heroes."

"All of us just got fired by Peck a few minutes ago, he's going to pull our licenses so we can't operate or do any more work investigating paranormal activities; and he's also going to start investigating each of us individually which is even worse." Ray answered.

"Get real Ray, it's the holidays; no one is going to be concerned about pulling our licenses until Monday just like Peck said himself." Venkman replied, trying to cheer everyone up. "We've got the rest of today, plus Friday and then Saturday and Sunday; we've got a four day weekend. That should give us plenty of time to stop the paranormal calamity and save the city, we'll even have time left over for ourselves afterwards to spend in anyway we please; we can go party or do what ever the heck we want and not even Peck can stop us."

"That sure sounds great, but it isn't that simple; we could be penalized for conducting any investigations as long as Peck is the head of P-COC." Winston warned. "And as long as we're forbidden from doing that, we can't even lift a finger to help save the city regardless of how much danger is threatening it; unless we go talk to the Mayor and get him to straighten Peck out so we can still work in the city."

"Dr. Venkman, I heard Peck ranting and raving downstairs earlier; I won't be coming in on Monday if the city starts being evacuated because of a massive paranormal calamity." Janine said as she walked in on everyone at the kitchen. "Catastrophic Exodus of the city does not count as a floating holiday, I know because I looked it up; so I hope we can all find some way to stop this thing before the long weekend is over or else all of us are going to find ourselves out of a job."

"Relax Janine, everything's cool; let's listen to what our loyal fans have to say to us this time." Venkman replied, pressing the playback button on the phone in order to hear all the messages that had been left during everyone's absence from the Firehouse.

"You have eleven new messages."

"You clowns know you're on the clock right?" Beep!

"You have ten new messages." Beep!

"Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters! Wahoo! You guys rock man, number one fan right here; I've been certified! Rock on busters, somebody owes me nine grand to replace some hardware that some ghost crap ripped off the building; call me back. Seriously." Beep!

"Well that was a bit much for one message." Egon commented. "How about we don't call him back unless he gives us the nine grand?"

"We need every dollar we can get now that we've been fired, but I don't think the guy would give any of it to us." Ray replied.

"You have nine new messages." Beep!

"Hi, my nephew says it's culturally insensitive to banish the spirits of Native-Americans during Thanksgiving. It is okay if I ask them not to sit in my stuffing?" Beep!

"You have eight new messages." Beep!

"Who busts the Ghostbusters? Ah! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!"

"Peck, who else?" Ray said sarcastically, causing everyone to chuckle as they drank from their mugs while continuing to listen to the answering machine.

You have seven new messages." Beep!

"Hello? Slate Wenzel, I was at the Museum opening last night and seemed to have been possessed by a ghost from hell. Do you think you could put me in touch with her again please? Oh thank you very much." Beep!

"Well there's something new, a person actually enjoys the presence of a dangerous ghost; and a possessor ghost too." Michiru said.

"Sounds like the guy has been single for most of his life and became really infatuated with the ghost who possessed him." Winston added.

"You have six new messages." Beep!

"Hello Dr. Spangler? This is Gilgamer Electronics Supply, we have all the parts you requested, but a representative from the Mayor's office; a Mr. Peck has recently informed us that all invoices from you must be approved through his office first. We called him about your order and he just laughed and hung up, for all we know; he's still laughing." Beep!

"As much as I find the last part of the message funny, the rest of it doesn't sound good at all; Peck's becoming more that just a pain in the neck." Michiru commented, not liking the fact that the head of P-COC was deliberately shutting down the Ghostbusters by any means at his disposal just for personal revenge which would further handicap the ability of the Ghostbusters to operate in the city as time went on.

"I fully agree with you Michiru, this must have happened sometime after Peck fled the Museum once it became infested with possessor ghosts; that's why we're only just finding out about this now." Egon added. "I guess I'll have to pay a visit to pick up the electronic parts I requested as well as the shipment from "We Ship it", but they can both wait until after I've had a few more minutes to rest and relax."

"You have five new messages." Beep!

"I was just calling because I was really confused about something, me and my buddies have been going fly fishing for years and we never once had any trouble crossing the streams." Beep!

"Let's just ignore that one." Venkman suggested.

"You have four new messages." Beep!

"Hey, this is Speedy Delivery Pizza; we deliver anywhere anytime. But we don't have any drivers willing to deliver to you so you got to come pick up your own, I got two extra large sausage with mushrooms and a mega veggie waiting; have a speedy delivery day." Beep!

"Winston?" Janine asked as everyone turned to look at the man. "You didn't order those three pizzas by any chance did you?"

"Hey, I just wanted a late night snack; that's all." Winston replied with an embarrassed grin as he held up his hands in defence.

"You ordered three pizzas, two of which are extra large; you call that late nights snack?" Michiru asked sarcastically as he started laughing. "The three of them are probably stone cold by now, I hope for your sake that they're all still edible after you heat them up in the microwave; otherwise you'll have to feed them all to Slimer and we all know how big of an appetite he has."

"We'll I guess I'll have to take Ecto-1 and go drive over to pick them up since Speedy Delivery Pizza has nothing but chickens working as deliverymen, I'll even walk in with my proton pack and demand that they give them to me free of charge just for making me come and get them myself; that should straighten them out." Winston countered as he finished drinking his mug of hot chocolate. "Care to join me?"

"As entertaining at that sounds, I'm too tired to go anywhere yet so I think I'll just stay here and relax; maybe some other time." Michiru answered. "Be sure to tell us how it went once you return okay Winston?"

"You bet Mitch." Winston replied with a grin. "But before I leave, let's hear the last of the phone messages here on the machine."

"You have three new messages." Beep!

"Hi, I hope I have the right number; I'm trying to find Ray's Occult bookstore and the number is out of service. I had some party favours on order, if you know anything about it; please let me know. We have an important guest coming up from the Deep South and nobody wants to disappoint him, reach me at Westchester Covet Number." Beep!

"I didn't know you owned your own bookstore Ray." Michiru responded. "Do you think maybe I could see it sometime?"

"Well as long as we've lost our jobs as Ghostbusters, I suppose I could reopen the bookstore; but all my books and belongings are in storage lockers so I'll have to move them in first." Ray replied. "That lady who called and left that message will unfortunately have to wait for a while until I can organize everything before I reopen that business, especially since the city is still in danger; among other things."

"It would be worth it Ray, you never know if you might have any books, talismans or potion ingredients for magic and sorcery." Ilyssa suggested. "Any additional items would be great to help Michiru and Saya travel safely back home to Japan, wouldn't you agree?"

"Yeah, you've got a point there Ilyssa; I'll take a ride with Winston in Ecto-1 and see how soon I can get everything moved back inside the store." Ray answered, getting a look from Winston. "After we pick up your three stone cold, but still edible pizzas of course."

"Forget it Ray, best to leave the pizzas until after everything else is done first; I don't want to pick them up just to have them sitting in the car while we're doing some chores and errands or else they could spoil." Winston replied. "Better we get everything else done and out of the way before going to Speedy Delivery Pizza, then we can come straight back here; put them in the microwave and chow right down."

"You have two new messages." Beep!

"Professor Jones, trying to find out information on the whereabouts of the Vigo painting. Do you have any idea what's happened to it? It belongs in a Museum." Beep!

"As much as I would like to help out Mr. Jones, the Vigo painting is incredibly dangerous and must remain in our hands so we can observe it and keep it from harming anyone; just like we do with all of the cursed artefacts and active samples we collect." Egon commented.

"The Vigo painting is that huge painting sitting just to the left of Janine's desk isn't it?" Ilyssa asked. "What the story with it Egon?"

"Well, it all started about five years after we first became Ghostbusters and started our ghost catching business." Egon began.

The scientist begun telling a story of how they had discovered the gigantic river of paranormal slime flowing underground beneath the city which lead to the Natural History Museum, it was thanks to the paranormal incident with Dana Barrett's child Oscar racing away in the baby carriage she was transporting him in which helped the Ghostbusters to detect the PK energy coming from it; and then they finally managed to find it a few days later during an investigative search underground. Michiru listened intently, recalling the toaster he had seen dance and sing when Ray poured some of the same slime recovered from the underground river into it; Ilyssa was now especially interested when Winston retold the sequence of how he and the Ghostbusters brought the Statue of Liberty to life and travelled to the Museum where they smashed the class roof in order to infiltrate the building so they could battle it out with the evil entity of Vigo. Venkman kept quiet since the story involved Dana Barret and exposed the relationship he had once had with her in the past, but no one was prying into the matter since everyone was currently enjoying the story of how the painting had managed to end up at the Firehouse.

"Wow that was a great story guys; thanks for bringing it up Egon." Ilyssa said excitedly. "I always wondered where that painting was from and why it would occasionally talk every now and then, it was a constant disturbance when Janine was trying to train me at her office desk; but it wasn't as annoying as Venkman was when he kept interrupting us while the rest of you were still at the Public Library."

"Glad you liked it Ilyssa, but let's hear the last message so we can continue on with the day; it's almost lunch time now." Egon said.

"You have one new message." Beep!

"Hey Winston? It's your Uncle Raymond, I'm coming to town and I want to see you. Brake out the food, turn on the TV; I'll call you later."

Beep!

"I really wish my Uncle would be a little more specific and say when he's coming to town, it would make things so much easier for me to prepare for a visit; oh well I can find out when I call him back later on." Winston replied. "But first, I got to go pick up them three pizzas."

"I'm done my coffee Winston, I'm ready to leave when you are; I'll just get my keys to unlock the bookstore and the storage lockers with all my books and stuff." Ray said, getting up to prepare for departure. "Which reminds me, I still have that fine to pay and those books to return to the Public Library; we'd better head there first. Venkman, you'd better accompany us so you can pay back that loan shark who is still waiting for that sum of money you still owe him; get off your butt and meet us downstairs because we're leaving in five minutes."

"I'll go along as well, I've got to pick up all my electronic parts and my shipment of mould; looks like the four of you will have to hold down the fort until we come back." Egon said, getting up from his chair. "Think you can handle that ladies?"

"No problem at all Egon, not while Janine and I have Michiru and Saya here to protect us." Ilyssa joked, causing Saya to laugh as he caught Ilyssa giving the Shikigami user a gorgeous smile; making Michiru blush temporarily and turn away with embarrassment.

"Looks like we're leaving Ilyssa and Janine in your capable hands Mitch, try not to pass out or do anything I wouldn't do." Venkman joked.

Before Michiru could reply or come up with a comeback, Ray and Winston spun Venkman around and got him to follow Egon downstairs so the four of them could get in Ecto-1 and depart; leaving the teenager and Saya with Ilyssa and Janine at the Firehouse which they had all to themselves for an hour or so. Janine decided to return to her desk and monitor her computer for any emails, it would also allow her to compile some computer data and file paperwork while being on hand in case any more clients or customers phoned in to ask questions or to book any appointments even though the Ghostbusters would be very busy for the next three or four days straight; regardless of the fact that Peck had only fired them a short while ago. Saya decided to go have a nap in the bedroom since he was tired out from all the activities he experienced, though he was a ghost without a mortal body; he still had the need to rest himself given how old and ancient he was. Ilyssa was looking forward to spending more time with Michiru now that they had the kitchen and laboratory all to themselves, but one glance at the Kururugi boy told her that something was troubling the mind of her young teenage friend.

"I've noticed you've been very quiet since Peck fired the Ghostbusters Michiru, are you feeling alright?" Ilyssa asked quietly, sitting down right next Michiru who was to her left as she gently put her left hand on his right shoulder. "If there's something bothering you, would you like to talk about it?"

The Shikigami user remained silent for a few moments, for he was hesitant; there was another matter besides the one that involved Peck and the Ghostbusters which greatly troubled Michiru's mind and he was reluctant about talking about either one of them even though he knew he could trust Ilyssa as a friend. But in the end, he knew from experience that keeping everything bottled up inside only placed a greater burden of stress on himself; and he would eventually have to let it all out or else snap after he found he couldn't take it any longer. He had talked to Ilyssa before about some troubling matters, namely the one where he had fallen in love with Sango and when he had become jealous of her showing concern for Miroku when the monk had caught a light fever even though he was still the same lecherous pervert everyone knew him to be; this later lead to the nightmarish incident when Michiru's heart had been shattered by the demon Mahoro who had transformed himself to look like Sango in order to lure the Kururugi boy into a trap by using his object of affection as bait which only demoralized the young teenager even further. But the worst of those matters was when Michiru wondered constantly about whether or not his verbal declaration of love for Sango was putting the young warrior woman in any pain since she now had to choose between Michiru and Miroku, not an easy decision; let alone a comfortable one since two out of the three people in the so called love triangle would be suffering from guilt while the third person would fall victim to the role of who ever was rejected and denied a romantic relationship with her.

That particular problem had now resurfaced when Michiru had discovered that his secret affection for Sango and the feelings he had towards her were somehow found out by Kagome and Inuyasha, it didn't matter how either of them found out; what worried Michiru the most was that Sango was probably under more stress than she had been before even though Inuyasha had managed to avoid telling how she was doing now that she had her brother Kohaku back and everything was peaceful again thanks to Naraku being dead. But if Kagome and Inuyasha were now aware of his feelings for Sango, there was no question that the others had also found out as well; namely Miroku who was also attracted to the beautiful demon slayer. How was he coping with this sudden discovery? What would his reaction be once he knew that one of his friends had fallen in love with the same lovely girl that he was infatuated with? Michiru could only imagine the amount of emotional suffering that both Sango and Miroku were currently experiencing, and he felt guilty for being the cause of it just because he declared his love for the woman he had befriended and fallen in love with over the course of his adventures throughout Feudal Japan. The less troubling matter was finding a way to return to Japan as well as the Feudal era, although the Shikigami user had successfully found a means of travelling through time; he still had to return to his own home inside his own country first which was hadn't been solved yet. And to make both of these matters worse, Peck had now fired the Ghostbusters and was going to launch an investigation; which could possibly expose Michiru's identity and label him as a foreigner who had entered the United States illegally even though it wasn't his fault. But before he could think any further, Ilyssa spoke again; bringing Michiru back to reality.

"If you're worried about Peck and his investigation that he's going to launch, I'm still going to make sure you safely return home; even if it means working all night to help you train with your magic so you can practice levitating that Persian Rug you were telling me about at the Museum yesterday evening." Ilyssa stated, trying to dispel the worries that currently plagued the Japanese's student's mind. "It was your idea and I'll help you see it through to the end no matter what It takes, Saya and I helped you researching for data on your Shikigami powers so this shouldn't be as difficult; don't let your fear of heights scare you because you have to face it in order to fly back home."

"I know we only have a few days until Monday arrives Ilyssa, but that's not all that I'm troubled about right now." Michiru replied softly.

"Has anything happened recently that's causing you to worry?" Ilyssa asked, wondering what could possibly be worrying her young friend if not Peck firing all of the Ghostbusters and putting them and Michiru under investigation. "Anything other than Peck firing everyone?"

"While I was searching underground with the Ghostbusters, I-I got a phone call from my friend Kagome; she wanted to have a talk with me." Michiru answered as the feelings of guilt and emotional pain that he had kept hidden started to take hold of him during the present state of vulnerability he was experiencing. "She hadn't been able to chat during the last occasion I called her house and so she just happened to take a chance and phone me even though she wasn't aware of the time difference between Tokyo and New York."

"What did she want to talk to you about?" Ilyssa asked, getting worried as she watched Michiru turn his head to look away from her; but staying quiet and waiting patiently for the Shikigami user to overcome the emotions he was burdened with first so he could answer back.

"I don't know how, b-but she…Kagome recently found out that I had told Sango I loved her before I left the Feudal era and was summoned back home; and Inuyasha somehow found out as well even before she did which is why she was questioning me about it during our talk." Michiru began, unable to face Ilyssa as he broke down and cried; fresh tears rolling down his face little by little. "She was asking me why I didn't trust her as much as Inuyasha and when I told her I didn't understand why she had gotten that impression from me, that eventually lead to both of us discussing what I had said to Sango; and then she tried to discourage me when she said I was playing with fire by coming between her and Miroku. It got out of hand and when I realized that she had been eavesdropping on an earlier conversation that I had with Inuyasha, that's what probably gave Kagome her suspicions of how I felt towards Sango; she just didn't have enough information to go on until after we began talking together. We apologized to each other, but I couldn't take another minute of it so I said goodbye and hung up on her; even though I knew it was wrong to end our conversation on bad terms like that. Inuyasha and Kagome are probably arguing with each other over all of this, they constantly argue over the littlest things; but this is worse. And now that Kagome and Inuyasha know of how I feel for Sango, everyone else must know as well; including Miroku. I can't imagine how he's taking all of this, and I don't even want to guess what Sango is going through now that everyone else knows what I had said to her; she's probably suffering horribly from being interrogated over and over again and it's my entire fault."

The Leather clad Lady didn't know what to words to say, so she responded instinctively as a mother or big sister would have done in order to comfort a younger relative who was in a state of depression as Michiru was; she pulled him away from the table and embraced the young teen in a gentle hug to help ease the pain of letting everything out until all of the worries and feelings of guilt had been expelled from her friend. As the poor boy continued to cry, Ilyssa tenderly rubbed her hands on Michiru's back in circular motions in an effort to let him know she was there for him and that everything would be alright; although she knew in her mind that it wouldn't be easy for the Kururugi boy and his friends to repair the damage done to the bonds which had bound them together. The grown woman was grateful that the two of them had the kitchen and laboratory all to themselves with no one around to disturb them, otherwise Michiru wouldn't have been able to spill everything in order to get all of this out of his system; it must have been painful for him to contain all of this once his talk with Kagome had ended and he certainly did a good job of hiding it from everyone else for all those long hours until this very moment. After a few more minutes, Michiru eventually stopped crying which gave Ilyssa the chance to speak while she continued to hold him close in her arms; carefully thinking of what to say first before talking aloud to the boy who felt both sad and ashamed at the same time.

"I can understand how painful all that must have been for you Michiru, and I know that you feel guilty because of what's going on; but you must believe me when I tell you that none of it is your fault." Ilyssa said soothingly. "You didn't even know that two of your friends had already known about your feelings for Sango or how each of them would react once they became aware of it, choosing different courses of action to take which eventually lead to everyone else finding out; don't feel bad about being the cause of everything because all of the blame cannot rest on your shoulders."

"Who else is there to blame?" Michiru asked, finding it hard to believe that he wasn't the only person at fault.

"Please don't talk like that Michiru; you've done nothing wrong; telling someone that you love them is nothing wrong." Ilyssa countered. "Being honest with your feelings is nothing wrong, if one or two of your friends have any objections to that; that's their problem and not yours. You aren't the first person in the world who has fallen in love with a girl that another boy is also interested in, and that doesn't make you a bad person, you're a very good person Michiru because of how you care for others and what you've done to help them out. You told me how much you worry about Sango suffering because of all this, I'm sure she's worrying about you as well and I know she wouldn't what you to feel hurt; so please try to cheer up for her sake as well as for your own because that's the best thing for you to do right now."

The Shikigami user slowly processed every word that Ilyssa had spoken to him, carefully understanding everything as best as he could while he remained silent; he had stopped crying and was much more calm than he had been a minute ago so the worst was finally over now that this heavy burden was off of his shoulders and out of his system. Michiru took a few more deep breaths to steady himself, but he eventually felt better after a few more seconds had gone by; long enough to let go of his worries and put them all behind him. Once he felt he was recovered, Michiru slowly freed himself from Ilyssa's gentle embrace and got up from the chair he had been sitting in so that he was now standing in front of his female friend who had given him so much support for which he was very appreciative. When he stood up, Ilyssa also got up as well just to make sure that he was indeed feeling better; looking at his face with concern which was still reddened from all the tears from his eyes. But as Michiru wiped away the last of them with his fists and managed a weak smile, Ilyssa quickly figured out that the boy's worries were over; just as all the suffering he had experienced faded away with each passing moment.

"I feel a lot better now, but I think I'd like to take a short nap; I haven't slept since yesterday afternoon after all." Michiru, smiling weakly before he surprised Ilyssa by giving her a hug and holding the older woman for nearly half a minute to repay her for cheering him up yet again. "Thank you very much Ilyssa, I'll never forget everything that you've done for me; I'll miss you a lot when I eventually return home and I'll always remember how much fun we enjoyed together as friends."

"Your welcome Michiru, I'll miss you a lot too and I'll also remember all of the fun times we had together; you can count on that." Ilyssa replied smiling sweetly, before she backed up a bit in order to look Michiru in the face; using her hand to lift his chin up so that he was facing her. "But until that day comes, I'm looking forward to enjoying what ever good times are left for us to share together before you leave; and remember that you can always come to me when ever you'd like if you need to talk about anything like you did today. Okay?"

"I promise Ilyssa, thanks again." Michiru answered, looking happier than he had been before; even though his face was red from crying.

After sharing one more quick hug, Michiru quickly drank the last of his hot chocolate and went to the bedroom; laying down on his bed for a much needed nap. It had been about eighteen hours or so since the last time he had slept so this felt like heaven right now as he rested himself comfortably on top of the soft blankets with the pillow underneath his head, with the heavy burden of guilty feelings and shame no longer trapped inside; it was much easier to relax in order to get the rest he needed. As Michiru slowly feel asleep, his mind came to life with images of Sango and Kirara together; some of which were memories of the days that the three of them had shared together when everyone took a day off from their travels to rest and relax and those were especially precious moments for him to remember. Ilyssa sat back at the kitchen table smiling to herself, happy that her efforts had worked again and that Michiru was feeling better once more; for she knew he needed to be in good condition both mentally and physically if he was to eventually return home soon.

About an hour and a half later, Ecto-1 had returned and parked inside of the Firehouse; everyone began unloading all of the stuff that Egon had ordered and purchased from the two different companies while Janine came with Ilyssa and took all of the three pizzas upstairs to the kitchen where they could be heated up in the microwave; just in time for lunch since it was a few minutes to 12:00. Although pizza wasn't exactly what both ladies would call a healthy meal at lunchtime, they were willing to let it slide since they knew how hard everyone worked; and it was nice every now and then to eat without having to cook. Saya had awoken when the noise of Ecto-1's siren echoed upstairs, prompting him to come out and see what was going on now that the Ghostbusters had returned from their errands; but Michiru was still fast asleep and not even the sirens coming from downstairs would be enough to interrupt him from what ever beautiful dreams his unconscious mind was presently enjoying.

"Hello Saya, did you have a good nap?" Ilyssa asked as she and Janine set the pizzas down on the kitchen counter.

"Yes, better than good; it was great." Saya replied, floating freely about the spacious room. "I noticed Michiru is having a nap as well, but I didn't want to disturb him because he looked real happy; he must be having a really good dream judging by the expression on his face."

"That's too bad, Egon wants all of us to eat lunch quickly so we can all get as much work done as we can before the weekend gets here; especially now that Peck has fired everyone." Janine pouted. "Oh well, it can't be helped; I guess one of us will have to wake Michiru up."

"I'll do it; I know he won't angry with me; even if I wake him up from having a good dream." Ilyssa said voluntarily, strolling into the bedroom where she found the Kururugi boy resting peacefully on top of his bed; looking completely at ease without any worry in the world. She didn't want to disturb him, but he needed to get up; so she gently placed her hands on the young boy's shoulders and shook him lightly as she spoke softly in an effort to wake him from sleep. "Michiru…Michiru? Time to wake up, lunch is nearly ready."

"I told you he must be having a good dream." Saya said as he flew inside to check on his friends. "The better the dream, the deeper the sleeper; good luck trying to wake that boy up."

"I think I have an idea of how to bring him out of it." Ilyssa countered with a grin, moving her hands down to Michiru's waist. "Wake up!"

"Ahh!" Michiru yelped, practically falling off the other side of the bed at the sudden shock of being tickled for several seconds; coming to his senses and blushing as he beheld Ilyssa giggling and Saya laughing which told him who had resorted to such cheap methods just to rouse him from his nap. "What was that for? I was having a really great dream just now. Couldn't you have waited a few more minutes?"

"S-Sorry Michiru, b-but I had to wake you up so we could all have lunch together; Egon says that he wants all of us to get as much work done as we possibly can before the weekend arrives so we can't afford to waste precious time." Ilyssa answered apologetically, trying her best to stop giggling as Michiru got to his feet and straightened out the blankets on his bed so it looked neat again. "Do you forgive me?"

"You don't need to be forgiven for something as minor as that, you're my friend Ilyssa; though I will say tickling me by surprise was a bit overboard for waking me up." Michiru answered as Ilyssa rewarded him with one of her irresistible smiles that always made him blush.

"So you say you were having a really great dream. What was it about? Did it involve Sango?" Ilyssa asked playfully in her sweet voice, getting immense satisfaction from the embarrassed boy whose blushing face was turning from pink to red. "You can tell me, I won't laugh."

"Y-Yes, n-nothing inappropriate happened though; I swear." Michiru blurted out, getting a nod from Ilyssa; allowing him to recover himself before continuing. "It was daytime and all I could see was Sango standing in the middle of a great big field of flowers, the sunshine was causing everything to light up and shine brightly; she looked so…very beautiful. She didn't speak or say any words, but I could tell from her smiling face that she was truly happy; which is a rare sight to see given how much pain she's had to endure throughout the time that I've known her. I actually remember seeing her in that very same field during one of our last days off that we enjoyed together, she even giggled because she thought it was funny that I was spaced out even though she had no idea that it was her beauty that captivated my attention and not all of the lovely flowers as she had thought."

"Well I'm glad you enjoyed most of it before I had to interrupt you from it, let's get going the kitchen; Janine probably has the pizzas all waiting to be heated up and served." Ilyssa replied, playfully running her fingers through Michiru's hair for a moment before taking the lead and exiting the bedroom; followed by the teenager and Saya.

"Janine, I've been meaning to ask you something; but I always kept forgetting up until now." Michiru asked curiously as he entered the kitchen with his two friends. "Why do you keep that huge Vigo painting right by your office? Doesn't it freak you out or disturb you at all while you're trying to work?"

"I'll let the three of you in on a little secret, but promise not to tell." Janine replied, getting a nod from her three companions as she made sure that they were alone on the top floor. "The Vigo painting gives him the creeps, probably because of the battle inside of the Museum so many years ago when he and the Ghostbusters stopped Vigo's evil spirit from being reborn into Dana Barrett's little baby boy Oscar; Dana and Venkman used to date each other a while back shortly after that happened. But anyway, I keep it there because Vigo's spirit is trapped inside and he'll drive Venkman nuts when ever he speaks just as Slimer drives him nuts with all his grunts and weird facial expressions as that green ghost looks out through the glass prison he's in. With the Vigo painting to my left and Slimer inside his cell on my right, they both help keep Venkman away and out of my hair so I can work in peace without being annoyed or disturbed."

"That's very funny, I never would have guessed." Saya answered as all of them laughed amongst themselves, until they were forced to suppress their laughter once they saw Egon and the others entering the laboratory after ascending the staircase. "Our lips are sealed."

"So how was your visit to Speedy Delivery Pizza Winston?" Ilyssa asked excitedly, hoping that it was an entertaining experience.

"I was wrong about all their delivery drivers being chickens, it turns out that I was given that message so that I'd come down there myself to pick up those pizzas and needless to say; our presence got everyone fired up." Winston answered with a grin as everyone listened. "When I paid for them at the till, customers and workers were begging all of us for autographs and photographs; which is also why we were a little delayed even after we finished our other errands before going there. The manager of the place had a hard time ordering his employees to get back to work, although I think it was his idea to get us to come down there in order to increase the popularity of his business; you should have come down with us Michiru because you missed the chance of flirting with some fine young girls your age; most of them say they saw your face briefly on TV when we saved the day at the parade this morning before our famous get away drive."

"I'm glad you guys had fun Winston, but autographs and photographs could risk giving away my identity; and I already found a special person who's waiting for me back in Japan's feudal era." Michiru answered, openly admitting his feelings for Sango. "I hope anyway."

"You hear that guys, there's going to be a lot of broken hearts the next time I visit Speedy Delivery Pizza and all the female teen workers ask me why our youngest member of the Ghostbusters didn't make an appearance." Winston joked. "But they'll learn to get over it."

"Life is so hard when one is so young." Venkman said sarcastically. "When all of them reach our age; they'll wish they could stay young."

"So did you manage to pick up all of the equipment and stuff that you had ordered a while ago Egon?" Janine asked curiously.

"Yes, but only after having a short talk with the manager of the company where I had requested all the electronic components from; we're lucky that he agreed to give me the shipment if I could still pay for it without the need for a business expense invoice from the Mayor's office." Egon answered. "If Peck knew about it, I'm positive he'd throw a fit of rage; and pay us another visit so he could yell at us again with more accusations and threats just like he did earlier this morning. And I also got my other shipment of mould with no trouble at all which is even better, I'm expecting a delivery truck from both companies to arrive here today and drop off everything I had ordered and we'll have to help bring everything inside; that's why we're eating lunch right now so we can be ready. Ray paid his fine once he returned the books he signed out from the Library, and Venkman paid his debt that he owed as well so we all accomplished some errands which are now done and out of our way. Despite being fired by Peck and being threatened by him, we're still doing fine; all things considered."

"And Winston got to pick up his three pizzas, so we got to enjoy some more fame and glory for a bit during our visit to Speedy Delivery Pizza; it came as a nice bonus to cheer us up after we completed our errands." Venkman added. "Speaking of which, are they heated up and ready to be eaten yet?"

"Hot and ready to eat, but don't wolf it down or you'll choke to death." Janine warned as she brought all three pizzas out of the oven in which they had been reheated, Ilyssa and Michiru helped the red haired woman to carry them over to the lab table a short distance away so that everyone could gather their plates and walk over to grab what slices they wanted before returning to the round kitchen table where they could sit down and eat. "I'll get some cold lemonade from the fridge; you'll need it since the pizza is really hot so be careful eating."

"Ilyssa, I did some checking around and did an inventory of all my stuff; we could probably move everything from storage back inside and reopen the place as early as Saturday or Sunday." Ray stated, getting the Ilyssa's attention. "But we'll probably have to put that on hold since we need to take advantage of the long weekend in order to try and save the city from the paranormal apocalypse first, since everyone living in the city is now in danger even though Peck doesn't seem to care as long as he sees us go out of business."

"I understand Ray, just be careful that you don't get Peck's attention or else he might make things worse than they are already." Ilyssa responded, handing out sheets of paper towel for everyone to use as napkins to wipe their hands and faces before getting a plate to get herself some pizza. "We not only have the city to save, but we also have to help Michiru return home as well; before Monday arrives."

"We haven't forgotten about that Ilyssa, which is why you and Saya are going to spend part of the afternoon with Michiru again to continue with your research; I hope that you have just as much success as you did when the three of you discovered how to travel through time." Egon replied. "Janine? The rest of us are going to need your help to look online for any more underground blueprints related to all of the construction projects throughout the city which have been modified by the Shandor Foundation, it could help us uncover clues about the massive underground canal system we discovered during our battle at the Museum; I'm afraid that's the only real lead we have to go on unless we receive any phone calls regarding paranormal activity."

"Got it Egon, I'll have to search online from my office downstairs so I can still answer the phone in case someone calls; but we can always stay in touch by using your hand radios that each of you guys carry with you in the field." Janine suggested drinking some lemonade.

"Great idea Janine, that allows us to stay here upstairs and use the other computers to look around as well; and for printing off any blueprints or construction plans we need." Ray added, agreeing with the suggestion as he ate. "Oh that's right, I have to feed Slimer."

"Don't worry Ray, I fed him some food early this morning after I returned here with Ilyssa when all you guys had gone underground searching for the Chairman's ghost; Janine and Ilyssa both saw me feeding him so everything is cool." Winston replied.

"Are you guys becoming attached to that slimy onion head?" Venkman asked with concern. "He's only taking advantage of your generosity so he can try and escape, if we're forced to recapture him again; that manager of the Sedgewick Hotel is going to cuss at us non-stop."

"Relax Peter; he understands human speech so you've got nothing to worry about; unless of course you make him mad." Michiru said, drawing everyone's attention. "Yesterday before I made breakfast, I told him not to tease me or else I wouldn't feed him again."

"Wow, he must have been reading that dictionary I gave him which would explain his communication skills." Egon said. "Very interesting."

"Well I'll be, maybe Slimer can even talk back and engage in a conversation; that would be something." Ray commented. "Incredible."

"So what was Slimer teasing you about anyway Mitch?" Venkman asked curiously, making the teen hesitant as all eyes focused on him.

"He was grinning mischievously while giving me thumbs up just after I finished having a short chat with Ilyssa, she then went upstairs to go have a shower; that was in the morning just before I had started cooking breakfast for all of us yesterday." Michiru answered timidly, feeling uncomfortable as he noticed Ray and Winston eyeing each other momentarily; probably thinking of hatching another scheme.

"Eh um, now that we've finished eating; its time we all went to work." Egon suggested, closing the matter to save Michiru from any further embarrassment. "Saya, I'm going to need you to show me the route you took to relocate us underground after Janine gave you that map during our hunt for the Chairman ghost; you can go join Michiru and Ilyssa after you've helped the rest of us first."

While Janine and Ilyssa gathered up the dirty dishes to put in the sink, Michiru went to get his back pack which was full of all his belongings from his trip to Japan's Feudal era along with his notes and all the research papers that he and Ilyssa had printed off from the computers during yesterday afternoon when they had worked together. Saya was plotting out his underground travel route on the map for Egon to see so that the scientist could figure out where the secret canal system connected to all of the conventional underground water, gas and sewer systems which were built beneath the whole city. Winston and Venkman were reading through all of the reports they had gathered up regarding paranormal occurrences throughout the city so they could arrange them in an accurate timeline and mark them at each of their designated origin points in the hopes of finding a pattern so they could predict where their next destination would be. Once Michiru had all of his necessary items and materials downstairs at the couch a short distance away from the left of where Ecto-1 was parked and also close to the Vigo painting which was just to the left of Janine's office desk.

"Ray, there's something I need to take downstairs but it's too heavy for me to lift by myself. Could you help me carry it please?" Michiru asked after returning back up to the laboratory where Winston was just turning on one of the computers to search online for information on all of the construction sites where the Shandor Foundation had done modifications to existing buildings and other public works.

"Sure Michiru." Ray replied, following the Japanese student into the bedroom. "So what is it that we're moving? That thing?"

"Yes, I need it for idea I have in mind; but it would be better if I experimented with it downstairs." Michiru answered, after positioning himself to pick up and carry the huge Persian rug which was rolled up and resting beside one of the beds right in front of the doorway.

"Okay, if you say so; ready?" Ray responded, getting himself ready to pick up the other end of the long rolled up cursed artefact. "Lift."

The two coworkers managed to pick up the heavy object and rest each end of it on one of their shoulders before they manoeuvred until they could successfully exit the bedroom without incident, then they walked to the other end of the building and carefully adjusted their movements so they could go down the stairs; allowing them to set down the heavy load once they reached the main floor where Michiru had left his collected items and research materials on the couch. Before they could return however, there was a knock at the door; which made them wonder who it was considering that they had been fired several hours and that they couldn't operate without any licenses. Upon opening the door, Ray saw that there was a group of gentlemen from two delivery trucks that had come from different companies to drop off two shipments of materials; both Michiru and Ray realized that the shipments were from the companies that Egon had ordered all his stuff from which prompted them to summon the scientist downstairs so he could inspect all the products before he accepted the deliveries and sign for them.

Michiru raced upstairs to summon Egon, then everyone came downstairs to have a look at everything; it took five minutes to inspect all of the items before he was satisfied with their condition and then he finally signed for them which gave the deliverymen the go ahead to unload and bring each of the boxes inside. The shipment of electronic parts was quite small compared with the enormous shipment of mould which Egon had gotten from the other delivery truck, the Ghostbusters lent a hand and helped the deliverymen to carry all of the boxes inside; all of the boxes filled with electronic parts went upstairs to the laboratory while all the other boxes containing the Carpathian Dung Bach Mould were taken downstairs where they could be stored in the subbasement. It was a long laborious task, but after a while; it was eventually accomplished and the deliverymen thanked the Ghostbusters for helping them unload everything before wishing them well now that they had to return to their workplaces and continue on with the day. Once the trucks drove away, Egon returned back inside and upstairs with the Ghostbusters while Janine went to her desk and Ilyssa sat down with Michiru on the couch to look over all the research material they had found yesterday afternoon.

"Janine?" Egon called from the laboratory, using his hand radio to talk with Janine who was downstairs below at her desk with a large radio similar to the car radio inside Ecto-1 so she could communicate with any of the Ghostbusters if it was necessary. "The guys and I are presently making a timeline of every paranormal occurrence throughout the city dating back as far as possible in order to track the origin points and map them, I don't know if we'll find a pattern to them; but it doesn't hurt to try. I need you to find and print out as many blueprints of any and all underground construction projects that have been modified by the Shandor Foundation, try and find a date for each of them as well; it would be a great help."

"Copy that, I'll call you as soon as I've found everything." Janine replied back over her radio, logging into her office computer at her desk.

"I'm need to have an ion shower guys, I'm still wearing my dirty uniform which was soaked with slime during our battle at the Museum, you'd better have one as well Ray since your outfit is also soaked as well." Venkman said, before taking off. "Don't work too hard guys."

"We have a few days to solve this mystery so we can figure out how to stop this paranormal dimension from destroying the city Venkman." Ray countered as he was checking through filed work reports and ghost sightings with Egon and Venkman. "That our job as Ghostbusters, regardless of the fact that Peck shut us down; the citizens of this city are counting on us to win so we have to work hard."

"Hey Egon, check this out; this is the same webpage that Janine found early this morning when Saya said you guys needed an map of the underground sewer systems to navigate and track down the Chairman ghost." Winston pointed out, sitting at one of the lab computers which were currently visiting an information site on the blueprints of all the water and gas lines beneath the city. "If I can print off the section of the blueprints beneath the Museum, that could help us try and figure out how that secret labyrinth you guys found is connected to the sewer systems in order to see how far they spread underground."

"Good work Winston, you'll have to look at Saya's map and make sure that the scales match up; otherwise we won't be able to get an accurate picture of how everything connects together." Egon replied, still looking through reports. "How's the timeline coming Ray?"

"Its coming along fine Egon, but so far there's no indication of any pattern to the paranormal occurrences as yet if one even exits; I dare say we won't be able to discover it until all of the events have been accurately recorded in chronological order first." Ray answered, writing down events with time dates and address locations of each origin point throughout the city. "We also don't know whether the pattern is based on time, locations or huge cataclysmic events that endanger the city; we might have to think outside the box to find our answers."

"All the data we collected and analysed might help, I'll read through the Gozerian Codex in case it provides some clues we might be looking for that could help us find out where and when the ghost world attempts to break through into our own; then we can try to stop it."

Meanwhile downstairs, Michiru and Ilyssa were both sitting together on the couch; reading through all of the notes and information papers they had from yesterday which had information regarding Chinese and Japanese elements; etc. Ilyssa took a glance at Michiru and saw how hard he was concentrating, the inescapable fact that they only had a few days to solve everything in addition to saving the city was more than enough motivation which is why the Kururugi boy was completely unaware that she was staring at him so intently; the woman had great respect and admiration for this teenage boy who had already been through so much and was still so young in age compared with herself. It would be difficult for both of them to eventually say goodbye when the time finally came for Michiru to return home to his own country, but it was all for the best and she knew how much he wanted to return to Japan so he could see his family and friends again; especially Sango who dwelled in the Feudal era.

"Having any luck Michiru?" Ilyssa asked, eager to end the boring silence by striking up a conversation when she saw him studying his paper which he had brainstormed all of his ideas which theoretically connected to all the data they had found on the internet together.

"Sort of, I think my green bird Shikigami is probably going to be needed in order to levitate this Persian rug; it can fly after all and also because it might be able to navigate in order to stay on a direct course while travelling back to Japan." Michiru explained. "Some species of birds that have to migrate great distances all over the world rely on tiny ions inside of their brains that align with the magnetic field of the earth so they can accurately navigate, you know; like geese when they have to fly south every winter. Since I'll be travelling westwards across the Pacific ocean, my Shikigami will have no landmarks to use for reference points; meaning it will have to rely on the same advantage that geese and other migratory birds use so that we can both travel the thousands of miles from New York to Tokyo."

"And how may I ask is your bird Shikigami going to know that you want to travel to Tokyo Japan?" Ilyssa asked curiously.

"Remember how the Void element represents the spirit, thought and creative energy of the human body?" Michiru asked, getting a nod from Ilyssa before he continued further. "It also represents our ability to think, and communicate as well as our creative energy which can be associated with power; creativity and inventiveness. As long as I keep thinking of where I want to travel too, the Shikigami bird will know that too and use the same navigational means as migratory birds in order to fly in the right direction until we eventually reach our destination; I also have the world map that Utsugi and Kakuju took from Kagome's house so I can use that as well. Now in case you're wondering why Ray helped me bring the rug down here, you told me I had to overcome my fear of heights and so I thought it would be beneficial to practice levitating here because the ceiling is so high which will allow me to move around without colliding with anything."

"Well before you devise a spell, perhaps we should take some safety precautions first; I wouldn't want you to suddenly fall and hurt yourself while you try and fly." Ilyssa replied, getting up from the couch and walking over to Janine's desk. "Janine, would you know where Michiru and I could find some large tarps like the ones that truck drivers use to protect materials from falling rain and snow?"

"Yeah, I believe there's a few bundled up ones stored in the bedroom behind Venkman's office where you and I sleep." Janine answered.

"Thank you, come on Michiru." Ilyssa said, heading for the door which leads to the bedroom while Michiru got off of the couch to follow her.

Once the two of them entered into the bedroom, they found three of them; each one bundled up and fastened together with one or two bungee cords. Ilyssa and Michiru each dragged one bundled tarp out of the bedroom, passed Janine's office and over to wear they were sitting before on the couch; catching Slimer's attention as he watched them curiously. Next, they cleared the floor by moving the vacuum cleaner and both garbage bins out of the way so that they would have more move to work; and closed the back door of Ecto-1 so it wouldn't be an obstruction. Thirdly, they removed the bungee cords holding one of the tarps bundled up and unravelled in order to see how much area it could cover on the floor; Ilyssa and Michiru hooked both of the Bungee cords up to the two corners of the rectangular tarp and fastened them each of the two tall dark green painted vertical posts made of metal which were positioned on either side of Ecto-1. Once the one large side of the tarp was suspended at the same level as Ecto-1's roof about five feet above the floor, Michiru and Ilyssa pulled the other bundled tarp a short distance in front of Janine's desk so they could unravel it as well; then they used some spare robe they had found to tightly tie both tarps together by inserting the robe through the holes that they had lined up until they completed the task of combining both tarps together into one massive one which was roughly about twenty feet in width by twenty-five feet in length.

"So what exactly are the two of you trying to do anyway?" Janine asked curiously as she got up from her chair to see what was going on.

"Michiru is going to try to levitate that rug you see rolled up over there by the couch, just to be safe; I wanted to use these tarps as a safety net so he wouldn't hit the floor in case he accidentally falls." Ilyssa answered, causing Janine to look momentarily shocked and surprised.

"Need any extra help?" Janine asked, thinking that she should lend a hand to avoid any unwanted accidents.

"Yes please Janine, we'd both appreciate it." Michiru answered as he dragged the Persian rug over top of the enormous tarp and then proceeded to unroll it until it became flat and spread out, it was a fine bright red colour with a beautiful pattern of multiple lines and crisscrossing dashes almost like that of an old tapestry; the underside had been a dull yellow and a light grey colour when it had been rolled up with the same pattern as on the upper side. "Wow, this is a beautiful rug and look how huge it is; it must be about six and a half feet wide by nine feet long!"

"That's a very good thing Michiru, it will be large enough to carry you and also your big duffle bag filled with all of your belongings." Ilyssa pointed out. "And don't forget about the sword Sounga which is being contained inside that long trap that the Ghostbusters built as well."

"You're really serious about flying all the way home on this thing?" Janine asked, wondering if Michiru was sure of what he was doing.

"I don't see any other alternative; it would be a great deal safer then flying on the Sounga which is what brought me here to begin with." Michiru answered, stepping into the centre of the Persian rug and getting down on his hands and knees before thinking of what to do next. "Okay, I'll try using my magic and just levitate upwards nice and slowly; you two be ready to fasten the other corners of the tarp to each of those two metal green coloured posts once I'm high enough off the floor."

"Got it Michiru, anything else you need us to do?" Ilyssa asked while she and Janine got into position and prepared to lift each corner of the tarp and pull it towards the nearby posts.

"Yeah, please don't scream or shout; I don't want to loose concentration or cause any panic." Michiru said with an apologetic look as he prepared himself for the inevitable task he was about to attempt. "Oh overflowing blue sky! Bring to life this rug I ride and allow me to fly!"

As soon as those words parted the Kururugi boy's lips, the glowing red star shaped pentagram appeared beneath him; and his Shikigami familiar which had been summoned was in fact the Bird surrounded by a bright aura of magical green light. The Bird flapped its wings as it hovered above the Japanese student, studying the Persian rug on which he was positioned for a few moments before it swooped down and vanished instantaneously upon impact with the object; leaving the three humans in complete silence as they waited with baited breath for what ever occurred next. Michiru was turning his head to look all around him for a sign of his Shikigami familiar who had now mysteriously vanished without leaving a trace, wondering whether he had done or said something wrong which caused this sudden silence; but then Michiru noticed what felt like a constant vibration beneath his fingers as he gripped the fabric in each of his hands to prepare for any sudden movements. He could have sworn it felt like a heart beat, almost as if the fabric belonged to a living animal; making him breath slowly in order to stay calm as he looked and listened for any more signs of paranormal activity.

"Is everything alright Michiru?" Ilyssa asked with concern as she watched the nervous expression on the young boy's face.

"Lift up." Michiru whispered quietly, thinking the same thought in his mind; only to find himself stunned with surprise when the Persian rug suddenly lifted off the floor and rose upwards ever so slowly. "Ascend slowly, gently; stay level and upright."

Janine and Ilyssa had their eyes and mouths widen with shock, watching in amazement as their friend slowly floated upwards in a vertical direction; then they recovered after ten seconds or so and fastened the other corners of the enormous tarp to both of the metal posts. Then they backed away in order to get a better view of the supernatural scene occurring, at least if Michiru and the carpet suddenly fell without warning; he would be caught and saved by the tarp which was suspended about five feet above the floor to prevent him from injuring or killing himself. Slimer was also watching the unbelievable event from inside of his glass prison; this was truly a sight to behold; for he had never seen a living mortal fly like this in all his days as a ghost. By now, Michiru was approaching the ceiling and he mentally thought of coming to a halt to avoid hitting his head; then he did the same thing by asking to descend slowly so he could return back down in order to return to a less hazardous height above the floor. As he slowly descended, Michiru carefully stayed focused; waiting patiently until he and the Persian rug gracefully perched themselves in the middle of the enormous tarp which caught them like a safety net.

"Well done Michiru, you did it; you really did it." Ilyssa exclaimed, trying to stay calm as she became overwhelmed with excitement and joy.

"Thank you my familiar feathered friend, thank you." Michiru whispered in gratitude for the invaluable aid his Bird Shikigami had provided for him, petting the fabric of the carpet as if it was the living body of the Bird familiar he had summoned. "Wow that was just…wow."

"How are you feeling Michiru? Janine asked with a smile as she waved at the teenager. "Are you doing alright there?"

"Just fine Janine, thanks for asking." Michiru answered, waving back at both Janine and Ilyssa at once; before crawling over to the edge of the tarp so he could get down to the hard firm floor which was still five feet below him. "I didn't think it would be as simple as…"

Before he could finish his sentence, Michiru found himself enveloped in a welcoming hug as Ilyssa took the unprepared boy in her arms to hold him close; feeling relieved that the Shikigami user had successfully endured his first flight without incident. Janine winked at the teenager when he looked to her for some sort of help, but she found his predicament amusing and she was just as happy as Ilyssa was to see Michiru completely unhurt after levitating so high off of the floor. Unbeknownst to any of the three human beings, Slimer was grinning mischievously as he saw Michiru's embarrassed state of being in the arms of the attractive adult who had embraced him. Although the green ghost was secretly envious of the young lad, he was also getting immense satisfaction from the entertaining events taking place just outside of his confined living quarters; and so he floated around waiting for what would happen after the two friends ended the hug they were sharing.

"Nice to see you too Ilyssa, I'm sorry if I worried you at all when I was ascending up to the ceiling like that." Michiru said, in an effort to dispel any worries that his female friend may have had in regards to his safety as he slowly hugged her as well.

"Its okay, I got over it; I was just so happy and relieved at the same time so I couldn't help myself." Ilyssa replied back before she at last let go of the young paranormal investigator. "Now that you know you can levitate up and down on that Persian rug, what's your next plan?"

Michiru suddenly hatched an idea, and he politely informed Ilyssa to wait downstairs while he raced up to the top floor where Egon and the Ghostbusters were still trying to find a pattern to all the paranormal occurrences they had dealt with ever since they came into business; Venkman was now changed into clean work clothes and was now assisting Egon and Winston with Saya there to help point out the connecting points when the conventional sewer systems came into close proximity with the secret labyrinth which all of them had found beneath the Museum. The Shikigami user didn't want to leave anything to chance, he grabbed his huge duffle bag full of his belongings and brought it downstairs and tossed it on the floor before darting back up to go grab the big containment unit in which the Sounga was imprisoned inside of; he had managed to avoid drawing attention since his colleagues were too busy with their work to take notice of what he was doing.

Now that his two important pieces of luggage were downstairs, Michiru carefully set Sounga's containment unit on the floor and gathered up all of his notes and papers before placing them inside of his little brown backpack and opening up his duffle bag in an effort to fit everything inside of it. The back pack was easy enough to fit given how small it was, but the same couldn't be said for the long metal containment unit; forcing Michiru to abandon the idea of stuffing everything in one bag as he had hoped he could do. It wasn't a big loss though, for the Persian rug was still spacious and could hold more than just himself and his duffle bag; so he thought that it would carry the long metal machine as well without any trouble. However, Michiru wouldn't dare attempt to fly around while carrying it with him and risk having it fall off and smash itself to pieces until he had first mastered flying around on this magically levitating cursed artefact; for the last thing he wanted to do was to accidentally free the Sounga from its prison and allow the evil sword to possess one of his friends. So Michiru left the containment unit on the floor while he hoisted his duffle bag up and on to the tarp, letting it roll into the centre where the carpet was resting as he made a running jump; gaining enough of a grip with his hands and allowing Michiru to clamber on until he was on top of the suspended tarp.

"Are you making a simulated travel to see how you and that carpet can fly with your luggage onboard?" Janine asked, catching on to what the Kururugi boy was attempting to do next as she and Ilyssa watched him position himself and his duffle bag in the middle of the carpet.

"Yes I am Janine, I have to be fully trained and prepared to depart at a moments notice if Peck comes snooping around or after we've saved the city from the ghost world that's threatening to destroy it; we only have a few days until Monday comes after all." Michiru replied. "Oh overflowing blue sky! Bring to life this rug I ride and allow me to fly!"

The same reaction occurred again and everyone waited patiently for the Bird Shikigami to bring the Persian rug to life so Michiru could get more practice with flying on this magical carpet he now found himself riding, but instead of repeating what he had done before; the curious teenager only ascended a little until he was levitating ten feet above the floor with the enormous tarp five feet underneath him to act as a safety net. Once he was satisfied with the height he was suspended at, Michiru telepathically thought of altering the direction he was facing and slowly turned himself and the carpet to the right around in a complete circle and then repeated the same movement going in the other direction to the left until he was once again looking straight ahead with Janine's office desk a short distance in front of him. Janine had run upstairs and grabbed several pieces of left over pizza from the fridge and put them in an empty pizza box before she came back down and tossed the cardboard package at the unprepared boy who luckily caught it without breaking his concentration or losing control of the hovering rug he was still riding. When the Experimental Equipment Technician opened the box and found the cold pizza slices inside, he looked at Janine for an explanation for why she had tossed them to him; making her laugh when he didn't catch on.

"See if you can fly over to Slimer's cell and feed them to him without losing control of the carpet, think of it as a small test of flying from point A to point B; practicing will help you get all the way home." Janine explained, waiting for Michiru to attempt what she had suggested.

Although Ilyssa was a tiny bit worried for Michiru's safety since this involved flying outside of the space that the safety net was suspended at, she knew that he eventually had to face the same predicament when he finally made the attempt to journey back home; but this was literally nothing compared with flying the thousands of miles it would take him to travel before he eventually reached Tokyo Japan and he would also have to cross the Pacific ocean as well which was an even greater danger because of no landmarks or any place to land if anything went wrong. But the female curator reminded herself that her young Japanese friend had faced many dangers before, including the unexpected journey over here from Tokyo all the way to New York because of Sounga; so she had to hold on to her faith and hope that Michiru would make it home safely without any troubles. Michiru had manoeuvred the carpet over to where the containment unit stood and hovered close enough to the roof so he could almost look down and see Slimer how was now panting and waving at him once he spied the pizza box in the young boy's hand, making the Kururugi boy chuckle at the funny looking sight below him.

"Stay still and airborne." Michiru whispered to himself as he carefully moved himself over to the side of the carpet while keeping his duffle bag on the other to act as a counterweight, being mindful of his position and that of the rug beneath him until he positioned himself. "Hungry Slimer? Here comes lunch, ready; catch."

While Slimer hovered close to the round opening in the roof with his wide open mouth to catch each slice of pizza that Michiru was tossing down to him one at a time, Ilyssa and Janine had gone up the stairs a little ways to get a better view of the situation; it was both amusing and entertaining since they could also see Slimer hungrily devouring his meal with a look of pure happiness on his weird looking green face. A few minutes later, the funny feeding event was over and Michiru waved farewell to Slimer who also waved back at him and at the two ladies who he caught a glimpse of since they were leaning over the staircase railing to watch; the green ghost even blew a kiss to each of them which made Janine and Ilyssa feel a tiny bit disturbed as they walked down the stairs to get to the floor. Ilyssa positioned herself in the open so she and Michiru could easily see one another, but Janine returned to her desk and used the radio to talk with Egon who was working upstairs with the Ghostbusters; she had one heck of a surprise message in store for them to hear.

"All those interested in seeing a flying carpet please report downstairs to the main floor, over." Janine said over the radio with a smile.

It took five seconds for everyone to process Janine's message, but once they understood what she meant; everyone came rushing downstairs and halted halfway in the middle of the staircase when each of the Ghostbusters beheld Michiru levitating ten feet above the floor on the Persian rug which Ray had helped the boy carry downstairs about half an hour ago. Saya was impressed with Michiru's achievement, he had overheard him discussing the idea with Ilyssa of using the Persian rug as a flying carpet to travel back home to Tokyo Japan; but he never expected the Shikigami user to achieve this much progress in such little time. A minute later, all of them eventually came down the rest of the stairs and carefully ducked down as they walked underneath the suspended tarp until they joined Ilyssa who was standing with Janine in the open area in front of the main reception desk; still captivated by the sight of watching Michiru levitating around through the air on a magic flying carpet. Now that everyone was here watching, Michiru began to feel nervous from attracting so much attention to himself; making the decision to descend and land gently on top of the enormous tarp so he could crawl to the edge and climb down to the floor to talk with his friends.

"That's why you asked me to help you carry that carpet down here, you were planning on using it as a means of transportation to fly back home to Japan; you're a genius Mitch." Ray stated overwhelmed with excitement. "I never would have thought of travelling like that."

"I needed to conjure up a spell in order to see if it would work, and there is more room down here then there is upstairs so that's why I needed your help moving it." Michiru replied. "Now even though I've managed to fly on this Persian rug, flying back home to Japan will be no easy task; but I believe I can do it. However, I still want to stay and help all of you save the city from the ghost world that threatens to destroy it; it is the least I could do to repay all of you for free room and board ever since the Sounga brought me here by accident. I'll be ready to leave at a moment's notice just in case Peck comes nosing around or if the situation requires me to fly away immediately, but until that time arrives; I would very much like to stay for a few more days until everything is alright with you guys here. What do you say?"

The Ghostbusters were shocked beyond recognition, their friend Michiru had finally found a possible avenue of travelling back home to Japan and here he was; putting it on hold so he could help them solve the problem of stopping the enormous paranormal event which was nearly about to threaten the people of the city. As he waited for an answer, the Kururugi boy felted a little troubled by his request judging by how quiet everyone was; for staying here any longer put them and himself at risk of going to jail. But luckily, Michiru didn't have to worry for long; each of the Ghostbusters stepped forward one at a time and extended their hand in friendship which meant that they were alright with allowing him and Saya to remain here a little while longer until the people and city were safe from harm.

"Deal." Egon replied with a look of acceptance, shaking his hand with Michiru before allowing the other Ghostbusters to do the same.

"You're our Experimental Equipment Technician; we still need you to help us kick butt." Venkman joked while shaking Michiru's hand.

"Yeah, and besides; we can't send you off without having a farewell party first." Winston remarked with a grin as he shook the boy's hand.

"That's right, it would be a disgrace if you suddenly left without sharing the glory during a victory celebration; and don't forget you still work for us so we don't want to see you leave just yet." Ray added with a proud look on his face before sharing a handshake with Michiru.

"Oh, Egon?" Janine called out, holding up some papers in her hand. "I printed off all those blueprints you wanted earlier, the ones about the buildings and underground systems that were modified by the Shandor Foundation; here they are if you still need to see them."

"Thank you Janine, hmm." Egon said, taking the blueprints and glancing at them for a few moments. "Perhaps we'll make better progress if we all work on the same task together, Ray; let's go gather all our filed reports and bring them down here. Venkman, you grab the timeline and all of our maps; I'll get the Gozerian Codex along with our map of New York City and lay it out on the table for us to look at."

"What would you like Michiru and me to do Egon?" Ilyssa asked, wondering if there was anything that they could help with.

"Stick around with Winston and Janine; they could use your help figuring out what that strange symbol means; the one you said shows up occasionally in Sumerian ritual magic." Egon answered before following Venkman and Ray to go upstairs and retrieve everything they needed to continue with their work.

"Michiru?" Ilyssa asked, getting the Kururugi boy's attention. "When you came here to New York, didn't the Sounga transport you here in an instant?"

"Yes it did, I believe that it was caused when my Shikigami magic protected me after I called upon it for help out of desperation to save myself from falling under Sounga's power as it tried to possess me; it also drained Sounga's energy temporarily because the evil sword was inactive for a long while after my arrival at the Firehouse." Michiru answered. "I had seen one of the Ghostbusters's ads on TV and under the circumstances during my flight, I thought they were the only ones who could help me since they deal with paranormal events and stuff like that; which would explain why my magic also drew on Sounga's energy in order to accelerate the speed I was travelling at so I would reach the Ghostbusters that much quicker."

"I see." Ilyssa replied while looking at her own notes that she had made in the morning when she and the Ghostbusters had been questioning Michiru while he was hooked up to Egon's scanning machine just two days ago. "Hmm, have you ever tried casting a spell that would involve increasing your speed of movement?"

"No why?" Michiru asked curiously, wondering what Ilyssa was brainstorming about as the woman carefully studied her notes which she had recorded all of Michiru's spells and Shikigami on along with anything else she deemed to be important enough to write down.

"Well, I was just wondering if it would be possible for you to conjure a spell which could accelerate your travelling speed just like what happened when the Sounga brought you here in an instant; it would be more convenient for you if you could return to Tokyo Japan in the same time frame so you could arrive home that much quicker." Ilyssa pondered. "Your "Protective Light" and "Light of Judgement" spells both require you to summon your Serpentine Dragon Shikigami who assists you when ever you cast either one of them even though they have nothing to do with light itself or with accelerating your speed and yet; you say the same words "Oh brightly burning light" at the beginning of both phrases as you invoke your Shikigami power."

"Oh now I see what you're getting at, you think that there's a spell that can increase my acceleration to the point of travelling at the speed of light; that's entirely possible considering the circumstances of how Sounga and I were both brought over here." Michiru answered, catching on to what Ilyssa was thinking about. "I can still remember my Shikigami magic saving me from Sounga and how it's voice died down when its energy was depleted, that happened shortly before the clockwise spinning pentagram in front of me opened up some sort of vortex; I eventually became enveloped inside of a cocoon of magic as I flew inside it. Perhaps that's what caused me to travel from Tokyo to New York in an instant, I lost consciousness when it happened due to my own energy being drained as well as Sounga's or perhaps it was because my body couldn't stay awake while travelling at such a powerful speed; I landed on the roof of the Firehouse with a thud and that's when the Ghostbusters discovered my presence and brought me inside to shelter me from the cold and the winter."

"Its all starting to fit together and make sense, we'll have to due some more research together later on before you try conjuring any more new spells; we'd better help Egon and the others with their work first if we're going to help save the city from certain destruction." Ilyssa said, putting her notes back on the couch before she and Michiru released all corners of the enormous tarp from the four posts; allowing it to fall flat on the floor so it wouldn't be an obstacle anymore now that they were done using it for today.

"Good call, I wouldn't want to fly at the speed of light only to smack into a brick wall and break every bone in my body." Michiru said, causing a small laugh to burst out of Ilyssa as she was caught by surprise. "What are you laughing for Ilyssa? I was being serious."

"S-Sorry Michiru, I couldn't help myself; it just sort of slipped out." Ilyssa said apologetically with an embarrassed smile as she tried to suppress the amount of laughter still contained within her even though it wanted to come out. "I was suddenly thinking about all sorts of old funny cartoon shows when I heard you say that just now, and how one of the characters gets impacted against the wall really hard or if he is caught in a huge explosion caused by lots of dynamite sticks or something; you know what I'm referring to don't you?"

"Yes I know, I can remember lots of old shows I used to watch when I was little; pity that there aren't as many enjoyable programs on TV now as there were five or ten years ago." Michiru replied, thinking of several favourite shows he especially enjoyed watching years ago.

"Ilyssa, could you come look at this please?" Janine asked, now sitting at her desk working on her computer with Winston standing beside her as they both waiting for Ilyssa and Michiru to walk over and help them with a problem. "This is just one the locations in the city which have been modified by the Shandor Foundation, if you look down in the bottom right hand corner of each blueprint for every construction project; you'll see that weird symbol there. Winston claims he saw it with Michiru while they were at the Library with the Ghostbusters two days ago. You're a specialist in ancient Mesopotamian Cultures and Architecture, so do you have any idea what it could be?"

"No, all I know is that it shows up sometimes in Sumerian ritual magic and that it signifies a path to obtain great power." Ilyssa answered as everyone gathered around to look on the computer screen. "Most of my research colleagues just assume it's an old constellation."

"What other locations got renovated throughout the city?" Winston asked curiously as Janine clicked one place on the list after another so the four of them could briefly see each one for about ten seconds or so. "Wow, a lot more than I expected; that must have cost Ivo Shandor a fortune to do renovations on every one of those places and buildings. What I wouldn't give to have that much money to spend."

"Hang on Janine, could you go back and click one of those locations again?" Michiru asked, looking carefully as Janine brought up the page with the blueprints of the Public Library which included the date and time frame of renovating along with other drafting details that construction blueprints usually made written on them. "Why is there a different construction scale typed in right below that mysterious symbol when the blueprints already have a scale included in them over there on the bottom left with the legend?"

"I don't know, let's check the others." Janine said, clicking on each of the other locations so they could check over all of them again.

"Hey, I think we're on to something here; the same scale with that same symbol appears on every location." Winston stated. "But why?"

"Are there any large sheets of drafting paper somewhere around here Janine?" Ilyssa asked.

"I got something better, one of these should work." Janine answered, pulling out a clear transparent piece of plastic loose leaf that people would use on overhead projectors or for navigational purposes. "I'll print you off a copy of this page so you can get a better look at the symbol."

"Thanks, I need a felt marker in order to draw on this." Ilyssa said, taking the sheet and going over to the empty desk which Venkman normally used. "Winston, could you please find me a circle drawer?"

"Sure, be right back." Winston said before heading upstairs.

While Winston left to go find the item Ilyssa had requested, Janine was doing some math on her calculator to determine how big the symbol would have to be drawn according to the scale mysteriously typed in directly below it on every single blueprint she had found online, once she found the answer; she did some more calculations by multiplying the diameter of each smaller circle by the scale as well which would give Ilyssa enough info to try and draw it out accurately. Michiru was busy looking at the symbol and suddenly remembered seeing it at the Library for the first time after leaving the alternate dimension once he and the Ghostbusters had defeated Azetlor, it looked like it was drawn a little differently which lead the Shikigami user to wonder if it was possibly a blueprint for the immense underground canal system that he and the Ghostbusters had discovered underground beneath the Natural History Museum; it seemed like a reasonable hypothesis after remembering the surrounding environment where they had first battled the Chairman on that suspended platform with the four black slime portals on it and this only made Michiru stare at the mysterious symbol as his mind eventually became deep in thought and momentarily lost to the activity taking place around him even amongst the chatter between Janine and Ilyssa.

"Hey Mitch?" Winston asked, bringing the teenager back to reality after calling him. "Are you feeling alright man?"

"Yeah, sorry Winston; I was deep in thought trying to figure out what the symbol represents." Michiru answered, looking alive again.

"Well come on over here and join us at the desk, the ladies and I could use your help if we're going to figure this thing out together." Winston replied before heading over. "Here's a circle drawer Ilyssa, I found one of the big ones that drafters usually work with."

"Thank you Winston, okay; the triangle is drawn which leaves all the circles and remaining lines." Ilyssa said, taking the metallic instrument and examining the symbol with her eyes to see what she had to draw next. "Let's draw the biggest circle first, that will make drawing the rest of the symbol an easier challenge; I'll get the circle drawer ready if you can calculate the radius from the circle's centre point Janine."

"Got it, right there is where you have to start from; draw it slowly now." Janine answered as Ilyssa carefully moved the instrument while everyone else held down the plastic sheet and kept it steady until the job was done, creating a perfectly round circle with the triangle inside at the precise location; now the tricky part would be drawing all the smaller circles inside and lining them up perfectly in such a way so that they looked like an exact replica of the symbol they had seen on the print out even though they were drawing an enlarged copy.

While the four of them continued on with their project, Egon and the others had returned with all of their materials and were placing them on the floor while they waited until they could use Venkman's desk once it was no longer needed; Saya floated over and watched from above in order to see what Ilyssa and the others were trying to draw and was surprised when he saw it was the mysterious symbol which still needed some looking into. Egon approached curiously to see what they were working on, making sure not to disturb them and became interested in why they were attempting to draw an enlargement of the symbol that had appeared at the Library after the Ghostbusters defeated Azetlor; Michiru noticed his presence and informed them of the scale they had discovered printed below the symbol on each of the blueprints that Janine had found online for them to look at and read about a few minutes earlier.

"Egon, this might sound crazy; but I think this symbol is actually a blueprint for that secret underground canal system which channelled currents of paranormal energy." Michiru responded. "You remember how huge that canal was that we saw during our battle with the Chairman on that platform with the black slime portals at each corner, it must stretch underground for miles beneath the city; though I admit I don't know whether the canal we saw is part of that triangle or one of those circles which make up this symbol Ilyssa is drawing."

"That sounds like a reasonable theory Michiru." Egon said before being cut off by Saya who was floating around slightly above everyone.

"Well the hard part is all over, now all we have to draw are those four tiny circles." Saya pointed out as everyone looked at the drawing.

"Oh no, my black felt ran out of ink." Ilyssa said in disappointingly, trying to draw the tiny circles with a red one; managing to do three of them until it ran out and became dry as well. "Do you have any more felt markers at all in your desk Janine?"

"I'll go check through each drawer so sit tight." Janine replied, leaving to go look in her office desk while Ray took advantage of the opportunity to lay out his map of New York City on the table; placing Ilyssa's clear plastic sheet on top so she could finish the drawing.

"We've been trying to find out a pattern to all the paranormal occurrences throughout the city and so far, we've come up with nothing; even all our ghost sightings don't help us to predict where or when the ghost world will enter into our own and attempt to destroy it." Ray stated as he sat down in the chair, looking at the mysterious symbol which seemed to be the only clue left to go on if they were going to find a way to successfully solve the mystery of the paranormal event and save the city as well. "What does this symbol mean?"

"Hey Egon, didn't you say we turned something off after we defeated Azetlor at the Library two days ago?" Michiru asked curiously. "I seem to remember one of those three circles turning on like a light when we all saw this symbol for the first time once we returned to the Library and found Winston who had been looking for us while we were trapped inside that alternate dimension for a few hours."

"Hey guys, check this out." Winston announced, rotating the clear sheet of plastic around until it was positioned with the map; with the three buildings Michiru and the Ghostbusters had recently investigated thus far ever since Michiru's arrival in the United States. "A perfect fit, thanks for giving me a clue there Mitch; you make a great detective and an Experimental Equipment Technician."

"Uh, thanks Winston." Michiru replied, looking carefully at the drawing to see how it blended with the city on the map underneath.

"It's not a constellation, it's a Mandela." Ray exclaimed in awe as everyone else took a closer look at what had just been discovered.

"I can't believe my research colleagues and I never figured that out." Ilyssa stated, running the tip of her finger across her chin.

"Okay, for one minute; let's pretend someone here doesn't know what a mandala is." Venkman asked, hinting he was confused.

"A mandala is basically like a spiritual labyrinth." Egon answered.

"This mandala looks like a spiralling system feeding into each successive node along the line until it reaches a culmination point, Ivo Shandor's Architecture Firm must have built some paranormal mechanism throughout the city before Ivo Shandor died; a mechanism similar to the dimensional antenna in Dana Barrett's apartment building on Central Park West which was built for concentrating spiritual turbulence."

"So this is the gizmo device that's supposed to channel and feed lots of paranormal energy to the Destructor Form?" Venkman asked.

"That's…That's right Peter!" Ray shouted in excitement.

"Well congratulations Dr. Venkman, you managed to help solve the mystery of this strange symbol." Ilyssa said with an impressed look.

"Well it was pretty easy after hearing and remembering all the theories and ideas that Egon and the boys came up with so I had to figure it out eventually given how long I've worked here with these guys." Venkman stated, trying not to take all the credit for solving the mystery.

"Alright, I'm just brainstorming and this is theory not certainty; but its possible that ghosts trapped inside of this feeder system get stronger as they are funnelled from node to node until they reach the end where they eventually…" Egon explained before being cut off by Ray.

"Look here how each node lines up which a location on the city map, the first node is the Library; the second node is the Museum and the third is the Sedgewick Hotel." Ray stated, pointing to each location on the map and on Ilyssa's drawing one at a time as he talked.

"Looks like your theory about the symbol being a blueprint for a massive mechanism underground beneath the city turned out to be correct after all Michiru." Egon stated, as Janine returned with another red felt marker and handed it to Ilyssa. "Which means that the fourth and final node must be located right about here?"

"Right smack dap in the middle of the Hudson River?" Winston asked, watching Ilyssa draw the fourth circle where Egon was pointing at after double checking with the printout which Janine had provided for her to use earlier. "Are you sure that's where it is?"

"Well according to the mandala and how it lines up with our map of New York, yeah; that's it Z." Ray answered after confirming it on the printout and comparing it with Ilyssa's drawing on the city map. "We'll have to look for ourselves though to see that it's actually there."

"Well there are plenty of bodies in that river; some may have even been dumped there after they were murdered; so any souls that are restless could become ghosts." Venkman suggested as he thought out loud.

"But what do all of these connections and paranormal occurrences have to do with me?" Ilyssa asked. "What did I do to cause that Gozer manifestation to try and attack me?"

"Well you were at the Sedgewick Hotel and at the Museum, you are a research specialist and I recall you said you were doing some research on Ivo Shandor when you were attacked; maybe Stay Puft wanted to eliminate you in order to keep the significance of this mandala a secret." Ray stated.

"Or it is also possible you were some kind of catalyst accidentally setting things in motion simply by being in the wrong place at the wrong time." Egon suggested.

"Are both of you trying to say that all of this mess is my fault and that I'm the cause of all these paranormal occurrences?" Ilyssa asked in disbelief, making Michiru who was standing to her left speak up in her defence.

"I'm sure that you aren't at fault Ilyssa, I went through a similar situation when I was summoned to Feudal Japan; I was once visiting a place called Kasasagi Town and there were wanted posters with my face all over Town. I was eventually arrested and imprisoned even though I hadn't done anything wrong, but that was the first clue I found which eventually lead to many others that my friends and I found during my travels with them; I finally managed to find out why I had been summoned back in time and I promise that I'll do what I can to help find out what your connection is with all these events here so please don't worry because you've done nothing wrong." Michiru said, trying to reassure Ilyssa that everything would be alright and that she wasn't at fault; just as she had done for him a few hours ago when he had been depressed and ashamed over his worries about Sango and his other friends from Japan. "We're friends after all right?"

"Thank you Michiru." Ilyssa said gratefully, sharing a quick hug with the Kururugi boy who had returned her a favour even though she wasn't feeling as worried as her teenage friend had been during his depressed state when she had comforted him earlier that day.

"That's right, you are completely blameless." Venkman added, trying to follow Michiru's example. "What Egon and Ray meant to say is that we'll do what we can to figure out what your connection is to all these paranormal events. Right guys?"

"Exactly." Egon answered as Janine rolled her eyes once she deduced Venkman was trying to hit on Ilyssa, yet again.

"Ilyssa?" Ray asked getting the woman's attention. "Do you remember what you were doing and where you were going back at the Sedgewick Hotel before you found yourself attacked by Stay Puft and we met up with you later on?"

"I was standing outside of one of the hotel rooms, I think the room number was 1221; something was compelling me to enter inside. I came to my senses and woke up just before the door opened, I ran out of there and left as quickly as I could; then some jerk tried to pick me up on the elevator once I had arrived at the lobby on the main floor of the hotel." Ilyssa answered, turning her head away at the last second to avoid facing Venkman who was standing to her right as everyone quickly caught on that he had been the jerk she was referring to when she ended her explanation; causing everyone to exchange glances and chuckle lightly to avoid stirring up a heated argument.

"You need to stay here where you'll be safe and where you won't accidentally set off any cross dimensional shockwaves hot stuff, that should put your mind at ease while we try and figure out what your connection is to all of these paranormal events." Venkman countered while looking Ilyssa right in the eyes. "By the way, if it makes you feel any better Ilyssa; I wasn't the only one who was checking you out as you walked out of the elevator and left the lobby. Right Michiru?"

All eyes were on Michiru, making the unprepared boy blush a deep red from sheer embarrassment; unable to cope with the situation as he found himself unable to utter even one word to defend himself. It was true that he had examined Ilyssa with his eyes as she departed after declaring her distaste for Venkman when the man had made a move on her, although he admitted that found her attractive; he made it clear that he was more interested in finding a girlfriend who was around his own age. In order to avoid looking at everyone, Michiru lowered his gaze and just stared at the map on the table in the hope that this embarrassing event would pass by so they could all return to the subject of finding out how to save the city from catastrophic destruction; leaving everyone to exchange glances and chuckle lightly as they had done a moment ago during Venkman's brief moment of embarrassment. Ilyssa had given Michiru a long glance and felt rather flattered that he found her attractive even though she already knew he as in love with a special girl named Sango who he had befriended and having fallen in love with over the course of his adventures throughout Feudal Japan, she gave him a light smile when her eyes met with his just for a moment before he turned away to look at the map on the desk and she continued observing him just in case he dared to look back at her; she found his embarrassed state kind of sweet just because it showed he was still so young and unfamiliar with romance or even intimacy as every person eventually came to know about when they grew up and became an adult.

In the back of her head however, Ilyssa knew that it was natural for a young boy to feel some sort of attraction for a slightly older woman whether it was right or wrong so she didn't hold anything against him; especially after all the good she had seen in him or could see that he was capable of doing for himself or for others. This was the stage every teenage boy would experience before they eventually grew up and became either a gentleman or a jerk, she had faith that Michiru would become the former and she learned this from all the good and bad times they had experienced together as friends ever since they met shortly before the perilous battle when the two of them had been hanging from the top of a thirty-story building with Stay Puft and his mini-minions approaching them to attack from below. From all his storytelling of his Feudal era adventures, Michiru's rival who was also in love with Sango was just a lecherous jerk; but she could not judge since she had not met him or had the chance to get to know him as she had done with the Shikigami user whom she had befriended. While Ilyssa found a tiny hint of amusement from Michiru's embarrassment had being found out that he had also checked her out when she left the lobby, she felt a small amount of anger against Venkman who had so cleverly redirected everyone's attention to her young friend as a cheap means to put an end his own state of embarrassment; so she decided to bring an end to the situation by getting even. The leather clad woman quietly grabbed the long meter stick that had been leaning against the desk and slowly raised it up before swinging it down, delivering a hard blow which impacted the desk with a loud smack as it also struck Venkman's hand which just happened to be resting on the surface right in line with the end of the long wooden tool; bringing everyone back to their senses in a flash.

"AHH! OH! OW!" Venkman cried out in agony after withdrawing his hand in order to examine it carefully for any broken bones as everyone turned to look at the man and find out what had caused him to cry out all of a sudden.

"Oh I'm so sorry Venkman, I was only trying to get everyone back on task; I didn't know you had your hand on the desk." Ilyssa said innocently as she apologized for accidentally hitting his hand, making Janine suppress a laugh since she figured out that Ilyssa had done it on purpose. "You'd better go upstairs and wrap up your hand in a towel with some ice, which will num the pain and stop any swelling."

"We'll probably have to go back to the Sedgewick Hotel conduct another search for paranormal activity, according to what we saw at the Library; we didn't turn off the node or defeat the opponent who was in charge of all the lesser ghosts and monsters." Michiru suggested.

"Good thinking Michiru, perhaps the other node located somewhere in the Hudson river will reveal itself once we turn off the one at the Sedgewick hotel first; that will make our job of finding it an easier task." Egon said in agreement as he checked his watch for the time. "Its now ten minutes to one o'clock, that gives us four hours of daylight left; let's drive over and see if we can get it done before it gets dark."

"Sounds like a good plan, but I'll have to take a rain check on that because my hand is too sore; I don't think I'll be able to fight any ghosts today." Venkman complained, drawing everyone's attention. "Don't worry, the rest of you guys need to be able to accomplish everything without me being there; you'll have Michiru with you to get you out of trouble so you've got nothing to worry about."

"So while we all go risking our lives, what might I ask are you going to do superstar?" Winston asked, not liking the fact that Venkman was once again getting away with avoiding battle against paranormal entities and dangerous monsters which could kill the rest of them.

"Why don't you drop me off near Peck's office, I could keep an eye on him and see if he's up to no good while you guys search the hotel." Venkman suggested. "He's going to put us all under investigation and we have to know in advance if he's become aware of Michiru's true identity, that way our young employee can escape or go lay low somewhere so we don't get in trouble; just to be extra careful."

"I supposed that would be a good idea, just don't get caught or he'll have our necks; meet us at the hotel when you're done." Ray said. "Janine, you'll have to stay here in case any phone calls or emails come in; as well as to alert us if Peck comes snooping around again."

"Got it, no problem at all." Janine replied as she nodded in understanding.

"Ilyssa?" Ray said, turning his attention to face the other lady. "I've got a disc listing of all the books from my bookstore sitting in a box of files on the shelf by one of the lab computers upstairs, I can pull it out for you so you can search for any particular book you think would help you out with any more research regarding Michiru's magic if you'd like; it would give you something to do while the rest of us are out."

"That would be a great help Ray, thank you." Ilyssa answered and everyone else left the office and prepared to depart, leaving Venkman's office empty as the two women returned to the reception desk; Janine sat down in her chair while Ilyssa stood for a few moments.

"I saw that." Janine said quietly with a mischievous look while she laughed lightly to herself now that they were alone. "You struck his hand with that meter stick on purpose didn't you? I saw right through your little act back there, but I have to agree; Venkman had it coming."

"I only did it because of how he shifted everyone's attention by embarrassing Michiru, but I'll admit he wouldn't have done that if I hadn't hinted that he was the jerk who tried picking me up on the elevator; so I'm the one who's really at fault." Ilyssa countered in defence.

"Don't worry about it, I'm the only one who found out and I give you my word that I won't tell a soul; my lips are sealed." Janine replied, checking her computer for any emails from clients in need of service from the Ghostbusters.

"Thanks Janine." Ilyssa replied as Ray walked up to her after coming down the staircase.

"Here you go Ilyssa, just click on any book title and you have a brief summary of its contents along with when it was published; etc." Ray said, handing the computer disc over to the lady. "Just let me know which books you'd like to read through once we all return and I'll get them out of storage for you when I've got some free time so you can give them a read. Looks like its time to go, check you ladies later."

"Thanks again Ray." Ilyssa said gratefully as Saya flew over and eyed the disc curiously wondering what it is. "We've got some more researching to do Saya; I hope you're up to the task."

"Ready, willing and able my lady." Saya replied politely as Ray walked over to where Ecto-1 was parked.

Once each of the guys had gone to the washroom and had come back downstairs, Ilyssa and Janine walked over to Ecto-1 where the Ghostbusters were now ready to leave so they could see them off; Winston was once again in the driver's seat while Egon sat in the back. Venkman stepped in the back to sit across from Egon while Michiru was about to get in the car until Ilyssa stopped Janine stopped him so they could say goodbye. The Kururugi boy had a light blush on his face, unable to forget the embarrassing incident which had taken place back at Venkman's office a few minutes ago; so Ilyssa gave him one of her irresistible smiles before she embraced him in a hug to show that she didn't think any less of him as they each said goodbye to one another. Janine and Saya also said goodbye and good luck to Michiru as well as to the rest of the Ghostbusters, waving farewell as the car speed out of the Firehouse and went off down the road with its coloured lights flashing and siren alarm echoing until Ecto-1 was eventually out of sight; Venkman was dropped off about a block away from City Hall where the Mayor's office was so he could spy on Peck while the others continued onwards until they finally arrived at the main entrance outside of the Sedgewick Hotel. Once they approached the main doorway after strapping on all of their equipment, they found a strange notice posted on the doors which were shut; indicating that the establishment was closed and empty.

"Closed until further notice by the Paranormal Contracts Oversight Commission." Michiru read after Winston pulled the notice off of the door in order to look at it more closely. "P-COC. Looks like Peck has been busy. What's the rest of the notice say Winston?"

"Entrance into this establishment is strictly forbidden and is punishable by fine and imprisonment." Winston continued, pausing to see if anyone had anything to say before reading further.

"What now?" Egon asked out of the blue, just to see if anyone had an opinion. "Hmm."

"This notice is for the general public, it doesn't apply to us; we're bonded contractors for the city." Ray stated.

"Especially the Ghostbusters." Winston said, reading the last of the warning before Egon pulled the notice out of his grasp and tearing it up in front of everyone with his hands. "Well I guess that settles it, looks like we're going inside; even though we're not allowed."

"If the doors are locked, we'll just have to melt our way in; and it would be my pleasure." Ray said, pulling out his positron collider.

"Wait no need for that." Michiru said, pushing on the handle and finding that the door opened without any resistance. "The doors are unlocked which means someone must have recently entered inside before us, you can see the trail of footprints in the snow over there leading up to here; which means we won't be alone so we'll have to check our targets before we fire our weapons in here."

"Good observation." Winston commented as each of the Ghostbusters entered the doorway one at a time, leaving Michiru who was still outside. "Hey Mitch? You coming inside or what?"

"I'll be inside presently Winston, just give me a second." Michiru answered, getting a nod from the man as he looked around outside at the environment for anything unusual for a few more moments; checking his watch which told him it was a few minutes after one o'clock.

It had been nearly three and a half days since Michiru Kururugi had arrived at the establishment of the Ghostbusters, it didn't sound like a long time numerically speaking and yet in such a short time; he had made many friends and endured many battles and experiences in this foreign country which was thousands of miles away from his own home in Japan. He had accomplished so much and learned a great deal thanks to the Ghostbusters and especially to Ilyssa Selwyn who he had befriended after rescuing her from certain death on several occasions, and in return; she had helped him learn more about his mysterious Shikigami powers and also given him advice and comfort when ever he felt sad or uneasy about certain matters. Almost three and a half days had gone by, leaving three more days after this day was over until Monday arrived which was considered as the deadline for himself and for the Ghostbusters; because that was the scheduled date when Peck would launch his investigation which might possibly expose Michiru's true identity and label him as an illegal alien and result in all of his new friends going to jail for sheltering him. But there was hope, for he had found a way to travel home or at least he thought he had found one; for it would take perhaps another day for him and Ilyssa to finally make another breakthrough so he could fly back as instantaneously as he had when he had come here thanks to the evil sword Sounga.

There was the matter of saving the city from being destroyed and Michiru felt obligated to do his part in order to repay the kindness that his new friends had shown him, just as he had received when he had met Inuyasha and his companions during his days in Feudal Japan, and just as he helped them to defeat Naraku; he wanted to help the Ghostbusters save their city which was also their home as well as his so long as he remained with them here. Although he was now presently living on the other side of the world and far from his own country, the Ghostbusters were now part of his life; it would be difficult for him to leave them behind and feel separated from them even though it was all for the best. A few seconds later, Michiru's mind changed thoughts and began to dwell on Sango and his friends from Japan's Feudal period; wondering how each of them were doing. Although he knew each of them were now torn up in some ways because they were unprepared for finding out of his feelings for the beautiful demon slayer, he had to hope that all of them would eventually be able to repair the damages done so they could re-establish the bonds of friendship which had once existed between them.

"Sango, I'll come home soon and when I do; it won't be long before I can return to your era and see you again. Please wait for me, and no matter what happens; I won't feel any hate towards you because a part of me will always love you even if you don't love me back. Take care of yourself along with Kirara and Kohaku until we meet again, move on with your lives and above all; be happy." Michiru whispered softly, looking up at the sky for a few more moments once he had finished his sentence; before turning to enter the doorway of the Hotel.

Author's Note: I had to take advantage of the break after the Thanksgiving Parade in order to include all the events you have just read first before Michiru and the Ghostbusters return to the Sedgewick Hotel for their next investigation which involves battling more ghosts, etc; so I apologize to anyone who is disappointed at finding out that those battles won't occur until the next chapter which will be after this one.

Orionpax09, thank you once more for sharing your thoughts on the matter of the love triangle which as you already know had affected all of Inuyasha's friends; the scene you mentioned at the end of your review for chapter 10 was intended as a cliff hanger and I assure that all will be revealed later in either chapter 12 or 13 regarding what had happened which caused Inuyasha to suffer the sudden pain he felt.

Master of Death and Darkness, glad you enjoyed the scenes regarding the deleted Thanksgiving Parade; I have both games but have only completed playing the Xbox 360 version. Although Kagome wants to see Miroku and Sango together, she realized her mistake and will leave it at that; it's also safe to say that the only confrontations which are left are going to between Michiru, Sango and Miroku. I don't hate Kagome and she doesn't hate Michiru or vice versa, I hope I can assure you that those two will still be friends in the end in this story.

Jetty1, glad you enjoyed the scenes with the Thanksgiving Parade; the information I found in order to write chapter 10 is no longer available so thank you once again for suggesting its inclusion when you did or else I couldn't have written it. I liked the ending too, sorry you had to wait for such a long time before you could read that chapter; I hope I don't take so long to update this story from now on.

Greymon leader, yes there was a lot of emotion in the last chapter; I'm happy you enjoyed it even though it was tough to write. Thank you again for your support, it really means a lot; especially when I have trouble tackling a writer's block.


	12. Trouble and Tragedy

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, Ghostbusters, or anything associated with either of them. This story is being written just for fun and enjoyment.

Chapter #12: Trouble and Tragedy

It was nearly ten minutes after 1:00 in the afternoon on November 22nd, Michiru and the Ghostbusters were still standing inside of the main entrance of the Sedgewick Hotel; the place had obviously been closed by the owners for interior repairs and renovations since the four combatants could see ladders, scaffolding catwalks and piles of lumber positioned all around the main lobby. There were only a few lights switched on that gave off just enough light to see around inside, this was another clue that proved someone else had entered the Hotel in addition to the unlocked door and the footprints outside; regardless of the warning sign forbidding everyone from coming in. This little incident made things more mysterious since the Ghostbusters already suspected that the Hotel contained a hidden node somewhere inside, it made them wonder who the person was that had entered recently before they had; for they now had to be extra careful to avoid discharging their weapons at them by accident in the unfortunate event that one of them might mistake him or her for an enemy entity. With no personal around and with limited lighting, everyone pulled down their goggles so they could get better visibility in the dark and at the same time; they could also watch their PKE meters to detect any paranormal activities which they knew they would most certainly encounter throughout their search in the Hotel for the third node according to the Mandala they had recently learned about.

"I hope Peck isn't the guy who entered here, or else we're doomed; he could have hung up that sign outside on the door." Ray remarked.

"I doubt he's the guy Ray, although he's the head of P-COC; he shouldn't have any keys to unlock the main doors so who ever came inside before us must be an employee of the Hotel." Michiru countered while looking around as the group observed their surroundings.

"Did you guys really cause that much damage when you were fighting ghosts here just over a day ago?" Winston asked, examining everything with his eyes. "It doesn't look all that bad right now, but I guess it must have looked a lot worse after all the fighting ended."

"Oh yeah, scorched burn marks all over the place; scratched walls and ceilings." Michiru replied, looking around. "They must have done a cleaning here before the Hotel became closed, pity that the place is going to be shut down for a while; it looked so nice when I came here for the very first time."

"Well it'll look even worse if we don't find that Mandala node and shut it down before the ghost world breaks through into ours, and with all due respect to the Hotel owners; lots of burned walls and broken ceilings are the least of the things that they should be worried about here." Ray remarked. "I know that this Hotel is their business and their property, but if they got to see the alternate version of the Public Library where we fought against Azetlor; they'd be pretty darn quick to change their minds and see things from our point of view."

"Despite all the smashed furniture, destroyed paintings and antiques, not to mention the total amount of structural damage; I guess that would be true enough." Egon said in agreement.

"Alright guys, let's get to work; I want to be home in time for dinner and I'm sure each of you do too." Winston replied. "Time to move out."

The Ghostbusters advanced further into the Hotel, walking passed the water fountain and through the inside doors which lead to the enormous lobby area; the still darkness coupled with how quiet everything was made the interior of the Hotel much more mysterious. After recalling from memory all of the ghosts and paranormal monsters that they had fought against during their previous visit, Michiru wondered how many spiritual entities and animated adversaries awaited them this time; especially since they were here to seal up the portal so the ghost world couldn't attempt to break through. The Shikigami user was beginning to wish that they had known about the Mandala earlier so they could have closed it during their first visit here even though it might have been an impossible task given that Stay Puft was on the loose, it would have saved them the trouble of coming back here and allowed them to spend the time investigating the Hudson river where the fourth and final portal was supposedly located; at least they would be further ahead of schedule since they only had until the end of the long weekend to save the city. And then there was the matter of Michiru escaping back home before Peck could launch an investigation which put him and his American friends in very serious trouble, and that was something he especially wanted to avoid at all costs; regardless of whether or not he was truly ready to journey back home to Japan.

"Hey guys, I can see faint outlines of ghosts wandering around; but they aren't attacking us." Michiru pointed out as he came to a halt.

"Maybe they're slow minded, let's take them down now before they clue in who we are; heat up your firearms." Winston suggested.

"Hold your fire Z, I think these are only residual hauntings; they would have attacked us if they posed a threat." Ray countered as the four of them gathered together and watched with curiosity. "These spiritual entities don't even look like they've passed on yet."

"I think you're right Ray, they haven't fully crossed into our dimension yet means they're just harmless psychokinetic echoes or in short; ghosts of ghosts." Egon explained as everyone watched each of the mobile entities appear for several seconds and then vanish.

"Well that's a sight to see, considering all the dangerous ghosts we've fought against for so long; nice to see a harmless ghost once in a while." Winston remarked, noticing that Michiru was wandering off to the left all of a sudden. "Hey Michiru, where you going man?"

"Pardon me Winston, but my PKE meter's picking up an active sample; its coming from somewhere down the hallway." Michiru answered, walking down the hallway until he rounded a corner and halted since there was black slime everywhere on the floor; but the cursed artefact was clearly visible against the wall which enabled him to scan it without the need to move closer. "Possessed Bell-Bottom Jeans that dance or move with nobody inside of them, funny."

Afterwards, Michiru retraced his footsteps and rejoined his fellow Ghostbusters as they made their way to the opposite side of the main lobby so they could head over where the elevators were located; they couldn't detect any paranormal anomalies as of yet even though all of them could plainly see the fading residual spirits of the harmless ghosts wandering around the place. Although the power was shut down, there were construction lights suspended on tripod stands positioned at certain areas where the workers would most likely start renovating the interior of the building where repairs were most needed; but no one was here and so the place was quiet at least for now. It was a stroke of luck for the Ghostbusters that today was Thanksgiving because the Hotel would be closed and empty during the holiday, the power was out so although the elevators weren't working, it also meant that the security cameras were also shut down as well which meant that they could operate freely without being seen or caught; allowing them the perfect opportunity to seal the Mandala node while no one was around except for them. Once they passed the elevators, the group arrived at an area which leads to the staircase; but they halted in order to pause for a breather and also to determine what they should do next since there were no leads at the moment.

"I can't pick up anything Ray, and the only ghosts I see are all them harmless ones." Winston said. "You sure we're on the right track?"

"Yeah, we just have to keep looking until we find a clue that can help us find the Mandala node and the ghost that guards it." Ray replied.

"Well the only place I think we'll find one is on the twelfth floor where room 1221 is located, that's the room number that Ilyssa said she was compelled to go inside off before she came to her senses and left; that was just before we saw her at the elevators." Michiru said.

"Unfortunately the elevators are down since the power is out and part of the staircase was destroyed when Mitch and I were tracking down Pappi Sargassi, the fishermen ghost; so both of those methods are out of the question." Egon stated. "Pity we didn't bring that Persian rug with us, then Mitch could fly all of us up to the twelfth floor without any people or security cameras to see us in the act; that'd be a laugh.."

"Don't worry Egon; I'm sure we'll find another way; we've only been here for less than half an hour after all." Michiru said encouragingly.

"What was that?" Ray asked, just moments after a sudden noise of something breaking was heard; meaning that they weren't alone.

"Sounds like there are some dangerous foes still lurking around inside this hotel." Michiru remarked, pulling his positron collider out.

"I concur, I just hope that they aren't nearly invisible like them harmless ghosts we've seen." Winston added, pulling his weapon out as another noise coming from the same place echoed throughout the lobby. "Over there, come on guys; hustle."

The paranormal investigators scurried over to the entrance way to the right which had two bright blue tarps draped over to cover up the carpentry work on the decorative pillars, they went down the short hallway and arrived at another door entrance which was closed without any signs of activity relating to the noise they had all just recently heard a moment ago; but a woman's cry for help suddenly caught their attention and so Winston kicked open the doors before rushing inside to see what the cause of everything was. Michiru and Winston were both surprised to find the hotel manager instead of a lady, there were other harmless spiritual entities wandering around as well; the danger was gone and at least they found out who had entered the building before them so that question was now answered.

"The Hotel Manager?" Ray asked in surprise as he caught up with the others and entered the room. "What are you doing here?"

"T-There are g-ghosts everywhere, we have to get out of here before they attack us." the manager replied nervously, still frightened.

"These are only echoes of actual ghosts, they are completely harmless so there's nothing to be afraid of; at least right now." Egon said.

"We heard a woman scream just before we came and found you, are you alone or is there someone else here too?" Winston asked.

"I'm the only person here, but all these ghosts are around and its driving me to the point of insanity; I have to get out of here." the man replied, not being able to handle the situation; even though the ghosts were harmless and the Ghostbusters were here to protect him.

"Does anyone think that the hotel manager might have been the one who called for help?" Winston asked, making Michiru laugh softly as they both whispered to each other. "Because if he did, he sounded like a woman having a panic attack if you ask me; Ha, Ha, Ha."

After having another quick laugh, Michiru's PKE meter started beeping which indicated that something had been detected; he placed his positron collider back in its holster and pulled out his scanning instrument to find out what was going on. It turns out that he had picked up another cursed artefact and it was coming from upstairs, he only hoped that he could locate it without going up too high since the staircase was broken and also because he was needed to stay with the Ghostbusters in order to help them track down the Mandala node; so he raced up the stairs carefully watching the antenna of his instrument until he finally laid eyes on it after seeing it on the floor. It was a small paper book titled Brocoli Queen Autobiography, sounds of music and clinking champagne glasses waft up from this book; the cursed artefact vanished once he scanned it just as he had done the same with the Jeans he had found short time earlier and now the hunt was done.

Once he came back downstairs, he followed the manager and the Ghostbusters out of the room and back into the area which had been light up by the construction lights; he noticed that a couple of wandering ghosts had appeared about twenty feet ahead of them inside where the elevators were located. But after looking more closely, Michiru discovered that they weren't the same entities as the harmless ghosts that all of them had come across so far; meaning that these could be dangerous ghosts. One of the ghost was a man dressed in a simple suit with a tie and dress pants, the other however was a woman wearing some sort of black and red coloured leather attire which left a fair amount of cleavage to be showed along with black cloves which nearly covered her whole arms; but that wasn't what had caught the Kururugi boy's attention or that of his companions. The female spiritual entity was carrying a sharp kitchen knife behind her back which suggested that her dark intention was to kill the man even though she was leading him on with her flirtatious behaviour as she kissed him on the lips before they both walked through the closed elevator door and vanished from sight. Michiru was suddenly having flashbacks of Naraku because of the spider web tattoo imprinted on the lady's bare back along with the tiny spider at the centre of it; although it didn't have any resemblance to the tattoo which Naraku had; the teenager couldn't stop his mind from recalling the horrible memories of Naraku along with all the suffering he had caused for his friends and so many people who died because of it.

"My God!" The manager exclaimed, breathing nervously after having seen the female ghost and her intended murder victim disappear.

"Is that ghost someone you know by any chance?" Winston asked curiously, thinking that the manager must know something about her.

"Well…not entirely, she's supposedly the Spider Witch; a professional widow who did unimaginable things in a bedroom back in the 1920s; at least that's what the story is according to most of the old staff." The manager answered.

"That room must be 1221, the room that Ilyssa said she was drawn to enter in." Michiru stated.

"What are you still doing here?" Egon asked curiously. "Why didn't you evacuate and take the holiday off like everyone else has?"

"I came to retrieve some payroll records late last night, but the doors suddenly shut on me and locked me inside; I couldn't call for help because the power was shut down." The man answered. "Being locked inside a hotel all night with lots of ghosts gave me a scare."

"I know the feeling, anyone would say the same; even one of us." Michiru replied. "Especially with the lights turned off all day and night."

"Mr. Manager, we'll help you get out of the hotel; but we want your word that you won't tell anyone that we were here today investigating paranormal activity." Egon explained. "For our sakes as well as for the whole city, we need to keep this a secret so that no one knows we've been here; we'll give your hotel a clean sweep free of charge while we're investigating. Do we understand each other sir?"

"Y-Yes, I give you my word." The manager replied, eager to leave the haunted hotel and go outside where it was safe. "We have a deal."

"Thank you, we greatly appreciate your cooperation." Egon said gratefully. "The room Ilyssa mentioned must be the location of the Mandala node, now in order to get to the twelfth floor; we need to get the power back on and then we can take the elevators."

"We haven't got much time." Ray warned before asking. "Where are the circuit breakers for this hotel?"

"They're in my office, but the city workers came and turned off most of our power because of the electrical fire on the third floor so there's no way to turn on the power from here." The man answered. "But there's a backup generator in the utility room near the kitchen, it's for emergency blackouts; that should provide enough electrical power to get the elevators working again."

"Alright, let's head to the kitchen and fire up that generator." Ray said, leading the way as everyone followed and headed back to the main lobby where they could make their way over to the kitchen so they could find the utility room with the emergency generator housed inside.

The Ghostbusters, the hotel manager; and Michiru cautiously walked around through the narrow space where the elevators were located before going into the large room which had been nicely decorated and pleasantly furnished before it was destroyed in the fight with all of the ghosts during their first visit together. Once they entered the main lobby area, they were just turning a corner at the end opposite the main entrance which lead in and out of the Hotel when they were suddenly taken by surprise in an ambush that was staged by some new animated monsters; the manager screamed and ran into the small hallway for cover while the team fought off these new foes. Each of the new monsters looked like a human skeleton which had bulky black tissue from its chest upwards which gave the being a slightly deformed appearance, almost like a hunchback; but it was the glowing red eyes coupled with the tissue covering their skulls that helped to make them look partially mummified and that especially made them scary when they moved around to attack while screaming.

"These things are Webbed Fiends, pretty nasty opponents if you ask me!" Michiru remarked after quickly taking a scan with his PKE meter before drawing out his positron collider and blasting one of the attacking monsters into oblivion with a powerful proton stream.

"Watch out guys, these dudes mean serious business; I don't think they want us going into the kitchen!" Winston warned, firing away.

"Well at least we know we're on the right track, if we're lucky; we'll finish our job here and be back home in time for supper!" Ray yelled.

"Guys, switch over to your shock blasters and stasis streams; the equipment will slow down the Webbed Fiends to a point where their bodies will solidify and shatter!" Egon instructed, discharging a shock blast at one of the monsters until it was destroyed completely.

Michiru didn't like the shock blaster very much because it was a short range weapon so instead he chose to use the stasis stream since it could strike an enemy from further away, he could also aim it more easily to avoid hitting any of his comrades by accident and that was important seeing as how it was only four of them against all the paranormal opponents inside the hotel; and the last thing anyone wanted was to wind up a man short in the middle of a drawn out battle of attrition. Luckily everyone was holding their own and in a few more minutes, all ten or twelve Webbed Fiends were eliminated which made them the victors of this skirmish; hopefully the rest of the fights would be just as easy to live through as this first round had been. After taking a moment to scan for any abnormalities, the gang wandered down the small hallway which lead to the kitchen and as if on cue; the manager screamed just before fainting and falling on the floor where he remained unconscious for a short while until his mind recovered from the sight of the animated monsters he had seen.

"Hear that everybody?" Winston remarked with a grin while shaking his head. "I told y'all that the manager screamed just like a woman."

"Yeah I heard him, again." Michiru said trying in vain to suppress his laughter since the funny scene was causing him to lose control.

"Yeah, I didn't know he could hit those high notes; he could become a singer if he ever got tired of his job working here." Ray commented.

"He will be tired of working here if we don't locate and shut down that Mandala node soon, let's head inside the kitchen." Egon ordered. "Those Webbed Fiends must have suspected we were heading here and so they tried to kill us before we could investigate, it looks as though they fulminated to our plane of existence and judging from their aggressive behaviour; I'd say that they weren't happy about it."

Michiru opened the door and took the lead, walking inside and following the winding hallway until he turned left; but he suddenly halted due to his PKE meter beeping which meant that another cursed artefact was somewhere nearby. Once he pulled it out, he discovered it was behind one of the two large stainless steel containers which prompted the Kururugi boy to employ his capture stream in order to drag it out of the way so he could get a good look at the hidden object before scanning it with his instrument. A minute later, the task was done and Michiru found that the artefact in question was a small microwave oven which was indicated as a cruel object because of the alarming banging and cries for help that come from it seeing as how it is cursed with paranormal effects; the appliance vanished once the scan was completed and Michiru continued onward to help his friends find the utility room where the backup generator was in.

It was found that the kitchen was in worse condition than what Michiru and Venkman had originally left it in while they cut through the place to get to the Alhambra Ballroom so they could recapture Slimer during the last trip here a few days ago, not only was it more messy; but there were spills of black slime all over the place and there were also giant holes blasted out in the walls which made the whole area seem like a maze since it was easy to get lost in. The blown apart walls coupled with the black slime spills indicated that something big was responsible for causing everything and what ever it was, it couldn't be good; each of the four combatants moved with extreme caution and stayed relatively close together in order to prepare for any sudden surprise attacks like the one the Webbed Fiends had launched on them a few minutes ago outside in the main hotel lobby. Finally after taking several right and left turns, they eventually found the utility room; which brought a wave of relieve that it wasn't so hard to find as they had originally thought it would be.

Upon opening the door and walking inside, Michiru stopped to take a drink at the water fountain he found just off to the right; the cool water was refreshing and his thirst was quenched after taking a fair amount into his mouth. A moment later, he moved on and walked left until he went down some steps which lead to a room cut off by some fencing with a door in the middle on his right; the enormous generator was clearly visible on the other side resting on top of a concrete platform with multiple gauges, breakers and power lines hooked up to it. The other Ghostbusters eventually met up with the Japanese student once they also found the utility room and waited patiently on the small staircase for Michiru to go inside and reactivate the power, there was a large amount of water surrounding the concrete slab along with a fair amount of debris floating around on the surface and although the water was less than a foot deep; it was still an especially dangerous hazard considering that there was a generator supplying electrical power to the hotel here.

"Have you found the controls to reactivate the power yet Mitch?" Ray asked loudly, calling through the fence from the other side.

"Just give me another minute Ray, I'm still looking for…got it; I'm switching it on." Michiru answered, finding the breaker and turning the switch; restoring all the electrical power inside which in turn activated the lights in the generator room as well as everything else throughout the hotel that required power in order to run properly. "Uh oh, we've got a problem Ray; the water's become electrified."

"Mitch is right, there must be a power cable in the water; he's got to get the cable out of there so he can come back over here without being electrocuted to death." Winston warned as everyone looked at the water which was alive with electrical static discharge.

"Michiru, you've got to find the power cable and get it out of the water so you can come back over here; use your equipment to shoot some slime tethers in order to lift it out of the water to stop the flow of electricity to make the water safe to walk in." Egon instructed.

"Right Egon, thanks." Michiru replied walking around and searching amidst the floating debris for the power cable that was causing all the trouble, briefly encountering some rats that were foolishly jumping from the concrete into the water where they died from electric shock; leaving their rodent corpses in a watery grave. "Okay, I think I found where it is; let's see whether or not this'll actually work out here."

The determined teenager carefully approached the edge of the concrete slab while being careful not to lose his footing or his balance as he positioned himself as close as possible in order to properly aim his positron collider and fire off a slime tether at his intended target which hung down from the wall and floated in the water. After several shots, he finally hit the mark and struck the power cable where upon he then discharged the other end of the elastic green tether to a high point on the wall and watched it lift the object out of the water; cutting off the flow of electricity and making the water safe enough to walk in. Michiru didn't waste any time either, for he knew the tether would only last temporarily and so he quickly made a running jump; rushing to the gate and getting out of the water as fast as he could before the cable would detach itself and fall back in. The three adults congratulated their young friend on his success and the four of them proceeded to retrace their footsteps so they could go back to the elevators and travel up to the twelfth floor of the hotel where they believed the Mandala node was hidden, but after leaving the utility room; they would soon find themselves in a dangerous situation.

"Why are those stove burners on fire over there?" Egon asked curiously, looking about twenty feet ahead at the flames coming from the two kitchen appliances when pink flames suddenly emerged from the black slime on the floor; creating a black slime portal as the entire kitchen became infested with ghosts and possessed objects floating around which transformed the area into a battlefield. "Look out!"

"These guys are Cook ghosts, not a surprise given their appearance and the fact that their wearing cooking aprons!" Michiru said after taking a quick scan with his PKE meter before drawing out his weapon so he could help his fellow Ghostbusters fight off these new foes.

"Yeah I get that, but where's the big boss?" Winston asked, firing a proton stream at a ghost. "There must be a head Chef among them!"

"That looks like him right there Z, hey I know who that is; that's Chef De Forrest!" Ray replied, pointing at the new fat ghost Chef who suddenly appeared after his minions begun attacking everywhere. "He's the Chef who committed murder by poisoning a food critic's meal in the hotel he and his cooking staff worked at, but they all died by accidentally eating some food not realizing that it was actually some of the left over food which they themselves had deliberately poisoned; don't eat or drink anything in here no matter how hungry you are!"

"Thanks for the tip Ray, but given that we're inside of a haunted hotel with a kitchen infested with ghosts and black slime; I don't think any of us are hungry right now so don't worry!" Egon commented while trying to strike a Cook ghost with the proton stream he had just fired.

The battle waged on, getting more intense with each new opponent that showed up as the seconds went by; and this was one fight that definitely made the earlier skirmish with the Webbed Fiends look like a cake walk since it was a tougher fight in a more dangerous environment. Despite the fact that the Ghostbusters were fighting inside of a lit up kitchen with technologically advanced equipment, the Cook ghosts along with their leader Chef De Forrest were proving to be allusive adversaries; they would fly around in and out of each section of the kitchen to avoid being captured while looking for the right moment to strike at each of the Ghostbusters who were busy while fighting off the possessed objects and utensils being used and hurled at them as weapons. Michiru thanked the fates that these ghosts had waited for them to reactivate the power first, for the battle would most surely be a lot tougher to survive; let alone win had they attacked him and his friends in darkness while in the kitchen which had black slime spills and numerous objects to use as well.

After taking a minute to observe the battle around him, Michiru was able to deduce that the ghosts were wandering from room to room not just to avoid capture; but also to divide the Ghostbusters up and draw them away from one another so that each of them could be attacked individually until all of them were eventually defeated. Although it was a sound plan, the ghosts had no way of isolating the Ghostbusters from each other which meant that if things got too dangerous; they could easily regroup and provide close support for anyone who needed it if they were in a tight spot. But in the bigger picture, the Shikigami user knew that he and his combatants still had to find the Mandala node and defeat who ever or what ever stood in their way first in order to shut it down; so he had to think of a plan which could possibly turn the tide of this fight in order to bring it to an end before too much time and energy were lost and used up needlessly.

"This is ridiculous, there are only four ghosts and some Kitchen Fliers here; and yet their fighting so well!" Winston cussed, firing a proton stream at a Class Three Cook Ghost as it flew through a giant hole blown through one of the walls and into another one.

"They aren't allowing us to dissipate their PK energy because they're continuously moving around all the time, we're going to have to chase them ourselves if we want to weaken them enough in order to ensnare them with our capture streams Ray!" Egon replied loudly, striking the ceiling with a proton stream and sending multiple sparks to rain down everywhere as he tried aiming for another Cook Ghost.

"I guess we'll just have to chase after them then, time to divide and conquer guys; charge!" Ray yelled before chasing after a Cook Ghost while Egon and Winston followed after him in order to go hunt down the other foes; surprising Michiru by not staying together as a team.

"Wait guys, they want us to split up and become separated; come back!" Michiru warned, running after them while ducking to avoid being struck by several pots and pans that were floating around being and possessed by a Kitchen Flier entity; the hunters would soon become the hunted if he didn't go and save them. "Oh for crying out loud…I need to think of something quick before we all get killed in this place."

While Chef DeForrest and his three subordinate Cook Ghosts kept roaming around and taking turns attacking the other Ghostbusters when ever it was convenient, the Kururugi boy chased after one of the enemy entities; making sure to stay on the move to avoid becoming a stationary target. Although the Ghostbusters appeared to be holding their own, they were still unable to dissipate the PK energy of the opponents they were fighting against due to the fact that everyone was constantly moving around which prolonged the battle; something the Ghostbusters couldn't afford to do as Egon had so pointed out before everyone scattered everywhere in the kitchen. Trying to fire their weapons at the levitating targets wasn't the only problem that the four combatants were burdened with either, they also had to keep their eyes open for multiple floating pots and pans that were being possessed by the Kitchen Flier entities to avoid being injured or knocked unconscious in the middle of this battle. To make matters worse, the weaknesses of both paranormal opponents were different which meant that Michiru and the others had to change their equipment; firing proton streams at the ghosts and switching over to use shock blasters at the Kitchen Fliers in order to hopefully defeat each of them quickly.

After carefully processing these factors in his mind as he stayed in pursuit of his target, Michiru realized that the battles against these paranormal opponents were becoming tougher due to the disadvantages that he and his friends were facing which were ironically caused by the weaknesses of the ghosts and animated monsters; this battle as well as the previous ones that were fought at the Museum and underground. Individually, each group of foes were relatively easy to deal with under certain combat conditions; but the battle became more difficult when combining different types of ghosts or monsters together like a combined arms system as what is commonly used in the military. Although he could fire his weapon, the ghost wasn't always in his line of sight due to the multiple holes in the walls which separated each of the rooms in this giant kitchen and as a result; Michiru couldn't keep his proton stream on target long enough to cause any serious damage. However, the teenager wisely took advantage of this wild goose chase by spraying his slime blower on each of the black slime portals he frequently came across and sealed them shut to prevent more ghosts from joining the battle as he continued running around.

"Ugh! Why can't these ghosts just stay in one place?" Michiru cussed while firing a shock blast at some possessed pots and pans before a Cook ghost suddenly made an attacking charge at the preoccupied paranormal investigator who noticed the threat. "Oh no, not good."

There was no time to change his equipment in order to use a proton stream and so with no other option, Michiru discharged a stasis stream at the oncoming attacker; solidifying the ghost's spiritual form until it came to a halt just seconds before it could strike the Shikigami user in a ramming attack. As Michiru breathed a sigh of relief from his good timing, he suddenly remembered that this ghost would only stay still temporarily and so he tossed out his slam dunk trap on the floor; before an inspiring idea popped into his mind. Taking a step back, Michiru changed equipped which activated the green light; indicating that he had selected the slime blower. Wanting to see if his plan would work, the teenager shot a slime tether to the stationary ghost and anchored the other end of it to the floor right beside his trap. In an instant, the slime tether tugged the immobile entity to the floor and into proximity of his slam dunk trap; capturing the ghost inside without any problem which gave the young boy a sense of achievement thanks to the creative method he had just discovered.

But there was no time to waste, this battle had to be won fast if the team was to find the Mandala node and close it successfully without any trouble; so Michiru broke into a run and proceed to track down his three companions before the tide could turn against them.

"Mitch! Hey man, where've you been?" Winston asked as the Kururugi boy came to his aid in order to help tackle another Cook ghost.

"I was busy trapping a ghost, how have you guys been doing?" Michiru asked as he vented his proton pack to avoid overheating it.

"We've been holding our own, but so far the battle looks like a draw; we can't catch these ghosts if they don't stay in one place." Winston answered while continuing to discharge a proton stream at the spiritual entity he was fighting against. "At least you caught one though."

"Yeah, you want to see how I did it?" Michiru replied, receiving a nod from the man as he switched equipment. "Okay then, hold your fire."

Winston was reluctant to deactivate his proton stream, but did as the Kururugi boy had asked; watching to see how the young Experimental Equipment Technician intended to capture the Cook ghost. Michiru fired his positron collider at point blank range, causing the floating foe to freeze its position in five seconds or so; making Winston's eyes widen as he imagined how cold that must have felt even though temperature had nothing to do with how the stasis stream slowed down anything that it was shot at. Once the ghost was still, Michiru through out his trap and selected his slime blower before firing a slime tether at the entity; he then anchored the other end to the floor just as he had done the first time a few minutes ago and successfully captured a second Cook ghost. The Japanese student turned and gave the older man a funny grin before changing his equipment again so that he could go help Egon and Ray with the remaining ghosts, Winston congratulated his friend on his creativity and improvisation; he only wished that he had a camera to record the event.

"Hey Mitch, that leaves two down and two more to go; it looks like Egon and Ray could each learn a lesson from you." Winston remarked with a grin as he vented his proton pack. "What do you say we charge over to where they are and show both of them how it's done?"

"Sounds like fun, remember to use a stasis stream first and then a slime tether after the ghost is slowed down; and anchor the other end of the tether beside the trap but make sure nothing is blocking the path for the ghost to be pulled into your trap or else the tether could break." Michiru instructed before preparing to move out again.

"Roger that, alright; let's head out and catch some ghosts!" Winston yelled excitedly as he and the Shikigami user broke into a run. "It won't be hard to find the others in this beat up joint, all we have to do is follow the sound of shooting and shouting; there they are Mitch!"

"Okay Winston, you catch the Cook ghost and I'll catch the boss; good luck and good hunting to you." Michiru replied as they each ran into the room where Egon and Ray were both fighting it out with the last remaining ghosts, Winston ran over to help Ray out while Michiru went to provide support for Egon who was battling with Chef DeForrest. "Looks like you and Ray could use some help here Egon."

"Glad you're here Michiru, we could use your help right now; these ghosts are really quite the handful here." Egon answered with a glance.

"Hey Ray, how you doing man?" Winston asked as he came up beside Ray who was still trying to ensnare the third and final Cook ghost.

"We'll I'm alive and kicking, but this ghost is a wild one; I feel like a fisherman who's prey gets away after taking a bite." Ray replied.

"No need to worry anymore Ray, Michiru and I will show you guys how to catch these dudes; turn off your proton streams." Winston said.

"What?" Ray asked in disbelief, thinking that Winston had gone mad. "Are you out of your mind Z? What good will that do?"

"You heard the man Ray, turn off your proton streams; the ghosts are now leaving so do it." Michiru instructed, watching the ghosts leave the room through the giant holes in the walls; leaving the possessed pots and pans to harass them for a bit before they returned to attack again. "Everyone switch your equipment and use your shock blasters on these Kitchen fliers buzzing around the room, do not engage the ghosts when they come back; Winston and I will deal with them. I recently found a way to capture the two ghosts already so don't worry."

"You've already captured two of the ghosts by yourself?" Egon asked in surprise as the four of them came together in a group.

"So how did you manage to capture them if they're always moving around all the time?" Ray asked curiously. "Egon and I couldn't keep our streams aimed on our targets long enough to weaken them, let alone ensnare them so what did you do if you didn't use your magic?"

"Watch and learn, trust me on this one guys; Mitch has a good battle plan." Winston replied reassuringly to try and calm Ray down. "I saw him catch his second ghost so believe me when I say he knows what he's doing, heads up guys; here comes the big boss and his laky."

The four Ghostbusters stood together in one group in the middle of the room, each person facing one side and covering the flank of each person on either side of himself; making sure to stay in the tight defensive formation to foil the ghosts' plan of splitting them up. Egon and Ray did as they were instructed and used their shock blasters to keep the Kitchen Fliers away while Winston and Michiru carefully eyed each of the remaining ghosts who roamed around the group like two bandits on horseback would do in the Wild West. The Cook ghost looked just like the other two which Michiru had captured earlier, thin and tall while dressed in a white cooking outfit with an apron over top of that to keep it from getting dirty; but this particular ghost looked goofy because of the frying pan he was wearing upside down on his head like a hat. Chef DeForrest on the other hand was a fat ghost dressed in the same manner, only he was wearing a proper Chef's hat and the bottom of his long shirt which had white and red checkers on them hung down below his white cooking uniform while the long pants he wore had thin black and white vertical stripes. The fat spiritual entity was bald with no hair on his head, his chin stuck out further than his nose and his neck was partially hairy; his white eyes looked as though they would pop out of their sockets half the time and his teeth looked vile and rotten whenever he opened his mouth to laugh or grunt at the Ghostbusters as he floated around.

Knowing that they would have to attack in order to break the ranks of the paranormal eliminators before they could attempt to divide and defeat them, the Cook ghost suddenly charged first in the hopes of drawing everyone's fire so that Chef DeForrest could strike from the opposite side unscathed; but Winston and Michiru were both prepared for the worst and so the attack wouldn't be as successful as the two enemy ghosts had hoped it would. Both of them discharged their stasis streams at each of their targets, creating quite a show for Egon and Ray who were both watching with astonishment at the effectiveness of the plan; although it took a few seconds longer for Michiru to completely bring Chef DeForrest to a halt in mid air given how much fatter and more powerful he was compared to the Cook ghost. The two employees tossed out their traps and switched their equipment before firing a slime tether at each of their targets, next they both anchored them to the floor and let the elasticity accomplish the task of drawing both ghosts into proximity of the traps until they were sucked inside one after the other in less than ten seconds; creating one heck of a light show given how close everyone was.

"Yahoo everybody! The kitchen is clean!" Winston declared now that the battle was finally won. "Time to head for the elevators."

"Wow!" Ray exclaimed in awe, still captivated by the performance that Michiru and Winston had done to capture the last two ghosts.

"That method of capture was a bit unorthodox, but surprisingly effective under these circumstances; I never would have thought of using a slime tether to reel a ghost into a trap." Egon stated. "And I completely overlooked the fact that we could have used our stasis streams from the beginning of the battle, which was a good tactic on your part Michiru; you've distinguished yourself yet again; great job Winston."

"Thanks Egon, I wouldn't have learned how to do that if Mitch hadn't shown me first when he caught that second ghost." Winston said, giving the Kururugi boy a pad on the back. "Pity Venkman wasn't here to see it, he could have learned something new."

"That's a good point Z, he missed out on some fighting here as well as at the Library; we'll have to make sure he doesn't duck out of work again when the time comes to search the Hudson river for the final Mandala node." Ray stated, making everyone nod in agreement.

"Alright, let's head for the elevators; we've got to find that Mandala node before too much time is lost." Egon ordered, taking the lead.

"Um Egon, there's one little problem that we have to deal with." Michiru said nervously, drawing everyone else's attention. "Now that the electrical power is back on, all of the security cameras inside the hotel are going to be up and running. We'll be seen and then Peck will find out that we entered here despite the warning sign that was posted outside which means we'll all be in real serious trouble with him."

"Don't worry Mitch, the security cameras were off when we entered so there isn't a recording of us tearing the sign to shreds." Ray said.

"I know that, but what about from here on in and when the time comes for us to leave after we've accomplished our mission?" Michiru asked with concern, feeling very uneasy about the affair; the last thing he wanted to do was give Peck a just cause to arrest all of them.

"Mitch does have a point guys, we don't want to give Peck a just cause to throw us in jail and launch an investigation." Winston remarked.

"That's true." Egon said in agreement. "I guess we'll just have to come up with a plan to avoid getting ourselves into trouble with Peck."

"That won't be easy, I suppose we could always plead insanity; but then Peck will just lock us all up in a lunatic asylum." Ray commented.

The group were only too happy to leave the kitchen in order to continue on their primary objective, now that the power had been restored; they're presence would be recorded by the security cameras which wasn't a good thing since they technically entered the hotel even though they saw the warning sign forbidding them to do so at the main entrance way. Upon leaving the kitchen and coming back to the narrow hallway which lead to the main lobby, the hotel manager had recovered from fainting and was back on his feet once again; waiting to find out how the Ghostbusters were progressing since he didn't want to stay trapped inside of the hotel for much longer. As they retraced their footsteps to travel back towards the elevators, the silence was broken by a faint beeping noise; Michiru's PKE meter was detecting something and a closer look at it revealed that another cursed artefact was located nearby somewhere on this floor. The Kururugi boy let his companions know he was going to go track it down and so they would wait for him at the elevators until he returned before they continued their search for the Mandala node.

Michiru walked along on his own back towards the main entrance of the hotel, once he walked through the door which led him into the small room with the enormous decorative water fountain positioned in the centre; the signal forced him to turn left where he saw another door off to the side. The antenna on his scanning instrument rose up as the beeping increased, telling him he was getting closer to his target; and so the teenager kicked the door open with his right foot in order to see inside before entering in just in case there was any dangerous hazards. Inside the small room, there was black slime on the walls; but the cursed artefact sat on the floor in the left hand corner which made it easy to spot. A closer look showed that it was a small clock and once he scanned it, Tobin's Spirit Guide revealed that it was a Swiss Death Clock which displays the time of death of anyone who sees it; this discovery gave the Japanese student a momentary feeling of uneasiness as he thanked the fates that it didn't tell what date the said person's death was as well for fear that he might die before his time.

In order to make the room safe for people who didn't have any of Egon's advanced equipment, Michiru decided to use his slime blower and neutralize all the black slime inside so no one would get hurt; he also hoped that no more ghosts or monsters would appear at the hotel if all the black slime disappeared along with the Mandala node once he and his friends had sealed it shut. The job was done several minutes later and so Michiru departed from the room and proceeded to head for the elevators where he had been told his friends would be waiting for him. Once he walked into the other section of the lobby, he spotted them up ahead and walked over to join them; but the hotel manager wasn't with them which meant that something was up. In addition to that, the three adults appeared to be whispering to each other which made Michiru wonder if they were devising another scheme to pull on him like the last one which had included Ilyssa even though she was the one who masterminded that devilishly clever prank which resulted in him being restrained and tickled to death.

"What are you guys up too?" Michiru asked curiously as he came upon the scene, making the Ghostbusters aware of his presence.

"Oh, uh; hey Michiru." Ray responded as he and the others turned around to face their young friend. "Did you find the cursed artefact?"

"Yeah, it was a Swiss Death Clock; one that shows the time of death of anyone who looks at it." Michiru answered. "Creepy isn't it?"

"Oh yeah, that definitely sounds creepy in my book." Winston commented. "We've just thought of a plan to avoid getting in trouble."

"Really?" Michiru asked in astonishment, a little surprised that they would have thought of a solution so quickly. "What kind of a plan?"

The three Ghostbusters spent a few minutes explaining the little scheme they had recently brainstormed to Michiru so he would understand how it would work when properly executed, the boy was a little concerned at first; but he gradually agreed with the basic idea that they had come up with. After reviewing it over and over again to ensure everyone knew what to do and when, the hotel manager returned after temporarily leaving to use the washroom and was about to ask what the Ghostbusters intended to do from here on in; and that's when the four paranormal investigators begun to put their plan into action under the careful guise of a ruse. They didn't like making a fool of the hotel manager, but they had little choice in the matter if they wanted to keep their presence here a secret; the alternative would be getting arrested followed by a fine and imprisonment which was unacceptable since Michiru's identity had to remain a secret.

"Pardon me sir, but I'm afraid that our scanning instruments won't be as reliable as usual because the Spider Witch's movements are mysteriously erratic; would you mind directing us to your security room so we could see if she's been sighted by one of the cameras?" Egon asked. "It would save us some time tracking her down so we can capture her sooner and then we can all leave once we're done."

"Yes, that shouldn't be a problem; please follow me." The manager replied, taking the lead to show them to the security office.

A short time later, they entered into the small room with multiple television screens which displayed the live images from the security cameras; there were also some machines which had VHS tapes inside of them to record all the hours of each day so that they could be kept and used in case there was a suspicious situation that required the recorded footage to be seen and analysed. Down the hall there were some vending machines which had some soft drinks and snacks, Michiru was told to stay in the room and watch the monitors for a sign of the Spider Witch while the others went to get some drinks; they would only be gone for about five minutes so it was no big deal and the Shikigami user was usually able to handle any tough situation on his own in the event that one ever occurred. Suddenly, Michiru held his hands to the sides of his head as if a painful feeling had shot inside of him; he invoked his Shikigami powers in order to try and suppress what ever the cause of it was. Once the Ghostbusters and the manager returned with some pop cans with them, they suddenly begun to worry as they saw the state of their friend who happened to be standing on a glowing red star shaped pentagram that spun on the floor beneath his feet.

"Mitch, are you okay man?" Winston asked as a worried look crossed everyone's faces, the manager eyes widened with fear; wondering what had gone wrong with the young boy as he saw that Michiru was standing still looking at the monitors with his back facing them.

"AHH!" Michiru yelled with an angry looking face full of rage as he turned around and glared at the people standing in the doorway, pulling his messy hair from with his fingers as if he was trying to tear portions of it from off of his own head; giving everyone a good scare as well.

"AHH!" the manager screamed, sounding like a women yet again, just as Winston tossed his trap out which landed just a foot behind where Michiru was standing; the four adults stood paralysed with fear in the doorway wondering what would happen next.

"Quick Winston!" Egon ordered. "Spray him with your slime blower! Mitch clearly isn't himself right now! Hurry before it's too late!"

"Right, I sure hope this works or else we'll all be dead!" Winston replied, spraying the Kururugi boy with positively charged green slime.

The Shikigami user held out his right hand and a small ball of fire appeared within its palm out of nowhere, it would appear he had been provoked; the manager wanted to flee for his life but was unable to because Egon and Ray were standing behind him and wouldn't move which trapped him inside with Winston. The enraged young man slammed the ball of fire down on the floor as if he was intending vent his anger and it struck the trap which Winston had thrown out a moment ago, shattering the metal device into multiple pieces as it exploded; Michiru dropped to his knees and gently fell to the floor which revealed a ghost hovering behind him where he had once stood.

Egon and Ray fired their weapons, but only managed to bracket the spiritual entity inside and since they both missed their target; their deadly proton streams struck all of the security monitors and video machines with all of the VHS tapes which had been recording all of the images throughout the hotel. Luckily for them, Winston was able to hit the mark by firing a stasis stream at it in order to prevent it from escaping; Egon tossed out his own trap as Ray fired a slime tether and pulled the floating foe into proximity until it was vacuumed inside. The frightening fight was now over and everyone could breath a sigh of relieve, for the time being anyway; for they still had to find the Mandala node and possibly fight the Spider Witch if she gave them any trouble.

"Hey Mitch, you alright man? Come on kid, wake up." Winston said, heaving the young boy off of the floor and shaking him gently to try and bring him back to consciousness.

"What was that?" the manager asked, still shaken up by the whole situation. "That boy had a ball of fire in his hand! How did he do that?"

"It appears as though our young co worker had become taken over by a possessor ghost, once inside a human body or host; the person's spirit looses control as long as the ghost remains inside." Ray explained. "Luckily our equipment freed him when he was sprayed with positively charged slime and once the ghost was out, we were able to capture him without endangering ourselves or our young friend."

"Hey Winston, what happened?" Michiru asked after opening his eyes and finding himself on the floor.

"You were possessed man by a ghost and you gave us quite a scare too, but we managed to free you and imprison it." Winston answered as he helped the Japanese student stand up on his feet. "Everything's all cool now, you'll feel better after you have a drink; here you go."

"Thanks." Michiru said thankfully, opening up the can of coca cola and taking a big sip. "Oh yeah, that tastes good; just what I needed."

"The security equipment is all in shambles, we'll never be able to see a visual of the Spider Witch." the manager complained.

"Alright then, I guess we'll just have to track her down as best as we can with the tools we've got; we'll start by looking on the thirteenth floor because that's the floor that Ilyssa said she was on when she had her first paranormal experience." Egon stated, sipping his pop.

"This hotel has no thirteenth floor, none of the grand old hotels do; they have twelve floors and then an above one called the fourteenth floor so that any superstitions can be avoided in order to satisfy our customers." the manager said. "I've worked here for years so I know."

"Hmm, we'll just have to split the difference; we'll split into two teams so we can search both floors at once." Ray suggested.

"Sounds like a plan, Michiru and I will search the twelfth floor; you and Winston search the fourteenth." Egon ordered. "Now remember, we have maintain constant communication with each other; we'll be looking for a Mandala node which is likely to be guarded by an entity of the same level and strength as Azetlor or the Chairman ghost. Which ever team finds it will have to face the possibility of fighting without support until we can meet up together, so keep that in mind because this place is extraordinarily dangerous; let's get going."

The four combatants and the manager went back to the elevator and each team took a different one in order to travel up to a different floor of the hotel, the manager didn't fancy being left all alone with ghosts or monsters still roaming around so he decided to tag along with Winston and Ray; there was also the possibility that he was still frightened of Michiru all because of the incident with the ghost in the security room where the Kururugi boy had used his magic to summon a ball of fire in his hand and throw it down on the floor with a crazed and angry expression on his face. The two teams stepped inside of the elevators once both of them arrived and the automatic doors had opened, once they had closed; each team pressed a button to choose a destination and the elevator did the rest. Egon couldn't contain himself any longer and suddenly chuckled to himself now that they were separated from the others and more importantly, the hotel manager; the scheme they had devised worked exactly as planned and now they didn't have to worry about being seen in the hotel.

"You performed the part of being possessed by a ghost perfectly, and using your magic made it look really real too. "Egon commented.

"Yeah, luckily for us; the manager doesn't now a possessor ghost from a Cook ghost so it was easy to fool him." Michiru replied. "I still feel bad for fooling the manager though and also for destroying Winston's trap with that fire ball I created with my Shikigami magic."

"Don't worry about the trap, we have plenty of spares back at the Firehouse; but we need to ensure that no one else knows we've been here today other than the hotel manager or otherwise we'd have Peck pecking at our necks how wouldn't we." Egon replied.

"Yeah, you're right." Michiru said with a sigh, reluctantly agreeing that it had to be done for their sakes if they were to avoid trouble.

"Hey Egon, tell us more about how the Mandala node works and why we keep running into new ghosts and monsters to fight." Winston asked over the radio. "Ray and I would like to know what the connection is with them and why there's a big boss guarding each one."

"Okay, imagine that the Mandala or spiritual labyrinth is like a city bus line that ghosts use to travel from place to place." Egon explained. "At any bus station or in this case a Mandala node, ghosts are drawn into the spiralling transportation system and trapped inside like moving passengers. Their PK energy becomes concentrated and is then forced through to the next station and so on until it all ends at a final terminus. At each successive node along the way, the station manager or node guardian absorbs some of the energy thereby making it stronger in order to maintain order; keeping the ghosts under control and also to destroy anyone who threatens to interfere with the flow system. These nodes or bus stations gather the power to feed a central point which is causing a very great threat to our world because the dimensional wall between it and the ghost world will continue to break down unless we shut down the system and stop it."

"I think I get the basics of it, we've sealed two nodes already and that leaves two left over; this one and the other hidden somewhere in the middle of the Hudson River." Winston replied. "So this Spider Witch lady must be the station manager of the node here in the hotel right?"

"Yeah, Azetlor was the node guardian at the Library and the Chairman was the node guardian at the Museum; which leaves the mystery of who or what the big boss will be at the final node." Ray added just a mere moment before the elevator halted and the lights went out.

Suddenly, the Spider Witch appeared again; standing right inside of the same elevator with Michiru and Egon which gave them both a good scare. Although it was dark, her evil aura gave off a faint red glow which lit up the inside just enough for the two combatants to see her and luckily for them; it turns out they were just watching another residual haunting which had happened in the past while she was an actual living person. The same gentleman that they had seen with her before was accompanying her again and they could tell that she was using her charms to lure him to the place where he would eventually be murdered and wind up dead, they both walked through the closed elevator doors and vanished from sight; making the American scientist and Japanese student breath a sigh of relieve now that the scary moment had passed along with the danger. The two human beings were so focused on watching the Spider Witch that they failed to notice the elevator had now halted and they had now arrived at their destination, the twelfth floor; now they had to start searching.

"Well that was terrifying." Egon commented once the lights came back on and everything had returned to normal as it had been before.

"Oh yeah, thank goodness it was just a residual haunting from her past when she was living human being." Michiru added in agreement. "I guess we should start looking around for any paranormal activity, recon it's the only way we'll find the Mandala node or the Spider Witch."

"Yes we should, but be extremely careful; this floor is likely to be a dangerous concentration point." Egon warned as the elevator doors opened automatically, allowing them to step outside and walk around. "Hmm, how very odd; the environmental paranormal anomaly seems to be coming from everywhere at once which means it will be nearly impossible for us to get a significant fix to find out where its located."

"My antennae are down and there isn't any beeping so it looks as though for the moment that nothing is up here…yet." Michiru said.

"Come in Ray." Egon called into his hand radio which was attached to the left shoulder strap of his proton pack. "Ray? Are you there?"

"We lost you there for a minute Egon." Ray replied back. "What happened? Are you and Michiru doing alright?"

"We had a close contact with the Spider Witch, she suddenly appeared inside the elevator with us for a brief moment before disappearing again; it would appear that the sightings we're seeing are actually residual haunting memories of her past back when she was a living person because she didn't attack us and she was also busy luring her unfortunate victim to his death." Egon answered through the radio.

"Sounds spooky, and on that subject; we've got some more information for you guys on the Spider Witch ghost." Ray replied before going into detail, causing Michiru to listen in as he and Egon walked around. "The hotel manager claims that authorities never found her but…"

"The bodies of the victims she had murdered were hung upside down from the ceiling, they were also drained of blood and dragged around; leaving their corpses in a very bad state when they were eventually found and examined." The manager explained, taking over and speaking by using Ray's radio. "The walls of the hotel room where the crime scene was were covered in blood, furniture was half chewed up and crushed; piled together in a corner of the room like a giant nest. The interior of the bedroom was very badly vandalized."

"I do NOT want to be found in a bad state, vandalized; or hung from a ceiling and drained of blood." Winston remarked over the radio.

"I think that sentiment is unanimous, we're about to commence our search of the fourteenth floor; we'll call if we find anything." Ray said.

"Egon, my PKE meter is really acting up here; it's almost as though I'm picking up two signals simultaneously." Michiru said, moving his arm left to right while holding his instrument aloft as he halted at a point where the hallway intersected with another one. "There seems to be another cursed artefact coming from down that hallway to the left of us, but there also appears to be a hidden ghost just up ahead…there, behind those doors. The antennae have risen to the top so it must be inside that room, which should we hunt for first?"

"Let's get the cursed artefact, it will be quicker since we won't have to chase or capture it; the hidden ghost might give us the slip so we'd better collect the artefact first before we find ourselves in a close quarters fight." Egon suggested, following Michiru down the other hallway which was on the left until they reached the end where the signal of the active sample appeared to be coming from the bedroom.

Upon opening the door and walking inside, Egon and Michiru found themselves standing inside an immensely large bedroom; this had to be a hotel suite given how spacious it was. There was a very large bed, some comfy chairs and a couch located near a built in fireplace which was most likely one of the fake ones that lit up and was used for decoration; a nearby door looked as though it lead to another room which was part of the suite but it was locked shut so unfortunately they couldn't look to see what was inside. However, after following the signal which had gotten warmer and warmer; Michiru opened another door he had found which lead to a large washroom where the cursed artefact was hidden inside of. Turns out that the artefact in question was in fact a toilet which the teenager found rather funny given what it was and where it was found in, the scan indicated that it was a Phantom Flush toilet which emits frightening sounds of someone drowning for some reason; rather odd that someone would end up drowning inside of a toilet. Now that the cursed artefact had been found, Egon and Michiru walked back to where they had picked up the signal of the hidden ghost earlier. The Shikigami user confirmed that the spiritual entity had stayed in the same spot while they were gone for a few minutes which meant that they could see and scan it if they opened the doors quickly enough to look inside.

"I'll open the door real fast and you see if you can get a scan of the spiritual entity before we fight it in case it's a dangerous one." Egon whispered as he and Michiru walked up close to the door entrance and prepared to bust inside. "Are you ready? One, two; three. Now!"

Egon swung the door open, the other hallway inside was partially lit up by a faint light which only lasted for a moment before everything went dark and in that moment; Michiru saw a glimpse of what he thought was possibly the true form of the Spider Witch. The glimpse was like a flash and a click from his memory which he replayed in his mind like a photo from a camera, the end where they now entered lit up by itself after a few more seconds as the laughter of the Spider Witch echoed throughout the rest of hallway which stretched down ahead of them in a straight line; beckoning to them like a dangerous path which led to where they would meet their deaths in the midst of the black darkness that awaited them if they continued any further. Michiru was having second thoughts about the developing situation and wished that they had all stayed together as a group so they could search one floor at a time in order to improve their chances of survival, but they were short on time and it was apparently too late to change the plan now that they were split up in two teams; each one searching on two different hotel floors which gave the Spider Witch the advantage of fighting each team one at a time.

Michiru's worries and thoughts were distracted when his PKE meter buzzed, telling him that the cursed artefact was nearby again, he decided to track it down since the Spider Witch had given them the slip so he followed the signal; walking cautiously while watching everything around him with Egon following behind.

"Come in Ray." Egon ordered, using his hand radio.

"Go ahead?" Ray asked, communicating back.

"What was the room number that the Spider Witch murdered her victims in?" Egon asked curiously while staying in pace with Michiru.

"Room 1221, it was locked up for decades after her spree; until about five years ago when we were forced to remodel and conduct renovations to repair the interior damages she had caused to the room back in the 1920s." The manager answered over the radio.

"That's the same room number that Ilyssa said she was standing outside off when she said something was compelling her to enter inside, Ray; I think you guys should come down here to the twelfth floor where Egon and I are." Michiru replied. "If the Spider Witch is indeed the node guardian, then all of us will have to regroup to take her on together given how much power she must possess; remember how strong Azetlor and the Chairman were and how tough it was for us to defeat each of them? The last thing we want is to give her the advantage of fighting us two at a time while we're separated, especially if we have to fight in an alternate dimension like we did back at the Library."

"Mitch has a strong argument guys, I really think we should do as he suggests before anything bad happens." Winston said agreement.

"I understand Michiru, hey wait a sec; there's something…" Ray replied before his radio transmission was suddenly cut off and ended.

"Oh my god, that doesn't look like a good sign." Michiru stated, coming to a halt after turning a corner and seeing a sight which made a frightening chill crawl up his spine; Egon also came to a halt and took a pause to mentally prepare himself for what was to come next.

Twenty feet ahead of where the two of them stood were giant cobwebs attached to the ceiling, walls, and floor of the hallway which indicated that they had found the lair of the Spider Witch. There was now no doubt in their minds that the true form would most likely resemble a giant venomous spider, something which Michiru feared; memories of all the giant spider demons he had seen and fought against in his Feudal era adventures began to flood into his mind even though this situation was entirely different. There was no other path available which meant that they had to venture inside no matter what dangers or perils awaited them, it was fairly obvious that they were getting closer to their objective; but unfortunately there were now only two of them and they had to fight and defeat a node guardian without any aid from Winston and Ray. Egon and Michiru silently nodded to each other before cautiously walking further down the hallway, until they were about to enter into the area where the cobwebs and spider silk surrounded them.

"Oh, greet our visitors." The echoing voice of the Spider Witch commanded as giant nightmarish spiders crawled out and attacked them.

"Spiders!" Michiru shouted, taking a quick scan before drawing out his positron collider and discharging a proton stream at the nearest abnormally looking arachnid before it could crawl close enough to bite him; killing it with a point blank blast and destroying its body.

"Just keep firing Mitch, but what ever you do; don't get bitten!" Egon warned, standing beside him to his right; firing his weapon as well.

These nightmarish monsters which were undoubtedly the minions of the Spider Witch were identified as Spider crawlers according to the scan Michiru had taken with his PKE meter before he was forced to draw out his weapon and defend himself, luckily a well aimed proton stream or boson dart was powerful enough to destroy the deadly creatures and cause their bodies to explode just like the Venom crawlers did when they were sprayed with positively charged slime; but the Spider crawlers could move quicker and also jump which made them more dangerous. Egon and Michiru continued firing boson darts and proton streams until the small swarm of perhaps six to eight of the attacking arachnids had been defeated once all of them were killed in battle. Each of the Spider crawlers were black with a bright streak of red running down their back, their heads were also coloured in the same bright red and with all the light emitting from the discharging weapons when the Ghostbusters fired them; the red colour almost looked as though it changed to pink.

"The Chairman sends little spirits to me, they love me and they help make me stronger. Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!" The voice echoed again.

"This floor is undergoing significant metamorphosis, which means that the Ghost world is aggressively forcing its way into ours much faster than we thought; it's not even utilizing a dimensional portal to break through which is even worse." Egon deduced, looking around as he and Michiru ventured further down the hallway until they halted when they suddenly heard a voice echoing throughout it again; a voice that sounded different from that of the Spider Witch because it was from a man and both Ghostbusters could easily guess who's it was.

"Did you notice the red hour glass shaped mark on each of the Spider crawlers Egon?" Michiru asked. "Black widow spiders have them."

"In that case, be extra careful; because that means all of them are female and that they have large venom glands." Egon warned softly.

"Why have you hung me upside down by my ankles? We hardly know each other so don't you think this is a bit overboard? Who…What are you? No, wait. Help!" A frightened voice cried out, one that belonged to the Spider Witch's victim. "Stop! Please! AAAAHHHHHHHH!"

"It looks as though this is where the node is focused, and the situation is much more dangerous than I thought; we could use some help in here." Egon said before talking into his hand radio. "Ray, are you there? Come in Ray, Mitch and I need your guys' help. Winston? Do you hear me? Over?"

"I hate to say this Egon, but it looks like the two of us are going to have to fight the Spider Witch and seal the node all by ourselves." Michiru said reluctantly, knowing it was already too late to try and call for the others to reinforce them ever since they split up into teams.

"Yeah, I'm afraid you're right; we should have stayed together as you suggested but its too late now." Egon admitted. "Let's continue on."

Egon turned to the left to follow the hallway as it turned, but Michiru took the right hand direction in order to track down the cursed artefact that his PKE meter had picked up over and over again; at last he was able to finally find it which came as a huge relieve given the dangerous lair he was exploring. The hallway began to bend and alter so that the floor was angled unevenly as the Kururugi boy walked further down until he saw a glimpse of the artefact he was searching for, it was a floating mass of hair and the scan revealed it was the Unruly beard of V. Belascu; who ever that was. The brief comment indicated that the disgusting, tangled mass of hair twitches and squirms; rather odd since it was found immobile while up in the air. There was no time to read Tobin's Spirit Guide for a detailed history lesson on it because of the current situation at hand, so Michiru quickly retraced his footsteps back in the opposite direction in order to join Egon and help the man find room 1221 which would hopefully lead them to the Mandala node; although one would think that they already had found it judging by the fact that they were inside of the small maze of hallways infested with Spider crawlers and spider webs.

A few minutes later, the two of them were heading down another hallway together when they came under attack by another swarm of Spider crawlers; the Spider Witch was obviously trying to wear down their strength since they knew they were getting closer to finding the hotel room they were currently looking for. Luckily there were only a few of them and they were beaten quickly so that the two combatants could move on, but upon coming to the end of the hallway where it turned off to the left again; Egon and Michiru were greeted by yet another unpleasant sight. Suspended upside down, were several human beings bound up in spider silk; it was presumed that they were three dead victims of the Spider Witch and that she had already drained them of their human blood. The two combatants carefully walked around the corner and stopped when they heard the echoing voice of the Spider Witch yet again, as more of her monstrous minions crawled down the other hallway to mount a third attack on them both; they began to wonder what their chances of survival were while they were trapped inside of this spider infested labyrinth. Besides the spider webs everywhere, there were also spider eggs grouped around in the webs and some were even dangling from the ceiling just like the dead human victims were; it was a relief that none of them were ready to hatch yet or else Egon and Michiru would find themselves as the first meal for all of the numerous newborn Spider crawlers.

"I'm starting to feel as though we're experiencing the same pattern we faced when we entered into the Ghost world before we finally found the alternate version of the Library where we were able to meet Azetlor and defeat him so we could return back to our own world, we haven't even found room 1221 yet and we're still stuck inside this lair; we've also lost radio contact with the others." Michiru stated.

"I know what you mean, but just because we can't see it doesn't mean we won't find it eventually; I admit it's difficult to read the room numbers with all the spider webs and spider silk covering the surface of the doors and walls." Egon replied, looking carefully as they passed each of the room entrances one at a time while Michiru stayed on guard for any more attacking arachnids that suddenly showed up. "Room 1220, room 1222; but no sign of 1221. Well since 1221 is the room where the node is located, perhaps the Spider Witch concealed its whereabouts in order to keep it hidden so we can't find it; she is the node guardian after all so that's a strong possibility."

"Well if we can't see it with our own eyes, we'll have to rely on our PKE meters to help find its location." Michiru said, pulling his goggles down and returning his positron collider to the holster on his proton pack before he took out his scanning instrument. "Cover me Egon."

"There's a dead end up ahead so we shouldn't have to far to look in order to find it, we can always search the right hand section of the hallway if nothings over here; but look carefully because it might be hidden behind some of these spider webs here." Egon stated.

"I think I found it Egon, there's a door covered with web strands and they're different some how; they appear to be emitting powerful psychokinetic energy and there's also a faint purple colour to it." Michiru said, flipping his goggles up and drawing out his positron collider.

The Japanese student selected the slime blower and sprayed some positively charged slime on where the door was even though he was striking the web strands that covered it up, but the action caused the desired reaction and the webs disintegrated until the open doorway revealed itself; now things were looking up despite the dangers that Michiru and Egon still had to face later on until the battle was over. Not wanting to waste a minute, the two of them walked inside with their PKE meters out and their goggles down so they could search for any hidden paranormal anomalies and other clues for the Mandala node; this was the concentration point so the Spider Witch had to be lurking somewhere inside or nearby waiting for the opportune moment to strike at those who had now invaded room 1221. The bedroom was completely covered in spider webs and strands of silk which also helped to hold up all the eggs that they could see piled in certain areas of the immense bedroom, the pieces of furniture were easy to spot even though they were also covered up; and there were several more dead human victims bound in silk and suspended from the ceiling. Michiru noticed that the room had a striking resemblance to the other one in which he had found the Phantom Flush toilet, for the room's layout design and the locations of the furniture pieces looked almost the same; but an uneasy feeling began to emerge inside of the young man and he couldn't shake it off.

"I really don't like the look of this place, it seems like we found the room a little too easily if you ask me. What do you think Mitch?" Egon asked, turning to glance at his sidekick and noticed that the Shikigami user seemed to be lost in his own train of thought; even though he appeared alert and on the look out for anything dangerous that might suddenly arise in the room. "Michiru are you alright?"

"Hmm? Oh sorry Egon, I was having a flashback from my adventures in the Feudal era; I can't help but feel the same fear and uncertainty that I felt back then." Michiru answered quietly, trying to avoid making noise in order to listen for anything that might be hiding nearby.

"Anything you want to talk about?" Egon pressed, hoping that the boy would share what was on his mind in order to deal with it better.

"My friends and I had travelled to investigate a lead we had on the possible whereabouts of our enemy Naraku, the place we went was called Castle Town; named for the simple fact that there was a castle which was in the same vicinity as the town." Michiru begun while continuing to look around the room. "I know I've probably already mentioned this before when I first told you and the others of my adventures throughout Feudal Japan, but I can't help thinking that I'm experiencing the same fate all over again; despite being here in modern day Manhattan. We heard from an old man that the King who ruled might have been possessed by a demon and we feared that Naraku was responsible for the rumours which traveled throughout the land; we eventually found him after spending a great deal of time searching the castle and fighting many demons along the way during our exploration. Though we finally managed to find him, we couldn't defeat him and were forced to run away because he had blocked all of our attacks by using a magic barrier he had created, I was eventually able to learn a new Shikigami spell after completing another journey shortly afterwards so that I could use its ability to destroy Naraku's barrier; but we had to find him first in order to confront him in battle again."

"And how is our situation similar to the one you faced in that era?" Egon asked, not quite grasping what Michiru was getting at just yet.

"Well, when we returned to Castle Town; it was abandoned and in ruins with no human beings in sight. Completely dead and deserted instead of what it had been before when it was alive and inhabitable with many people living in it, just like this hotel; remember how nice it was when we came here for the first time before we even had our first battle with some ghosts?" Michiru explained. "Anyway, we had to search through the ruins of the castle in order to find Naraku; it was even tougher than before given that much of it had decayed and fallen apart even though it was still infested with hordes of demons that we had to fight just as we had done during our last battle there. On one occasion, I became separated from the rest of my friends and had to try and find them again; fighting all by myself against many demons in the process. I managed to survive thanks to a chance encounter with a powerful demon named Shesshomaru who was also hunting around for Naraku as well, we both searched together until I was at last reunited with my friends; we were forced to fight against the enslaved spiritual entity of a brave samurai named Yukimura who was being forced against his will to fight against us on Naraku's behalf."

"Sounds like a very painful experience given that you and your friends were being forced to fight against a friend who you all had known before he died." Egon stated, staying alert as he listened intently to what the Kururugi boy had to say during his tale telling. "Did you win?"

"It wasn't an easy victory, but yes; we did win." Michiru answered with a sigh. "Although we managed to win the difficult battle and set Yukimura's soul free along with all the other souls that were also enslaved, Naraku still escaped from us which meant that we were once again forced to search for him; it seems as though my friends and I were destined to repeat the same endless cycle over and over again during my travels. I know that we did finally defeat him in the end after so many more battles, but it's still something I can't really shake off; we could have ended his treachery and saved so many lives from Castle Town alone if only we had won the battle during our first visit there. And here in your country, we could have sealed the node during our first trip to this hotel and saved ourselves the trouble of coming here again had we known everything that we do now; its just you and I against the node guardian and it'll be a miracle if the two of us can pull this off all by ourselves."

"Michiru, regardless of your Shikigami powers; you've become a well trained and experienced member of the Ghostbusters." Egon replied, trying to set the young employee's mind at ease despite their current predicament. "In about three and a half days, you've gone from a raw recruit to a battle hardened employee; that's quite an accomplishment given how young you are compared with me and the others. I understand that you and your friends had to spend endless days traveling in search for Naraku and how he escaped in nearly every battle, but in the end; you and your friends finally defeated him which is all that matters. I've learned an important lesson from your stories and when ever I've seen you use your Shikigami magic, your spells appear to be powerful especially when used for attacking; but that's not what your spells are for; they are specifically used for functional purposes. And your functional purpose was to ensure that you and your friends remained alive, it isn't about defeating your opponent; it's about protecting lives and saving the lives of others that make you a better and stronger person. You've been doing the same with us just as you did with your Feudal era friends, that's how you were able to save our lives as well as Ilyssa's life; and that's why you were able to defeat Naraku since he only cared about ending lives rather than saving them."

The Shikigami user stayed silent for a few more moments as he carefully processed every word Egon had told him, and everything he said had been completely true; it had just been harder for Michiru to accept it since he had been burdened with the anxiety of having to experience the endless cycle of searching around fighting battle after battle only to have Naraku get away before he could be defeated. Egon was absolutely correct, saving lives was the final factor; and Michiru knew this from his own combat experiences whether he was fighting demon hordes or against Naraku and possibly one of his incarnations. Naraku's disregard for the lives of those who were fighting for him were ultimately his downfall, he cared nothing for any of his incarnations; both Kagura and Kanna were merely tools or extensions of his own demonic body which were therefore expendable and each of them were nothing more than a means to an end used for fighting against Inuyasha and the others. It was true, for Michiru even recalled how Kagura had risked her own life by betraying Naraku on Asagiri Island in order to help Michiru and his friends to locate him so that she would finally be free once he was vanquished in battle; but sadly she was killed and so her plan came to nothing. And once Naraku reappeared when he had tried to take over Utsugi's power by corrupting the Shikon jewel that Michiru's ancestor had taken after Naraku had faked his own death, he had to once again fight Inuyasha's band of companions; and it was that battle which saw the end of Naraku because he didn't value lives in the same way as Michiru and his friends did. Time and again, they used their abilities to help each other out on the battlefield which is why they were victorious in the end.

"You make a good teacher Egon, its no wonder why you're the person in charge when ever we're on a mission like this; thanks for the words of wisdom." Michiru replied with a light smile, feeling much better now even though the two of them were still in a horrific hostile lair.

"You're very welcome, I suspected that you already knew all of what I told you; but I knew that you'd feel better if you just heard a grown up say it." Egon replied with a quick grin before turning to look at an open doorway which led somewhere else. "I wonder what's in there."

One by one, the paranormal investigators walked inside and found another bedroom which was part of 1221; it had a striking resemblance as though they had just walked into a copy of the same room they had just left. But a closer look around revealed yet another door which appeared to be leading to an entirely different location altogether, this was the ghost world as far as they were concerned and so anything out of the ordinary was usually the best place to search next; regardless of the risks or the fact that the two of them were on their own and separated from Winston and Ray who were presumably still searching the fourteenth floor back in their world. Deciding that they couldn't take another minute of standing inside of the room where the Spider Witch had committed her murders back when she was a living person in the 1920s, Egon and Michiru stepped through the doorway and found themselves inside of an small room which branched off the hotel and merged with what looked like a cave that lead to a cavern which was the final battlefield where they would at last confront the node guardian when ever she finally decided to make an entrance and accept the idea of fighting them herself.

Caution triumphed over courage for the time being, the two combatants proceeded through the silk and web covered environment which was a nest for the numerous spider eggs that lay all around them in various clusters; Egon holding his PKE meter to detect signals while Michiru held his positron collider at the ready and remained on guard to cover them both as they moved around ever so slowly. Some distance ahead of them in the darkness, unbeknownst to the human beings who couldn't see that far even with their flashlights; the Spider Witch redeployed herself so she would be in a more suitable position to attack her prey while using all the advantages that her cavernous lair provided. The scientist carefully studied the readings coming from his scanning instrument as he observed the features of the new environment he and his colleague had just recently entered, Egon knew that it was only a matter of time before they would find themselves under attack; they had found the concentration point and there was no question that the node guardian was lurking nearby.

"We aren't alone inside this cavern, stay alert and above all; stay alive." Egon said softly, wanting to remain quiet in order to hear any noise of the Spider Witch approaching them.

"Same goes for you too Egon, we both have to survive this battle if we're to help the others seal the final node somewhere in the Hudson river; that will probably be more difficult than this." Michiru replied, walking along and making sure not to wander off to far ahead of Egon.

The Spider Witch's voice continued to echo throughout the wide and vast system of caves that made up this cavernous lair where she waited in the darkness, taunting them and testing their nerve as she hoped to plague their human minds with psychological warfare so that they would be too afraid to put up a fight when she chose to attack them personally. By this point, Michiru was getting impatient and aggravated by the annoying voice of the node guardian who hid like a coward while they were forced to look for her themselves; but her paranormal signature was erratic and usually difficult to accurately track which meant that pinpointing her location would be even tougher. Nevertheless, enough inaction had taken place and the Kururugi boy's patience had finally run out; causing him to take a few running steps in order to chase after the signal he was tracking in the hopes that he could find his target and start the battle.

The determined teenager had run through a cave passage and found what looked like a fold in the dimension because there was a wide hallway with a wall on either side which seemed to be part of the hotel even though it only lead to another section of the cavern like lair he was exploring, spider webs and silk as well as more eggs covered the area; but the cave passages and most of the cavern was made up of dark black and grey rock with a slight purple and blue colour in some areas of it if one took the time to carefully examine the environment with their eyes. After halting to look behind him, Michiru realized only too late that he had fallen prey to the trap that had been set for him; he had lost his patience and left Egon so that he could be attacked while he was alone until the scientist could catch up with him. Once he realized his mistake, Michiru drew out his positron collider and powered it up; suddenly taking notice of Egon running in his direction.

"Look out above you Mitch!" Egon shouted in alarm, causing the Japanese student to turn around and look up at the rock roof of the cavern; his eyes falling on the giant paranormal parasite that was crawling on it with her huge creepy looking legs.

The Spider Witch had at last made her entrance and she was well named for her appearance too, for she took on the from of a giant black widow spider with a body as large as a horse; not including her eight spider legs which made her diameter at least twenty feet wide. Where the head of an ordinary spider was located, there was instead the upper half of a woman's body which was fused together in the same way that one would be to a horse which made up a centaur; she wore the same black and red attire that Michiru remembered seeing her in the few glimpses of her residual haunting. But unlike before, her eyes were completely white and lifeless looking like a zombie; making her face look scary. The most horrific feature of all was that her human head looked as though it had nearly been cut in half horizontally, but a closer look showed that it was actually her mouth opening wider which showed her venomous fangs and red gums inside; this was one monster which Michiru would be happy to see dead once he and Egon eventually found a way to defeat her.

"Back off!" Michiru shouted, discharging a well aimed boson dart at point blank range, striking the Spider Witch as she attempted ambush him from above and launching her about twenty or thirty feet until she hit the hard surface of the rock wall behind her which added even more pain what her underbelly felt from the powerful point blank attack of the Shikigami user's offensive weapon. "No human blood for you missy, not today! The only blood you'll be granted is what you already have, if any still flows through your veins that is. Got it?"

"Oh, are you flirting with me?" The Spider Witch asked playfully, trying to counter Michiru's taunting words with her own as she recovered herself. "It's been so long since my last victim, and I've never had anyone as young as you before; your blood will taste exquisite."

"Sorry to disappoint, but my heart already belongs to someone else; someone who's mortal unlike you." Michiru countered, taking advantage of the pause to get a scan of the Spider Witch while she attempted to humour herself by converging in conversation with who she thought would soon be her next murder victim. "If you want it, you'll have to suck it from my corpse; after you've killed me first."

"Come to play games have you?" She asked with a hideous grin scurrying from side to side with her eight large and powerful spider legs. "I know lots of games, in fact; we're playing one right now. The game is Cat and Mouse, I'm sure you can figure out how it works. AHHH!"

"Aren't you forgetting that there are two of us?" Egon asked sarcastically after hitting her with a boson dart while she was in the middle of her sentence, making her look at the older man who had now arrived to join in the battle. "Oh I'm sorry, pardon me for interrupting you."

The Spider Witch blew a mental fuse and screeched in anger at being struck so easily by a mere human being whom she regarded an nothing more than a meal for herself and her spider crawlers, her lifeless eyes picked up Egon and Michiru chuckling at each other at the humour in the opening round of the battle which had now started; it had given them both a morale boost while damaging her pride as well as her body from both of their boson darts and she wanted revenge for what they had done. She scurried along from side to side in order to dodge and avoid the proton streams that the two human combatants were firing while changing direction occasionally to lunge forward and attack one or both of them head on when ever she wanted, causing trouble for the paranormal investigators since neither of them wanted to accidentally cross their streams or strike each other in the midst of the close quarters battle.

Egon had tried using a stasis stream in an effort to slow down the female foe's movements, but given that she was a deity as well as a node guardian like Azetlor; it didn't have any effect on her what so ever. Boson darts and proton streams seemed to be the best weapons to fire at the Spider Witch given how much destructive power they had, especially when used on an enemy with an actual body; but she also possessed deadly weapons and abilities of her own which both Egon and Michiru were soon about learn for themselves. The eight legged entity continued manoeuvring in order to avoid attacks, cleverly lunging forward and dividing the two of them when ever they were vulnerable; she also spat globs of fresh spider silk at each of them to blind their vision and sabotage their weapons. The Ghostbusters now found themselves playing dodge as well since none of them wanted to be hit by the same disgusting silk that their opponent used for making webs and binding her dead victims in, keeping a fair distance away from her was an even more serious concern; for one bite from her deadly mouth would surely die after being injected with the poisonous venom that the Spider Witch had.

After making another lunge attack, both Michiru and Egon avoided the assault by rushing away from each other; then they turned around and fired proton streams at her from both flanks. However, her body suddenly vanished in an instant; alarming the two fighters and forcing them to shut off their weapons to avoid striking one another just in the nick of time. Once they realized what had happened and they saw that their enemy was gone, they began looking around in all directions; hoping to catch a sight of her in case she suddenly appeared again. But with nothing to go on, it was time to pull out the PKE meters to try and scan her again; Michiru decided to try and track the Spider Witch while Egon stayed on guard with his positron collider out and at the ready. The teenager walked around for just over a minute and managed to detect a signal, but when it died; he found himself attacked again and was forced to use his magic by casting and throwing a ball of fire at the attacking adversary who clearly wasn't expecting such a counterattack. She was momentarily burned which gave Michiru enough time to draw out his weapon and fire a proton stream at her for a brief period until she vanished again for the second time.

"Mitch, get back here quick; she's reappeared again!" Egon's voice blared over the young boy's hand radio, warning him that his friend was in danger now that they had become separated again. "She must have a special ability to teleport from place to place when ever she wants, and while she's gone; she recovers her strength much like how the Chairman did during our underground battle on the platform."

Now that was an unpleasant piece of information, their were only two of them and they had to fight against an opponent who could vanish and reappear just as quickly while being slightly recovered; but they couldn't unless Michiru used his magic again. Although his Shikigami powers were very useful in dire situations, Michiru was reluctant to use them while he had his positron collider and he didn't want to have to rely on his magic unless it was absolutely necessary; for casting it used up a fair share of stamina and not just raw magic power as one might think. He also thought it wise to wait until he had the chance to study the Spider Witch's combat abilities a little while longer so he could determine how best to use his magic in the event he found there was no other alternative available if the battle went ill, being a mere mortal; he had to think carefully and take everything into consideration.

"Watch out Egon!" Michiru warned over his hand radio before aiming his weapon. "Boson dart heading your way so don't get hit now!"

The Kururugi boy fired a boson dart as he continued running in his friend's direction, the projectile travelling over and striking the ground; stopping the Spider Witch in her tracks before she could assault Egon in an upfront physical attack. Upon turning to glance to see where the shot had come from, the arachnid lady vanished and reappeared behind Michiru; tackling the unprepared boy to the ground as she frantically tried to claw at his face with her outstretched arms. The enormous enemy pinned the young man underneath herself with her powerful spider legs, she leaned her upper human body downward to get close enough to bite Michiru; but he was shielding himself with his positron collider even though he couldn't shot her because of the angle he was holding it at and also because her clawing attacks were preventing him from aiming at her. Unfortunately, Egon couldn't shoot at the Spider Witch because he feared he would accidentally hit Michiru, and even if he aimed accurately enough; she could easily vanish and reappear somewhere else so it wasn't worth the risk.

"It is futile to fight me! I'm going to enjoy sinking my fangs into you and sucking out all of your blood!" The Spider Witch stated, opening her mouth wide for several seconds to give Michiru an up close view of her vile fangs and gums which were dripping with mouth watering saliva; pulling his head closer with her hands as if she was going to plant a kiss on his lips with her own . "I promise I won't bite too hard! This won't hurt a bit, you'll only feel a tiny prick before it's all over; I only want to quench my thirst!"

"I'm got something else that'll quench your thirst, here!" Michiru replied, taking advantage of the moment and shoving the Neutrona wand into the female foe's mouth; her pale white eyes widening with shock. "Why don't you try an appetizer and have a drink of this instead!"

Upon firing the trigger, Michiru injected the unprepared Spider Witch with positively charged slime from his slime blower; green liquid overflowing out of the monster's open mouth since she obviously couldn't swallow it faster than it was being pumped into her. This clever trick caused the vile venomous creature to let go of her prey and leap back, coughing out the liquid substance as fast as she could even while it burned where ever it had come in contact with her paranormal body which wreaked of evil; allowing Michiru to get to his feet now that he was free. Once she had cleared her mouth and throat, the Spider Witch emitted a high pitched scream of agony; making teenager grin with satisfaction that he had outsmarted his enemy and gotten himself out of danger without the need to rely on his magic. Egon arrived at his side and gave the teenager a questioning look, wondering what he had done to cause the powerful being such agony and suffering; he was quietly given an explanation when their opponent had finally calmed down and recovered from the ordeal.

"That must have hurt." Egon remarked, standing at the ready; expecting another attack. "Glad to see you unharmed after her attack."

"How'd you like the taste of that?" Michiru shouted with a taunting tone of voice, aiming his positron collider as he prepared for battle.

The Spider Witch roared loudly with rage, her mind overwhelmed with vengeance as she charged ahead in an effort to kill the Kururugi boy who had so cleverly used his wits to cause her internal injuries which she wasn't expecting from a mere mortal; she spat globs of fresh spider silk at both of them to blind her foes so she could deliver a killing blow while they were vulnerable. Egon managed to blast the one coming at him with a well timed boson dart, but Michiru wasn't so fortunate; for he had forgotten to switch his equipment and his slime blower was still activated as a result. Acting instinctively, the young youth fired his weapon and watched with disbelief as a green slime tether shot out and struck the ball of spider silk flying straight at him; he ducked just in the nick of time and decided to return the projectile back to its creator. The glob of silk shot over his head, dragging the slime with it like a rope; but Michiru took advantage of its elasticity and yanked it back in the opposite direction which sent it recoiling back where the boy released the other end of the tether from the end of his weapon and watched the projectile slam into the face of the Spider Witch. The giant glob of silk burst apart on contact, covering her upper human body and entangling her human arms and face with the disgusting sticky substance which she had created.

"Well there's something you don't see often, a spider getting attacked with her own silk; how ironic." Egon commented. "Nice one Mitch."

The victory didn't last long, for the Spider Witch quickly untangled herself from her own strands of silk which her body was made to resist before charging ahead to resume her attack; but she came under the combined firepower of the two human beings who's proton streams hit their mark and did serious damage which forced her to vanish and teleport to a place away from them for a breather so she could recover her depleted strength. Egon took out his PKE meter and tried to determine where she had fled too, the signal was erratic so Michiru pulled his out as well in order to help; it was possible that she was still teleporting from place to place even as they searched for her. Both of them walked along through a cave passage and followed a very faint signal on their instruments, but as the signal changed; they suddenly found themselves under attack by the Spider Witch who looked as though she had recovered judging from the speed of her movements. Michiru could tell that the Spider Witch was utilizing the same cheap strategy that the Chairman entity had used on them during an earlier engagement where she would fight it out with them and then withdraw to recharge herself when her strength was weakened, although Egon and Michiru could move around freely and pursue her on this occasion without any other opponents to worry about; her ability to instantaneously relocate herself was a serious advantage that was depriving them of a quick decisive victory.

"Keep firing at her!" Egon shouted, still striking the adversary arachnid with a proton stream as Michiru did the same. "Her strength is weakening, all we have to do is find her before she can recharge herself and return to attack us again; and then we'll be able to defeat her!"

"How much time would you estimate she takes to recharge while she's not attacking us?" Michiru asked curiously, his mind pondering various factors as he tried formulating a plan which could help them so they could defeat the Spider Witch and return to their own world.

"Huh…I don't know, a matter of minutes." Egon answered, holding out his PKE meter while Michiru followed him with his positron collider out to protect them both from sudden attack. "It depends on how much strength she's lost, how long it takes for her to recover and when she decides to attack us once she has recharged herself back up to full strength. Are you thinking of using your magic again Mitch?"

"No, not unless its necessary; but I think I have a plan which could help so hear me out and let me know what you think of it." Michiru begun. "Each time she teleports a safe distance away to recover her strength after an attack, we're forced to use our PKE meters to search for her before we can launch our own attack and when she returns; we take a few seconds to put away our tools before drawing out our weapons so we can fight. In those few seconds, both of us are vulnerable; that's also why she likes to move around to set herself up in a favourable attack position."

"Yes, that follows; but I don't see how we can track her without our scanning instruments unless you're suggesting that only one of us tries to track her while one of stays on guard." Egon pointed out, thinking carefully to figure out what his young teenage friend was planning.

"When she does it again, we will be ready; we'll have to keep looking around us for any sign of her as she approaches because she sometimes likes to vanish and attack from another direction right away." Michiru continued. "I'll admit it will be difficult to track her location given how large this lair is with all the different passage ways, but its still possible; you fire your proton stream at her when she attacks and I'll shoot her with my meson collider so we can follow the repeated bursts that I fire which should lead us to her location no matter where she relocates herself too. If we repeat that process over and over again, it will deny her the ability to attack us unprepared and also give us the chance to beat her during her weakened state when she's recharging herself; how does all that sound to you Egon."

"Sounds like a good man Michiru, let's try it out; this should give her a surprise to think about." Egon answered with a grin on his face. "She's taking her time, we must have done some real damage to her; but she's bound to resume her attacks on us eventually."

"There she is!" Michiru shouted, firing his meson collider and striking the Spider Witch who suddenly appeared to the left of them; proving Egon was right and that they didn't have long to wait for her to return and attack the two of them. "You weaken her Egon and I'll track her!"

The Spider Witch didn't think anything of the small spark like burst of energy which struck and attached itself to her as she dodged to avoid Egon's boson darts, but she found herself in for a surprise when Michiru rapidly fired repeated bursts from his overload pulse; each round homing in on target no matter where she was or where his weapon was pointing. Eager to exploit another opportunity, the enemy entity vanished and reappeared behind them so she could attack them from the rear; but Michiru's bursts had changed direction which alerted the two Ghostbusters of her new location which ruined her plan and only gave her more injuries from the combined weapon systems that Egon and Michiru were employing together against their foe. Egon guessed that her ability to teleport also used up valuable paranormal power which is why she her strength appeared to be weakening little by little despite her attempts to recharge herself in between rounds during the battle, the scientist was confident that the tables had been turned in favour of him and Michiru; for the Spider Witch could no longer dictate the terms of battle and choose where and when to attack now that that privilege had changed hands.

"She's gone again, that must be where she went; let's go." Egon pointed out in the direction that the overload pulse bursts were travelling.

"I'll need to hit her again, my meson collider is going to overheat." Michiru said, running along with the adult; releasing the firing trigger so he could vent his proton pack so it would be ready for full use once again. "Is that her right there hanging upside down on the rock roof?"

"Yes it is, let's see if I can it her all the way from here." Egon replied, aiming his positron collider and discharging a powerful boson dart.

Both paranormal eliminators watched carefully with excitement as the projectile travelled towards its far away target and in several more seconds; it struck home and caused the stationary Spider Witch to fall from the ceiling on to the ground where she disappeared from view. Egon and Michiru were cheering with delight at the older man's achievement when they both found themselves under attack once more, the enraged enemy entity clearly wasn't enjoying this battle as much as she had been at the beginning before the tide had turned against her; she didn't fully recharge herself either and so she couldn't stay in close combat for long and risk defeat as well as losing her life. The Shikigami user marked her with another meson particle and repeatedly pummelled her with rapid bursts which gave him the impression that he was using firepower overkill on his opponent while Egon dissipated her PK energy with his proton stream, but the scientist also took the opportunity of shooting boson darts at her as well when ever he thought he could strike her with one. After shooting her with his third boson dart in this round of combat, the Spider Witch teleported away; leaving a few parting words for them.

"You hurt me, silly men; I'll defeat you eventually." Her voice echoes throughout her lair as Michiru and Egon ran to track down her new whereabouts.

"She must be really weak by now, we interrupted her from recharging her strength; let's finish this so we can go home." Egon said.

"Wait, I don't know what it is; but there's something familiar about that rock in the roof." Michiru said, looking curiously at the spot where the Spider Witch had perched herself during her recharging cycle ; until Egon tugged his arm so they could follow the trail from the meson bursts that had been fired from the young boy's overload pulse on his positron collider.

"In the meanwhile, you can play with my friends." The Spider Witch said, causing the PKE meters to beep in alarm at a paranormal signal.

"Multiple contacts!" Egon warned, looking around and seeing a horde of Spider crawlers approaching their position and trapping them in an area where the ground dropped down a gigantic hole nearby inside of the cavern which spelled death if they fell down into its depths.

"Go my darlings, fight them; feed on them and tear them apart! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!" The Spider Witch yelled in a commanding voice.

Egon was forced to concentrate his attacks on the swarms of Spider crawlers scurrying over to attack him as he and Michiru stubbornly stood their ground, given that they had no choice but to try and make a stand so they could avoid being driven over the edge; but the man couldn't fight all of them off without Michiru's assistance even though he did his best to do so. The Japanese student grinned angrily at the predicament that they were now forced to face, Egon needed Michiru's help to fight off the Spider crawlers since he couldn't do it alone, but Michiru knew that as soon as he did; the Spider Witch would use the advantage of surprise and attack them herself since he couldn't use his meson collider to track her if he was busy firing his proton stream to keep her monstrous minions at bay. It was a risk no matter what course of action he took, and remembering that saving lives was more important than defeating enemies; Michiru switched over his equipment and choose to support his friend.

The Spider Witch who had been watching from afar while concealing her position saw her chance, she teleported herself on the rock where she had been recharging herself before and was now in position above and behind the unsuspecting humans who were frantically fighting off the Spider crawlers that were presently drawing their fire and more importantly; their full attention. Both Ghostbusters fired their proton streams at the nightmarish arachnids continuously, some Spider crawlers raced towards them on the ground while others leapt at them in jumping attacks which caused more danger and diverted their combined fire; nearly crossing their proton streams which was a seriously hazardous danger. Suddenly, Michiru's proton pack began to overheat which forced him to hold his fire in order to vent it; leaving Egon momentarily by himself to hold off the ever advancing horde of spider crawlers that got closer and closer. Michiru wasn't about to let them die just because of this, so he stepped forward and used his weapon as a badminton racket; smacking any Spider crawlers that tried jumping at them away while waiting for it to cool as the seconds slowly went by. Being forced to dodge another jumping arachnid, Michiru turned sideways in the process; smacking the creature away as his eyes suddenly looked up and caught sight of the Spider Witch who was now making her move.

Too late, the giant paranormal parasite leapt from the rock roof; her speed increased with the aid of gravity working in her favour. She collided with the Shikigami user before he could even fire his weapon which was already aimed at her at point blank range as she darted in; pushing Egon aside in the process once she hit the ground. The man was momentarily stunned from the force of impact after he was pushed into a solid rock wall about ten feet away while the Spider Witch continued her assault on her primary target which was Michiru, she had used her two inner most front legs to catapult him into the air and on the ground about twenty feet from where he had been standing originally when she made her attack, the force of impact from the fall caused him some minor injury which left him vulnerable; long enough for the mobile monster to pin him down so she could try and kill him. His positron collider was pinned underneath her massive body so Michiru couldn't rely on it to get himself out of this predicament, he would have to try something else in order to stop her instead before she could finish what she has started; he could see out of the corner of his eye to the left that some of the Spider crawlers also came over just in case he managed to fight while others went over to attack Egon.

"Don't struggle, you'll only make your death more painful; it will hurt much less if you stay still." The Spider Witch said humorously with a playful grin even though there was nothing funny about this from Michiru's point of view. "Do you have any last words before you die?"

"Oh flame burning bright! Shine your judgement upon us! Flame of Judgement!" Michiru replied, invoking his Shikigami powers; a bright red star shaped pentagram appeared beneath him and the Spider Witch and began spinning while the Shikigami familiar in the form of a lion took shape momentarily and transformed into a massive inferno of intense orange flame.

The Spider Witch took notice of the Shikigami familiar which had suddenly appeared without warning, and when it turned into the inferno of orange fire; it swept the whole area of the battlefield where Egon and Michiru had been fighting against their enemies. All of the Spider crawlers screeched in agony as they were cooked by the intensity of the magic flames that had engulfs all of them, the Spider Witch included while miraculously leaving Michiru and Egon unharmed even though both of them shut their eyes and shielded their faces to avoid being burned; the Spider Witch was forced to flee in order to save herself from the same fate as her smaller minions who unfortunately didn't possess the same teleportation ability as she did. As a result, they perished in the flames until the fire evaporated a minute later; leaving their blackened and scorched corpses burnt to a crisp which sent a chilling shock throughout the body of the node guardian who found herself frightened for the first time ever. But she wasn't beaten yet, she was sure that the magic spell Michiru had cast trained some of his energy and strength; so she decided to try and kill him while he was still on the ground and vulnerable.

"You've burned off my hair and ruined by beautiful body, you'll pay for this with your life." The Spider Witch said angrily, examining herself and finding out her head was now bald and her skin was burned very badly; it was a miracle she could still move without causing pain to herself.

"I really hate to point out the obvious to you lady, but you're ugly; you were never beautiful to begin with in this form." Michiru countered, causing the Spider Witch to roar with rage as she opened her mouth to bite him; but she was suddenly stopped by a boson dart striking her bulky spider butt from behind which caused her to turn her gaze to who ever had interrupted her from killing her victim.

"Hey Spider Bitch!" Egon called out, venting his proton pack in the process and recharging it as he aimed it back at her again. "Back off!"

The Spider Witch roared even louder than before which caused Michiru to cover his ears to drown out the high pitched sound, while Egon fired a second boson dart at the stationary monster in order to get her off of the Kururugi boy; her butt was large enough to take all of the damage so Michiru wasn't in any danger. Once she had moved, the young man got to his feet and shot a meson particle at the Spider Witch before showering her with multiple bursts from his overload pulse; locking on to track her while causing additional damage in the process. The enemy entity tried teleporting away, but found she didn't have the energy to relocate herself to an area far from her current position and as a result; she remained confined in the small section of the massive cavernous lair while under continuous fire from the combined efforts of both combatants. Eager to recharge herself in order to get away, the Spider Witch leapt from the ground and clung to the rock roof using every ounce of remaining strength she had left to hold on while she tried desperately to recharge herself; but Michiru wasn't going to let her drag this battle out any longer than she had done already.

"Shikigami! Please help!" Michiru called out, continuing to fire his overload pulse as he called on his magic powers a second time.

This time, a different Shikigami familiar appeared; but one that Michiru still recognized from when he had experimented with his powers in order to travel back and forth through time. A large black Serpentine Rock with golden sparkles covering it appeared for a few seconds before it shattered into a million pieces, the golden sparks came together and magically entered inside his proton pack before being shot out of the Neutrona wand at the end of his meson collider which enhanced the power of the rapid fire bursts being shot and homing in on the opponent he was firing at; but the strange thing is that they weren't doing damage to her. After looking more closely, Michiru and Egon noticed that the meson particles were striking the Spider Witch while the golden sparkles which had fused with them; passed through her body and struck the rock ceiling above her where she was trying to recharge herself. The rock roof she clung too began to crack and fall apart above the unsuspecting eight legged entity who now tried leaping upside down from one blue spotted area to another, only to find that area would start to crack and fall apart as well the very moment she came in contact with it; causing the Spider Witch to finally drain the last of her strength before she fell to the ground and died from the force of the impact which ended her life.

Michiru's hunch had been right, despite the difference in colour; the blue spotted areas on the roof of the cavern resembled the same properties as the Serpentine Rock he had seen several times during the beginning half of his adventures throughout Feudal Japan. The Spider Witch had now been defeated, her body twitching bit by bit for a few more seconds until there was no more life left inside of it; causing the surrounding environment to vanish as if it was just been an illusion. As they each took a moment to observe their new surroundings, Egon and Michiru discovered they had at last returned to their own world since they were standing inside of the ballroom at the Sedgewick hotel; the Mandala map also appeared on the wall where they could see the third node burn out which confirmed that they had sealed it shut. Although the lights were turned off inside of the room, the Mandala map illuminated the area enough so they could see everything clearly even without their flashlights to aid them; all nodes were out except for the fourth and final one which was located somewhere in the Hudson river which was theoretically where the last battle would take place in the near future. Now that the danger was over and the mission had been accomplished, Egon holstered his positron collider and pulled out his PKE meter to scan for PKE levels and other important readings needed for analysing all the data collected throughout this mission.

"Ray, Winston; come in. Are any of you guys reading me?" Egon asked, talking into his hand radio to try and contact the other team.

"Egon!" Ray replied back over both of their radios. "What happened to you guys? We lost contact with you nearly an hour ago. You both doing alright?"

"Michiru found the 13 floor, we had a long and tough battle with the Spider Witch and her minions; but we were both able to pull through in the end." Egon answered, trying to keep the chatter short as he carefully analysed the readings his PKE meter was giving him. "All PKE levels have returned to their acceptable parameters, the node guardian was defeated and this node of the Mandala has been shut down and fully neutronized."

"Alright, sounds like a job well done; especially considering the two of you were by yourselves." Winston commented over the radio.

"Where are you guys anyway?" Ray asked over the radio. "After we did a sweep of the fourteenth floor without finding anything, we returned to the twelfth floor; but we couldn't find either of you even though everything looks pretty much normal and safe from our view."

"It looks like Mitch and I are presently standing inside of the Ruby Ballroom, our objective has been completed; we'll both meet you guys at Ecto-1." Egon answered back. "Over and out."

"I'll be glad to leave this place now that we've finished our mission, walking through those dark cobweb covered hallways gave me the creeps; not to mention the Spider crawlers." Michiru remarked as the two of them headed for the doors to exit the Ruby Ballroom.

Egon and Michiru eventually made their way back to the lobby and finally to the main entrance doorway where they stepped through and found themselves standing outside of the Sedgewick hotel, Winston already had Ecto-1 revved up and running while Ray stayed outside to greet them with the hotel manager who had also stayed to wait for them to come out so he could lock the doors shut. Ray helped his two colleagues removed their proton packs along with the rest of their equipment before they each got inside of the car, the hotel manager thanked them for their services as well as for coming inside to save him so he could finally get out and leave the hotel which had shut him inside for the night; Egon instructed him to keep the fact that they had come here today a secret to avoid getting into trouble with Peck who would undoubtedly use his position as head of P-COC to cause more hardships for all of them and the manager was only too happy to return a favour for rescuing him since they also agreed to only charge him for the ghosts and monsters they had fought rather than for a whole clean sweep.

After saying goodbye to the hotel manager, the Ghostbusters drove away in Ecto-1; but they made sure to stop on the way home to pick up Venkman who had now finished his little recon at the Mayor's office. Venkman had spent about two and a half hours snooping around, being friendly with anyone he could while flirting with any ladies in the vicinity that he found attractive enough to catch his eye; anything to pass the time while he snooped around when ever it was safe to do so. Turns out that neither Peck, nor the Mayor were present at the office which gave the lone paranormal eliminator an opportunity to investigate the egotistical environmentalist's office desk during his absence; just in case there was anything important that the Ghostbusters needed to know about that Peck had gathered or hidden. It was only when he heard Ecto-1's alarm siren's blaring that Venkman finally left the premises after wishing everyone a good day, there were very few people in the Mayor's office since it was Thanksgiving Holiday; but those who were there still had important work to do which is why had to show up which wasn't a bad thing since they'd be paid time and a half or double time depending on their position and rate of pay.

"Anyway, I took the liberty of looking through Peck's desk while he was out and I found these." Venkman said, procuring a bag which contained what looked like lots VHS tapes. "Turns out that Peck took the security tapes of video footage from the Sedgewick hotel, the Library and the Museum while Michiru was there with you guys catching ghosts; he's probably started investigating even though he no longer has any authority over us. So I stole them all just to be safe, he'll probably be mad as usual; but it's a small price to pay for keeping Mitch's identity a secret."

"That was a risky move on your part Venkman, but good job though; now we just have to find the fourth and final Mandala node so we can end the disaster and save the city." Ray commented. "We're making pretty good time considering that this is only the start of the four day weekend, what do you think Egon?"

"Yes it seems that way, for now at least; hopefully everything will run smoothly and turn out for the best without any problems." Egon said.

A few more minutes later, Ecto-1 pulled inside of the Firehouse and came to a halt; everyone got out of the vehicle and received a warm welcome. Janine, Ilyssa and Saya greeted the Ghostbusters and were glad that all of them had returned unharmed; their mission had been a success which was also good news to find out as well. Michiru shared a quick hug with Ilyssa before helping Egon and the others unload all the traps that they had used in their mission so they could be taken downstairs where they could flush all of the captured ghosts into the containment unit, all the other pieces of equipment were unloaded as well; but they were kept on the nearby couch where they could be gathered up again when needed for work. By the time all of the ghosts had been transferred inside the storage facility and the traps had been returned to Ecto-1, Janine had just finished writing up a list of food supplies needed to be replenished in the kitchen; it was time to go shopping for groceries. However, Venkman and Winston took a look at the intellectual lady's list and started debating over other items that they still needed even though they hadn't been included or written down; so Ray suggested that all of them go shopping together in order to satisfy everyone.

"Ecto-1 can only take a maximum of five passengers, who want to come and who wants to stay?" Egon asked, looking around for a show of hands.

"I'll stay Egon, I'd like a shower to wash any filth that I picked up from the Spider Witch's lair; you guys can go without me." Michiru said.

"I'll stay behind as well, I have to continue with some research and besides; someone needs to stay at the office in case anyone calls here while the rest of you are all out shopping for groceries." Ilyssa replied.

"Alright then, we'll be back as soon as we can; don't eat anything or you'll spoil your appetites before supper." Janine stated with a grin.

"Don't worry Janine, we won't; you can count on us." Michiru replied with a friendly expression, standing by with Saya and Ilyssa as the others got inside Ecto-1 and prepared to head out. "Drive safely Winston, you wouldn't want to make everyone throw up in the car."

"No worries Mitch, I'll give everyone a relaxing ride there and back; you guys just sit tight and take it easy until we return." Winston replied.

"Bye everyone, see you when you comeback; don't eat all the groceries on the drive home now." Ilyssa said jokingly with a smile.

Everyone laughed at her words and waved goodbye to each other as Ecto-1 came to life and drove out of the building, leaving Saya and the two human companions to hold the fort for the time being; it was now peaceful and quiet inside of the Firehouse. Michiru informed Ilyssa that he was going to go have a shower to clean himself now that the day's work was over, she stayed downstairs at the reception desk and Saya was waiting in the laboratory until Michiru was done so he could ask the Kururugi boy about how the battle went during his second trip to the Sedgewick Hotel; and Slimer was still inside his prison cell watching the leather clad beauty with his eyes while examining her attractive figure. Michiru got out of his dirty work outfit and tossed it in the washing machine, his other outfit was nice and clean, but he wouldn't be needing it and so he decided to wear his ordinary clothes since there was no more work to be done for the remaining hours of the day; he was looking forward to an evening of relaxation. After stepping into the shower, the young boy turned on the running water and adjusted its temperature until it was nice and warm; now everything was ready for him to wash and clean his body.

A short while later, Michiru had emerged from the washroom once he had showered; dried himself and changed into clean clothes. Saya greeted him and they both began chatting together as the teenager occupied himself with a round of billiard on the pool table close to the railing which overlooked the staircase leading up and down, and Ilyssa was busy studying the data on her computer screen at the reception desk; but she was soon interrupted from her work when she noticed several people stroll through the front door of the Firehouse uninvited. The curious woman stood up from her chair and walked over to ask what the three of them were doing here and why they had entered on a holiday when the business was closed for Thanksgiving, as well as the fact that the Ghostbusters had been shut down by Peck some time late in the morning; a closer look at each of them suggested they were a group of trashy street thugs.

"Can I help you?" Ilyssa asked politely as she carefully observed each of the adults who looked to be in their mid or late twenties like her.

"We're just looking for a good time babe, you know; just like the Ghostbusters get to have on a day to day basis." One of the thugs said.

"I'm afraid that the Ghostbusters are unavailable for catching ghosts today, please leave and come back tomorrow morning so you can book an appointment; this place is closed for Thanksgiving." Ilyssa replied, clearly picking up the smell of cigarette smoke and alcohol from each of the three men; it would seem as though they were drunk and up to no good which made her keep her distance from them.

"Aw, that's too bad; all we wanted was to have ourselves a party." Another of them replied, eyeing Ilyssa intently. "Care to join us babe?"

"No, I have to get back to work so please leave quietly and come back when you're all sober enough to talk properly." Ilyssa answered.

"Come now, what's wrong with us; do you not like our company?" The third thug asked humorously while reaching for the woman's hand, making Ilyssa step backwards to avoid close contact with the ill mannered adults who clearly weren't going to leave as they had been told.

"Please leave, I won't ask again." Ilyssa said, her tone of voice turning serious as she tried to stay strong in the face of adversity.

"Oh, she wants us to leave; she clearly isn't the partying type guys. What do you think Orlando?" One of the thugs asked with a crazy grin.

"Maybe she is, but she just doesn't know it yet; you think she needs to loosen up a bit Duke?" Orlando stated with a disturbing glare.

"Yeah, that ought to adjust her attitude; just wait and see." Duke said, yanking Ilyssa by her wrist and holding her arms behind her after pulling her back against the Fireman poll by the staircase; keeping her from getting away. "Help me hold her Angus, you'll enjoy this part."

"Let go of me!" Ilyssa demanded, kicking Orlando in the shin while she struggled to free herself from captivity. "I'm warning you…"

"I like that, she has a bit of fight in her; do it some more babe." Angus said, holding Ilyssa's right arm and wrist still. "Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!"

"You're quite a hot one, let's see how much hotter you are without your clothes on." Orlando said while lightly grasping Ilyssa's chin.

"AHH!" Duke and Angus cried in unison, releasing their combined hold of Ilyssa and allowing her to get free; a look behind and above revealed that Michiru had slid down the Fireman pole and drove each of his heels into the shoulder of each man which inflicted a hard blow and caused a great deal of agony.

A split second later, the Japanese student swung around while still in the air and delivered a powerful kick to the centre of Orlando's face; breaking the older man's nose in the process before he finally landed with his feet on the floor. Michiru didn't waste any time and pressed his attack to take advantage of the stunned and disorganized gang before they could recover themselves, concentrating his efforts against the two henchmen who had been restraining his friend in order to allow Ilyssa time to get somewhere safe and away from harm; but she wasn't about to leave the young boy all alone to face the three older thugs who would surely be furious at him. She scurried over to the glass prison cell and studied the controls for a few moments before pressing some buttons, deactivating the paranormal barrier which kept Slimer trapped inside; where upon the green spiritual entity emerged out of the containment unit and hovered down to find out what the leather clad beauty wanted of him.

"What to do want hmm?" Slimer asked in a funny sounding voice which surprised Ilyssa since she wasn't expecting him to talk normally.

"Michiru needs help, go stop those thugs; hurry!" Ilyssa commanded with an alarmed look, pointing in the direction of the fist fight.

Slimer flew over and helped Saya to distract Angus's attention while Michiru fought against Duke, holding his arms up like a boxer would to protect himself while throwing punches at the right opportunity; making sure to stay on the move in order to keep the other two thugs in his view as well. Saya distracted Angus until Slimer lifted up the large metal garbage bin and hurled it at the man, striking a blow to Angus's side and forcing the man to run out of the building; it appeared he had enough and wanted to flee for his life which left two thugs to deal with. After freeing Slimer and turning the paranormal barrier back on, Ilyssa raced over to Janine's desk and alerted the Ghostbusters of what was going on by using the radio to communicate with Ecto-1; Winston immediately put the paddle to the metal and sped home as fast as he could despite the speed limit within the city. Michiru finally managed to defeat Duke in a fist fight after taking several hits in the process, Slimer and Saya chased the man out of the building when they saw him retreat; but Orlando wasn't going to leave without doing some damage first.

"I don't care how young you are, but mark my words; you're dead meat for messing with us kid!" Orlando threatened as he finally got to his feet, ignoring the pain of his broken nose which still had blood running out of both nostrils; drawing Michiru's attention.

Upon turning around to face the last of the opponents, Michiru's eyes suddenly widened as he noticed that the man was holding the giant containment trap which had Sounga imprisoned inside of it; and Orlando was preparing to kill the boy by swinging it down like a massive sledge hammer. Although Michiru was quick on his feet, the last thing he wanted was for the Sounga to break free and cause havoc; for that would be even more dangerous than anger crazed street thug. Orlando swung the massive object and brought the other end down to hit Michiru in the head, but the boy used both of his hands and arms to catch it before it could strike him; leaving both enemies holding an end of the four foot long metal device. Orlando carelessly dropped his end in order to take advantage of Michiru's vulnerable state, punching the boy in the side of the face and causing the boy to stagger and fall on his back; allowing the older man to pick up the bulky object once more so he could use it as a weapon. Michiru held the right side of his face which was sore from the blow as he watched Orlando preparing to swing the massive metallic device a second time; he couldn't use his magic because he didn't want strike the giant trap by accident; he would have to try something else instead.

Orlando swung the four foot long object in an effort to bring the end of it down on Michiru's chest, but Slimer and Saya who had returned; flew over and quickly pulled the young boy by his ankles; dragging him between both of the man's legs before he could be hit. Although they saved Michiru's life, they both forgot about the containment unit; the massive object broke apart at the end which had impacted the floor and causing a bright pink light to shoot forth from the damaged trap. The man dropped the object when he realized what was going on, the Sounga burst out of its prison; sending metallic parts and bits of shrapnel flying everywhere which miraculously didn't injure anyone even while they stood just a few feet away from it. The evil demonic sword hovered in mid air as if it was observing the activity around it before deciding what to do next, now that the trap was wrecked; Orlando drew Sounga out of its sheath to arm himself with a much more deadly weapon not knowing that he was going to suffer an unexpected amount of agony in the process. The man cried out in pain as the sword took control over him, causing Michiru to quickly get to his feet now that the incident had become even more dangerous than before; Sounga had taken control of the man and Michiru had to stop him from going on a killing spree.

The Shikigami user knew there was nothing else for it, he rushed over to the older man and tackled him to the ground; using his hands and fingers to try and pry the evil sword lose from Orlando's hands. Michiru slowly managed to get a grip on the sword handle as he did his best to ignore the pain in his hands, standing on his feet with one foot on the man's chest to hold him down so he could pull the sword out of Orlando's hands; using his Shikigami powers in the process in an effort to try and subdue Sounga's evil power as he had done once before. A long unbearable minute later, the young boy pried the sword from both of the man's hands; bringing the man back to his senses and giving him the scare of his life when he saw the venomous and demonic purple plant like veins appear out of nowhere before they injected themselves into the vulnerable boy's hands and arms. Not wanting to stick around any longer, the last thug got up and ran for his life; leaving the Firehouse behind and everyone inside of it as he went off in the direction of where he supposed his two buddies had gone.

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!" Sounga's sinister voice spoke up, letting Michiru know of what was to come. "Freeing a street thug from my power even though he was your enemy, what an incredibly foolish thing to do; you're now taking his place as my slave Michiru!"

"S-Shikigami…p-please h-help." Michiru whispered desperately, knowing that he stood a slim chance of surviving this whole ordeal again.

"I don't believe this, is that all the magic and metal resistance you can muster?" Sounga said tauntingly, making Michiru tremble more and more as the pain increased tenfold; but he didn't waste any energy by screaming so he just stayed silent and bore it as best as he could. "Oh, that's right; you've been tired from today's battles against numerous ghosts and other enemies which means that you are weakened while I am fresh and strong! Now you will know what it feels like to endure an eternity of pain unless you become my slave, remember that if you don't; you will eventually die and there won't be anything or anyone that can save you from that inalterable fate!"

"They're all gone, we drove them away! Yeah!" Slimer cheered, flying over to where Ilyssa was; grabbed hold of the woman's head and planting a big slimy kiss on her soft pink lips.

"Why you sneaky little!" Ilyssa shouted in rage, attempting to slap Slimer but missing him since he easily dodged. "Don't you ever do that again! Once more and I'll never let you out again no matter how much you beg for your freedom!"

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!" Slimer laughed triumphantly, hovering high above Ilyssa's outstretched arms and out of her reach so she could get him.

"Ilyssa!" Saya shouted in alarm, drawing the attention of the two arguing opponents. "You and Slimer need to come over here quickly!"

The green ghost and the woman wandered over to Saya, wondering what the cause for alarm was and that's when they suddenly took notice of Michiru who was still laying on the floor; trembling heavily while still clutching the Sounga in both of his iron gripped hands. Ilyssa raised a hand to her mouth as she knelt down to examine him closely and get a better view at his condition, the demonic purple veins hand finished injecting themselves; completely covering the Shikigami user's arms from his wrists all the way up to each of his shoulders. Both hands which were still slightly visible had a pinkish red colour to them as if they had been burned or something, and some of the demonic purple veins were even seen working their way inside the flesh of his hands; making Ilyssa's stomach momentarily turn over as she saw the sickening sight with her own two eyes. The glowing red star shaped pentagram that appeared beneath Michiru's body had continued to spin rapidly ever since he had called upon his Shikigami powers, but unfortunately on this occasion; he couldn't subdue Sounga's evil power completely and the pentagram gradually started slowing down until it finally faded like the flame of a burning candle.

"Michiru! Can you hear me? Ilyssa asked with a worried look on her face as she grabbed a hold of the teenager's shoulders to shake him gently in order to get his attention.

"Slimer! Help me put Sounga back in the sword sheath!" Saya asked, lifting the empty sheath off of the floor and sliding the tip of the sword inside until the blade was back inside of the sheath once again. "I'll try and keep Sounga quiet for a while, you two watch Michiru."

"Alright." Slimer answered, making a few snorts and grunts as he wore a sad look on his face after glancing at Michiru and seeing how vulnerable state that the Kururugi boy was now stuck in because of the evil demonic sword and its deadly power. "I'll be right back.

Slimer flew outside for a moment to see if the Ghostbusters were back while Ilyssa continued to try and bring Michiru back to his senses, but the young boy didn't utter a reply and only stared back at her blankly with his eyes wide open; a look of fright clearly visible in each of his eyes until they eventually closed shut once they couldn't stay open any longer. Unbeknownst to Ilyssa or the two spiritual entities, Michiru had managed to subdue Sounga's power just enough to avoid becoming possessed and in doing so; using up what ever strength he could spare which caused him to go into a comatose like state that left him unconscious and unaware of what was now occurring afterwards. Unable to cope with the horrific situation, fresh tears began to stream down Ilyssa's face as she pulled Michiru's upper body off the floor and held him against her in a gentle hug for dear life; afraid of the worst and not wanting to let go of this brave young and innocent boy who had saved her life only to land himself in a vulnerable state such as this.

Ten minutes later, Ecto-1 turned a sharp corner and pulled into the building; Winston slammed on the brakes when he saw Ilyssa clutching Michiru who was still laying on the floor with both hands holding on to Sounga's handle with the other end of the sheathed sword at the boy's feet which made the Shikigami user look like one of those fallen knight's from mid evil ages. Everyone got out of Ecto-1 and rushed over to Ilyssa to see what was wrong with her and Michiru, they also noticed that Slimer was floating around free as a bird instead of being imprisoned; but they didn't seem to mind given the tragedy that they found awaiting them once they arrived back home. Janine temporarily took charge of the situation and approached Ilyssa to ask what had happened while they were all absent, Slimer did everyone a favour by unloading the groceries and flying upstairs to put them away in the fridge quickly; not bothering to care whether all of them needed refrigerating or not under the present circumstances. Ilyssa managed to tell them everything even while she held on to Michiru's unconscious form and continued to cry, causing everyone's morale to drop as they all wished that they hadn't left to shop for groceries.

"It's alright Ilyssa, we'll all work together and do our best to set things right; I think you should go have a nap so you can recover yourself." Janine said reassuringly, trying her best to comfort her female friend as she hoped that Ilyssa would take her up on her suggestion. "Let Egon and the guys look after Michiru for now, you can help out after you've had a good rest; come on and let's get you to bed."

"The groceries are all in the fridge." Slimer said, after coming to a halt in front of Egon while Janine walked Ilyssa to their bedroom.

"Thank you Slimer." Egon answered quietly, trying to remain polite while maintaining control of his emotions just like everyone else was doing. "Venkman, I need you to help Slimer gather up all the fragments of Sounga's containment unit and bring them upstairs to the lab, Slimer; don't leave any behind. Winston, Ray; you guys help me carry Michiru upstairs and lay him down on his bed."

"Ready Ray?" Winston asked, taking hold of the young teenager's feet while Ray lifted Michiru's shoulders and Egon supported the boy's head and neck.

The three men moved with extreme caution as they travelled up the staircase, carefully carrying the Experimental Equipment Technician in the process until they reached the top floor of the Firehouse where the rest of the journey would be easier; they paused for a moment upon entering the bedroom so Egon could straighten out the bed and prepare an improvised room for giving medical treatment like any doctor would to a patient in a hospital. Once the scientist covered the bed with a gigantic overhanging sheet of clear plastic similar to plastic food wrap, Winston and Ray gently laid the young boy down on top where he remained unconscious and immobile; the demonic purple veins covering Michiru's arms gave all of them a shudder. Egon quickly placed two of his fingers at the boy's neck and was relieved when he found that Michiru still had a pulse which meant he was still alive; despite his current comatose condition. As he did so, Egon noticed the golden chain around Michiru's neck which had the Kururugi boy's amulet hanging from it; he hoped that it provided magic power used for protecting the life of his young friend who needed nothing short of a miracle to get him out of this condition.

"Ray, I don't care how what you need or how long it takes; but I need you to reconstruct Sounga's containment unit even if you have to build a brand new one from scratch." Egon said, turning to his colleague for an answer. "I know its asking a lot, but can you do it?"

"Yeah, I'll do it; even if I have to work all night without sleep." Ray replied with a nod, understanding that Michiru's life was at stake here.

"Winston, watch over Michiru while Ray and I gather up all our proton packs from downstairs; report any change in his condition right away no matter how small." Egon ordered. "We've got a lot of work ahead of us and we're all going to have to pull through for Michiru's sake."

"You can count on me Egon, I'll watch him." Winston replied with an all serious expression on his face as he nodded briefly.

Egon and Ray rushed downstairs to the main floor and gathered up the proton packs from the nearby couch where they had placed them earlier after their triumphant return from the Sedgewick Hotel, Egon also grabbed his PKE meter as well before making the first trip back up to the top floor with one heavy pack in his hands while Ray carried another; they completed the second trip a few minutes later and even took some other spare packs from down in the basement so that those could be disassembled and used for building a new containment unit for Sounga. By the time all six proton packs had been gathered up in the laboratory, Venkman and Slimer had finished recovering all the broken fragments and pieces from the original unit which had been broken during the brawl with the street thugs; now they had to organize all of them and see which ones could or couldn't be used again. Janine had emerged from the bedroom behind Venkman's office and came to see how everyone else was doing, she also decided to check the computer and answering machine for any messages; but there were none since it was Thanksgiving Holiday.

"Hey Slimer." Venkman called, getting the green ghost's attention. "Look um, I know that we don't always get along very well; but thanks for helping Mitch drive away those three thugs earlier and also for not trying to escape again once Ilyssa freed you. "Truce?"

"Truce." Slimer replied, shaking Venkman by the hand and covering it in slimy residue.

"Ilyssa's finally asleep, although I can't say for sure if she'll even get any sleep or a good sleep; especially after what happened to Michiru." Janine said with a sigh.

"Any sleep is better than no sleep at all, even under these circumstances; you should probably get some sleep as well Janine." Egon suggested. "Seeing as today is a holiday, I don't think we'll be getting any calls or emails until tomorrow morning; Ilyssa could use your company anyway."

"Alright, but you guys better get some sleep as well; don't let me wake up tomorrow and find each of you in a half asleep mode." Janine replied, getting a nod from the tall scientist. "Good night Egon, see you in the morning."

"Good night Janine." Egon replied, before going to the bedroom to check on Michiru's condition to see if any changes took place.

"Nothing new Egon, I'm afraid he's still asleep; no thanks to that demonic sword stuck in both of his hands." Winston said as he saw Egon enter. "Is there anything we can do to try and remove it?"

"I really don't know; that's one reason why Ray and I brought up all the proton packs upstairs." Egon answered. "Do you have yours with you by any chance?"

"Yeah, it's just over there on my bed; I'll bring it over." Winston said, getting up and going to retrieve his proton pack. "So what's the plan?"

"I want you to select your slime blower and carefully aim the Neutrona wand over Michiru hands and wrists, spray a little dose of positively charged slime over them both as well as his arms; that sword is loaded with evil demonic power so we might be able to free Michiru's arms from those demonic veins if we concentrate enough of the stuff." Egon stated, getting a nod from Winston. "Okay, go."

Winston gently squeezed the firing trigger and sprayed a little of the green positively charged slime on the Shikigami user's hands, wrists and arms as he had been told; the slimy liquid substance immediately started to sizzling upon contact with the purple demonic vines which caused Egon to shout stop. Both men carefully observed the activity, Egon held his PKE meter out and took scans while Winston watched with horror as the slime he had sprayed tried eating away at the purple veins while they caused the positively charged slime to sizzle until it evaporated into stream just like boiling water would eventually do. This wasn't a good sign, they could spray all the positively charged slime they wanted to and it still might not be enough to counter Sounga's negative energy; the demonic veins were also injected inside the flesh of Michiru's arms and they also feared that they would cause him internal injuries if they tried this again. But both men remembered that Michiru had survived Sounga's evil power once before and they had faith that their young friend could do so again even though the circumstances of this even were different than the first. Egon decided to change tactics and hook Michiru up to the scanning machine he used for reading patient's minds in the hopes that the boy's subconscious mind would help to provide an answer to solve the mystery of what Sounga was putting him through.

"Alright Winston, let's try this again; aim for his arms this time though." Egon asked once his monitoring equipment had been moved over and assembled together. "I don't like it, but I'd rather try and free him now before his mind undergoes too much strain; spray now."

The positively charged slime spewed out of Winston's slime blower and landed on the purple veins, causing the same reaction as before; any green liquid slime that didn't come in contact with the boy's arms landed on another layer of the thin sheet of plastic so the bed as well as Michiru's clothes could be kept clean and dry. As more slime continued to spew out of Winston's weapon, Egon carefully watched the reaction on Michiru's arms in addition to the mental activity occurring simultaneously on the monitor which was hooked up to the scanning helmet attached to the unconscious boy's head, although it appeared as though the slime was causing harm; a closer examination revealed that it was actually helping to keep the Shikigami user alive since Sounga would have to use more evil energy to counteract the effects of the slime in order to prevent it from destroying the demonic veins that were acting as a parasite since they injected themselves into Michiru's arms. Egon noted that if enough slime was used, Sounga's energy would depleted enough so that Michiru would eventually be liberated from its control; but that was only a theory and they also didn't know what was going through Michiru's subconscious mind as of yet.

"I don't like it, but we have to call Michiru's friends from Japan; they might know some information about Sounga that could help us free Michiru from its hold." Egon stated before checking his wristwatch. "Its presently 5:00 in the afternoon here which means that its 7:00 a.m. tomorrow morning on a Friday; students are most likely having breakfast and getting ready to go to school so we can call them on the phone without having to worry about the time difference."

"Are you sure you really want to contact them and tell them the bad news Egon?" Winston asked curiously, wondering if it a good idea.

"Calling them and finding out information on the Sounga is the only possible way we have of saving Michiru's life." Egon countered.

Author's Note: This chapter was tough to write because of real life getting in the way among other such factors so I hope it was worth the wait even though a lot of sad moments occurred at the end of this chapter. A special thanks to Orionpax09 for the suggestion of how to capture the Cook ghosts in the kitchen, lastly; I hope everyone enjoyed the battle scenes with Michiru and Egon versus the Spider Witch.

Rajvir, I hope that you enjoy this chapter as much as the others, feel free to comment on your favourite scenes from each chapter you read and share your thoughts on the story regarding future events; thanks again for taking the time to read and review my work.

Orionpax09, thanks again for the suggestions regarding the battle against the Cook ghosts in the kitchen, they were very helpful; Inuyasha will appear at the beginning of the next chapter so I hope you can look forward to finding out what happened to him back in chapter ten and the other cast characters will also make appearances in it as well.

Greymon Leader, I hope the battle scenes at the Sedgewick hotel were to your liking.

Jetty1, you're my first reviewer for this story; I hope to hear from you again because it's always great to read what you have to say.

Master of Death and Darkness, I hope everything is going well for you and that you enjoy reading this chapter when ever you have time; Calgary Odafest is coming up soon and I can't wait to attend it after a whole year.

AeropostleKeyblade, I haven't heard from you in a very long while; I hope you're doing fine and that you eventually find time to read and enjoy the chapters which have been written and uploaded during your busy schedule.


	13. Suffering

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, Ghostbusters, or anything associated with either of them. This story is being written just for fun and enjoyment.

Chapter #13: Suffering

Inuyasha slowly opened his eyes as he regained consciousness, most of the pain from the blow to the back of his head was now completely gone; but he could feel a small bump in place of where he had struck the well during his unfortunate fall. Getting to his feet as he inhaled a deep breath of air in order to let out a yawn, the memories of his argument with Kagome began to playback in his mind; from the beginning of their conversation all the way to the last moment when the reborn priestess had disappeared down the Bone Eater's Well on her personal errand to inform Miroku and Sango of the events they had been talking about regarding Michiru's love for the demon slayer. Inuyasha's eyes widened as he remembered trying to chase Kagome down after her continuous bombardment of sit commands which she used in order to stop him from restraining her, only to cause him a great deal of pain until she was finally able to free herself from his release before escaping. The half demon suddenly realized that he had fallen unconscious with no indication of how much time had gone by between his accidental fall and when he had woken up a mere moment ago, he had to go outside first and find out for himself before he made a decision on what to do next; he took a running leap and was shocked to find that he couldn't go all that far. Upon running upstairs and bursting through the closed shed doors, Inuyasha looked outside and saw that the sun was on the other side of the horizon instead of where it had been before and more importantly; it was also rising instead of setting.

A closer all around look at the sky revealed that there was no moon which meant that Inuyasha had transformed into his weak human form for the night which is why he had begged Kagome not to travel to his world, for he would be endangering his own life by going after her without his half demon strength and powers to protect himself with during the moonless night if it was the same in the Feudal era that is; but the sun would be up in a few minutes and so he would change back very quickly so there was no way of knowing if it had been a moonless night in his own world if he went there now. However, one thing he did know was that the sudden increased pain he had endured during his attempt to chase after Kagome had been caused by his ill timed transformation which turned him into a mere human which greatly slowed down the healing process that his half demon body was capable of and as a result; all the pain he had taken from Kagome's sit commands had felt even more sore and unbearable since the injuries were fresh and that they were now impacting on an ordinary human body because of the moonless night. Although his body had healed during his sleep, he realized with horror that he had in fact been asleep for the entire night which would mean that Kagome had not only succeeded in telling everyone of Michiru's feelings for Sango; but that Inuyasha himself had missed the chance of talking with his Kururugi friend since a full day had passed on the other side of the world in the far away country that Michiru was presently staying in.

A worried feeling suddenly took hold over Inuyasha, for all his half demon strength and abilities; he had failed his friend and now he was dreading of talking with Michiru over the phone even though he had to inform him of last night's events. He also still had to pass on all the invaluable information that he had learned from Totosai regarding the Sounga and that was also an important subject of interest which they needed to discuss together since the evil demonic sword was capable of causing more danger and devastation than what either of them had originally guessed a few days ago, Inuyasha pondered for a few more moments until dawn finally broke through the clouds; revealing a ray of morning sunshine as his human body transformed back to its original half demon state once again. Feeling his true strength at last, any remaining pain or soreness throughout his body vanished within a minute; prompting the half demon to resume his task of choosing what to do next now that the new day had started. It was far too late to do anything about Kagome spilling Michiru's secret, so Inuyasha decided to go to Kagome's house and see if he could contact Michiru using the house phone in the off chance that the hour might be right where the Ghostbusters were so that the two of them could talk; he also had to talk to Kagome and find out what the immediate aftermath of her actions had been as well as the consequences that she had no doubt been forced to face as well.

Although his temper wasn't good, Inuyasha restrained himself in order to open the door without breaking it open with his half demon strength; he knew that a calm attitude was needed to address the important matters at hand to avoid any more unpleasant confrontations like the one he and Kagome had last evening at sunset. Walking inside, the half demon's superior sense of smell told him that something was cooking and a moment later; Inuyasha wandered into the kitchen where he was met with four familiar faces staring back at him with wide eyed expressions of surprise. Clearly, they weren't expecting him so early in the morning or even today for that matter; Kagome had guessed that Inuyasha had gone to the Feudal era after recovering from her relentless sit commands even though she didn't see him in the shed upon returning to her own world once she had finished her brief trip. Inuyasha didn't express a look of rage or anger when he had entered the room, if anything; it was curiosity as if he was attempting to read Kagome's mind as his eyes met with hers. He could clearly see confusion, curiosity and above all; worry for what would pass between them when the time came for them to talk together. Inuyasha knew that both of them needed some time to gather their thoughts and think about how to pick up where they had both left off, considering the circumstances of how their last conservation had ended yesterday evening; so he quietly sat down and sniffed the aroma of freshly cooked foods that had been served out on the table for the family's morning breakfast.

"Can I join you?" Inuyasha asked quietly, keeping his request short and to the point while remaining polite since he had come in uninvited.

"Why certainly Inuyasha, help yourself; there's more than enough food for everyone." Mrs. Higurashi answered kindly, setting a clean empty plate in front of the half demon so he could serve himself some breakfast. "We weren't expecting you this morning, Kagome thought you had gone back to your world for a while so we were under the impression that you would be staying there for a few days."

"Yeah, so what brought you back here in such a hurry?" Sota asked curiously, eagerly awaiting an answer from the half demon who surprised everybody by remaining hesitant as he looked from one person to the next; including Kagome which made the reborn priestess look as though she was getting stage fright or something. "What's wrong Inuyasha? Is something bothering you?"

"Huh, no; forget it." Inuyasha lied, giving everybody one heck of a shock since he was usually in such a good mood most of the time; they were all especially concerned when they observed the half demon eating his food.

Inuyasha had an enormous appetite, not to mention an extremely fast pace when it came to eating food; but on this occasion he ate much slower than what he would normally do. He still ate a large amount of food, but seeing him eat slowly and for the most part in utter silence clearly caused everyone in the kitchen to worry that something very bad was troubling him; especially Kagome. She was not only worried about him, but for herself as well; for he had seen her go visit the Feudal era against her mother's wishes a second time in a row which would surely make her grounded for life if she had been found out. The reborn priestess didn't dare bring this up at the table with everyone here of course, which forced her to endure the unbearable strain of fear and guilt that she was now experiencing; she also feared that Inuyasha was deliberately putting up a front to hide just how angry he was with her for not heeding his pleas for her to stay in her own world rather than go to the Feudal era and make things worse for everyone by informing Miroku and Sango about her discovering Michiru's hidden feelings of love for the demon slayer. There was an uncomfortable silence in the room following the discovery of Inuyasha's quiet mood which indicated that he didn't want to be bothered, everyone kept their attention on eating and gave the half demon a break since he wasn't willing to talk about what ever troubles were currently still on his mind; until their attention was interrupted by the sudden sound of the kitchen phone ringing which prompted Kagome's mother to rise from her seat and go answer it to find out who was calling at this early hour.

"Hello? Higurashi residence, my I ask who's calling please…Ghostbusters?" Mrs. Higurashi called out, causing everyone's heads to snap and turn to look in her direction; Inuyasha gulped down what ever food was inside his mouth so he could be the first to engage in conversation over the phone. "Yes, yes Kagome and Inuyasha are both here right now; we're all having breakfast together. Would you like to speak with one of them?"

Without waiting another moment, Inuyasha stood up from his chair and power walked over to where Kagome's mother was standing; giving the grown woman a serious and almost pleading look so he could have the phone first. Mrs. Higurashi politely handed the phone over to the half demon who mouthed a thank you before pressing the phone to the side of his face in order to speak and listen clearly to the person on the other end of the line, Kagome was frantically gobbling down as much of her half eaten breakfast as quickly as she possibly could without choking in order to join in on the conversation even though she wasn't on the phone herself; for she predicted that another long and painful discussion would occur and she had to hear everything that Inuyasha said so she could be ready to speak with Michiru when her turn finally came to have the phone once it was available. But instead of hearing Michiru's voice over the phone as Inuyasha had so hoped for, he was met with someone else's voice instead; Egon's voice to be exact. The look of disappointment on the half demon's face was quickly replaced by a look of concern, one which alarmed everyone in the room; especially Kagome who was looking into Inuyasha's eyes in order to try and guess what the two of them were talking about. A moment later Inuyasha, lowered the phone from his head and turned his gaze away from Kagome to look over at her mother; again with a look of concern on his face.

"Is there another phone I can use instead of this one?" Inuyasha asked softly, waiting patiently for the woman to answer back.

"Yes, one in the living room just outside and another downstairs in the basement." Mrs. Higurashi answered, walking over to get the phone from the half demon. "I'll listen in so you can let me know that you found it and then I'll hang up so you can talk privately."

"Thanks, oh and thank you for breakfast as well; I'm sorry I walked on in on you uninvited." Inuyasha replied, handing the phone to her.

"That's alright; now hurry along so you don't keep the caller waiting." Mrs. Higurashi replied, holding the phone to her ear while she waited.

Inuyasha left the kitchen and made his way to the door which lead downstairs to the basement, he had been there before when he had asked Kagome's mother to properly teach him how to operate her digital camera roughly two days ago so he knew where to go; all that remained was to locate the phone so he could resume his conversation in complete privacy with the scientist who had called Kagome's house. A minute or two later, Inuyasha was able to find the phone; he picked it up and said hello which gave Mrs. Higurashi the okay to hang up the other one in the kitchen. Kagome wanted to listen in from upstairs, but her mother forbade it since it would be especially rude; not to mention the fact that she needed to finish eating her breakfast in order to gain enough energy to tackle more of her schoolwork which she still had to catch up on. Inuyasha stayed in the basement, leaving the door closed so he could hear everything without any interfering noise from upstairs to distract him; for he knew that something serious was up if one of the Ghostbusters had called here instead of Michiru which had happened thus far since the Kururugi boy's little paranormal relocation accident which had been caused by the sword Sounga.

"Alright Egon, I'm in the basement where no one else can hear me." Inuyasha said while keeping his hears alert for what was to come.

"Inuyasha, please hear me out and listen very carefully to what I'm about say; some thugs came to our residence a short while ago while most of us were out and a fight took place which unfortunately involved Michiru and Ilyssa in it." Egon explained, getting the half demon's full attention before continuing. "Michiru was able save Ilyssa and drive the three intruders away without getting hurt, but not before one of them smashed the containment unit which the Sounga was imprisoned inside of; thereby releasing the demonic sword from within. Michiru tried using his magic to subdue Sounga's power as he had done once before in the past, but his attempt wasn't enough to achieve the same outcome and as a consequence; he has fallen into an unconscious comatose state from which my colleagues and I cannot revive him from. And to make matters worse, the Sounga has physically attached itself to Michiru like a deadly parasite and we are unable to remove it without putting his life in danger; there are multiple demonic veins which have bound and injected themselves into both of his arms which are locking the sword in place to prevent us from removing it forcefully. He's been in this state for almost an hour now and I can't say how long he will remain as such until he either wakes up or dies, I need you to tell me everything you possibly know about the Sounga so we can try and save his life; regardless of the risks involved."

"Well…first give me a minute so I can recall everything." Inuyasha asked, trying to think back to the talk he had with Totosai.

"Alright, just begin whenever you're ready; I'll be listening." Egon replied, waiting patiently.

The half demon let out a sigh as a heavy weight took hold over him, this wasn't the first time that Inuyasha had felt so low; but this was definitely one of the worst times which he would soon not forget. Ever since Michiru had been transported halfway around the world because of the Sounga, Inuyasha felt responsible for causing it even though he had no knowledge of the evil sword or what it was capable of until after the incident had occurred; he wished he would have known beforehand so he could have prevented it from happening in the first place. As he recalled his memories, Inuyasha suddenly remembered when he had tried in vain to chase after Kagome instead of going to her house to contact Michiru and inform him of his newly discovered information regarding Sounga; now wishing that he had stayed and told Michiru all that he knew so that the Kururugi boy could have used the knowledge to avoid the horrific predicament he was now experiencing. The half demon clenched his free hand into a fist, not caring if his sharp fingernails dug into the fleshy palm of his hand; not caring that he was drawing his own blood in an attempt to vent even a little of his guilt all because of the events which he had just been told about.

Inuyasha remained quiet, not making a sound; only breathing in and out as he needed to in order to steady himself so he could remain calm enough to engage in conversation over the phone; for Michiru's life was now in grave danger and he was relying on what ever help could be given in order to survive the unbearable situation that the Sounga was inflicting on his unconscious mind. How was Inuyasha supposed to tell Kagome of all this? How was he supposed to tell Sango? What of Michiru's parents? Inuyasha sat down on the stairs with his back to the basement door at the top, blocking the questions out of his mind in order to concentrate on the important matter at hand; for it would be up to the Ghostbusters to help Michiru out since they were looking after him and also since Inuyasha was thousands of miles away which meant that he couldn't do anything to help except for answering their questions about the Sounga as he had been asked to do. After the long pause had given Inuyasha the mental strength he needed, as well as the time to accurately recall everything; the half demon reluctantly prepared himself to continue where he had left off on his conversation with Egon.

"Sorry for the long pause, are you still there Egon?" Inuyasha asked trying to sound polite.

"Yes Inuyasha, I'm listening." Egon answered.

"Alright, the Sounga has the ability to read the thoughts of who ever or what ever takes hold of its sword handle; meaning that any and all secrets that someone has are revealed which allows the Sounga to torment a person's mind." Inuyasha begun, trying to stay calm even while a part of his mind imagined what Michiru was possibly forced to experience while being unconscious and vulnerable. "The Sounga takes advantage of a person's state and blackmails them either by lying to them about using the sword to kill others just to achieve their own personal goals, the killing will continue until every last human being on the face of the earth has been slain; a cycle of murder. If however, a person is unwilling to carry out Sounga's will; the evil sword will continue to read their thoughts and torment them until their mental control is eventually broken and they are no longer able to resist Sounga's control; Michiru is the only person I know of who has successfully resisted Sounga's evil power once so I don't really know what will happen if he is unconscious for such a long period of time."

"I understand where this is going, thank you Inuyasha; you're helping Michiru out by telling me of all this and I give you my word that my colleagues and I will do everything we possibly can to save him." Egon replied. "I don't know how, but we'll do our best to help Michiru."

"Thanks, I'll go to back to my world and tell everyone what's going on; I might even find some more news which could be of more help to you." Inuyasha said.

"Good luck to you, I'll call again if anything else happens; what's this?" Egon replied before ending his sentence so suddenly.

"What's going on over there Egon?" Inuyasha asked as he stood up and noticed a mysterious cloud suddenly appear through an open window in the basement which was slowly moving towards him. "Is something…wrong?"

"Michiru's amulet, the golden amulet with the red ruby in the centre of it that he usually wears around his neck; its gone." Egon answered. "We only left the room for a few minutes so how could it have simply disappeared without a trace of who had stolen it?

Before Inuyasha could come up with a verbal response, the cloud of air which bore a striking resemblance to the Air Spirit that he had seen and battle with his friends against at the Summit of Mount Houoh began to glow bright blue; lighting up the dark basement and engulfing the unprepared half demon within itself. Inuyasha would normally have attacked back, but he was still holding the phone to his face and so he couldn't retaliate; that and because of the blinding light which was too much for his eyes to take which forced him to shield his face with his other arm. After a few more moments, the blue light slowly dimmed until it was no longer a bother to the half demon; then it divided itself into two separate orbs which each began to take on the shape of a human being. Inuyasha looked carefully at them until they at last took form, making his eyes widen with disbelief his mind suddenly had a flashback of a conversation he had with Michiru where his friend had told him that he had seen the ghosts of his two ancestors; Utsugi and Kakuju were both standing before Inuyasha inside the basement of Kagome's house and it was clear that this was no hallucination.

"Egon, I'll call you back; thanks for bringing this matter to my attention." Inuyasha answered before hanging up the phone so he could address the two spiritual entities that had come to see him. "What are the two of you doing here? Shouldn't you both be with Michiru?"

"We were with Michiru, but we can do more for him by doing what we can to save his life; that's we we've come here." Utsugi answered.

"Here?" Inuyasha asked curiously as he spotted the golden amulet in Utsugi's hands which Egon had said went missing. "That's the amulet Egon mentioned went missing recently, Michiru was wearing it around his neck. Why did you go and steal it from him?"

"I will do what ever it takes to redeem myself for what I have wrongfully done to my descendant, saving his life is now more important to me than anything else in this world; I owe him for trying to help me see the wrong of what I was trying to do when I was still a mere imitation of my former self." Utsugi answered with a shameful expression on his face, making Kakuju move beside him so she could comfort her husband in a gentle embrace in order to put his thoughts aside. "We've come here because we need your help Inuyasha."

"You need my help?" The half demon asked curiously, completely confused and unable to think of what he could possibly do to help out.

"Inuyasha, we both already know about Sounga's capabilities because we were listening in on your talk; we also know that the only way for us to save Michiru is for him to awaken from his unconscious state and break free from Sounga's evil hold." Kakuju said, taking the amulet from Utsugi's open palm and holding it out to Inuyasha. "We both love Michiru very much and we'd never forgive ourselves if we didn't do all that we could to save him, he's done so much for others and we want him to live a long and happy life that we could never have while we were alive; one filled with joy and love. But we can't do this by ourselves and that's why we've sought you out, will you please help us?"

This was too much for the half demon to take, finding out about Michiru's predicament and how he could have warned him in advance to avoid it was bad enough; but now he was being offered a second chance to help out his friend even though the guilt still weighed heavily on him. Inuyasha knew that he had more muscles than brains, which is why he was forced to rely on his friends for guidance in certain situations; even on the battlefield on more than one occasion. Inuyasha had been wishing for the chance to make it up to Michiru for failing to warn him of the dangers which Sounga was capable of inflicting upon him as well as for another chance to apologize to Sango for not stopping Kagome from telling Miroku and interrogating her as well, it appeared as though his wish had been granted; but only time would tell since Michiru's life was still at stake and Sango's heart was still delicate and vulnerable. There was nothing else for it, every second that passed meant Michiru's suffering would be prolonged and the chances of saving his life grew smaller; and Inuyasha would be damned if he let Michiru die without any help to fight against Sounga's evil power.

"What is it that you need me to do?" Inuyasha asked, taking the golden amulet from Kakuju's outstretched hand; putting it around his own neck so he wouldn't lose it.

"We have cast a spell on Michiru to prolong his existence so the Sounga won't subdue or kill him so easily." Kakuju explained, "We've removed a tiny amount of Michiru's human soul from his body and implanted it into the amulet which you are now wearing around your neck, in order to help bring Michiru out of Sounga's hold; we need someone who can enter his subconscious mind in order to convince Michiru that all of Sounga's horrific visions and experiences are not real so that he can wake up in his own world. The only person that can possibly accomplish this is someone very close to Michiru, someone he trusts and deeply cares for; we need you to go visit Sango."

"Sango?" Inuyasha asked, seeing Kakuju nod as his eyes widened with shock. "You mean you both know of Michiru's feelings for…"

"Yes Inuyasha, we both know; we are wandering spirits after all and we can watch over whom ever we wish while staying utterly invisible to everything and everyone around us." Utsugi answered. "At least most of the time anyway, there was one occasion when the Ghostbusters mistook us for enemy entities and attacked us even though we were only visiting Michiru; we managed to escape unharmed and unfortunately Michiru was forced to endure a brief bit of embarrassment and teasing because of the events that followed."

"Inuyasha, we can't travel to your world like you and Kagome can; you're the only person we can ask since Kagome's stuck here at home." Kakuju continued. "Listen carefully, once you find Sango; inform her of what's going on and have her go to sleep while wearing this amulet around her neck. She'll then have the power to enter into Michiru's mind so she can see everything he's experiencing in order to bring him back to consciousness, when that is done; Michiru will be alright again and the Sounga will no longer have any hold over him. That's what we hope will happen anyway, Michiru has survived Sounga's influence once before and we're sure he can subdue the evil sword again; but he can't do it alone and that's why we're asking you to go see Sango and have her help save Michiru before its too late."

"I understand, I'll head back right now; but what if she forgets everything once she's fallen asleep?" Inuyasha asked worriedly.

"There's no need to worry about that, we've also implanted a portion of each of our souls into the amulet as well so that we can contact her and remind her of what she must do as soon as she's fallen asleep; Michiru's fate will be in her hands once you've given her the amulet." Utsugi answered. "We both know how much they both care for one another, she's the one person who can save his life at this point; but we're counting on you to go find her first so she can be prepared for what she has to do."

"Alright, I guess I'll see both of you when I come back." Inuyasha replied, about to turn around and open the door.

"Thank you for doing this for us Inuyasha, we really appreciate it." Kakuju said gratefully, making Inuyasha turn around to look back.

"Thank me once its all over and Michiru is alright again, you both better be here when I come back." Inuyasha said, waving farewell.

Inuyasha left the basement and made his way through the kitchen, not bothering to stop and say anything to Kagome or to her relatives; not even a goodbye which made the reborn priestess even more curious about what had occurred over the phone. Kagome had by now finished all of her breakfast and was just downing a cup of hot chocolate when she saw him heading around the table and towards the front door, making her get on her feet quickly and rushing after him before he could get to the shed where the well was located. Mrs. Higurashi called to her daughter and told her to stay inside, it was not only a cold winter morning; but Kagome was still dressed in her pyjamas which were not meant to be worn outside; but Kagome didn't care since she was worried that Inuyasha had been given some terrible tidings and she needed to know what they were. Inuyasha could easily hear Kagome's voice calling to him, but he didn't want to lose any time and fall behind schedule with Michiru's life at stake; so he reluctantly chose to ignore her until she was forced to rely on the magic word to make him halt in his tracks.

"Inuyasha SIT!" Kagome shouted, causing Inuyasha to pancake on the ground; allowing her to catch up so she could speak to him. "I'm sorry for saying that and making you hurt, but please tell me what's going on; you looked so worried when you were on the phone earlier in the kitchen. Has anything happened?"

"Oh wouldn't you like to know? Inuyasha said in a harsh voice as he stood up. "Fine, I'll tell you; so long as you don't say sit anymore. I'll tell you everything, but you better let me leave when I'm done or so help me; I won't ever forgive you for what you've done! Are we clear?"

"Y-Yes." Kagome answered, feeling a little afraid as Inuyasha looked right into her eyes with his own; making his words sink into her memory so that she wouldn't forget. "So what happened Inuyasha? Someone else called instead of Michiru so what did you find out?"

"Some bad people attacked the home where Michiru and the Ghostbusters live, Michiru was able to drive them away after a quick fight; but the Sounga was accidentally let lose from its prison and…Michiru wasn't able to subdue the sword's evil power as he had done before." Inuyasha answered softly with a look of reluctance on his face since he knew Kagome wouldn't take it well. "He's still asleep with the sword clutched in his hands, no one can remove it and if he doesn't wake up soon; he could stay like that until he eventually dies."

"W-Why are you returning to your world then?" Kagome asked, holding her hands to her mouth to stop herself gasping out loud; the horror taking hold of her as she processed everything of what Inuyasha had just mentioned in his explanation. "Is there anyway we can help?"

"Yes, that's why I'm going; there might just be a way to save him and I need to go try it out." Inuyasha answered. "I have to do this so please let me leave, I'll come back when I'm done and let you know how it went; you stay here and concentrate on your homework."

With that, Inuyasha leapt off in the direction of the shed; leaving Kagome were she was standing. The cold winter morning no longer bothered the reincarnated priestess, it had been replaced by something even more bothersome; guilt. After being informed of Michiru's predicament, Kagome's mind suddenly became aware of the dreadful possibility that her Kururugi friend could die and that she wouldn't be able to properly make amends to him; they had last spoken with one other over the phone on the worst terms which made Kagome feel even more horrible about the pain she had caused him yesterday. Worst of all, she could play no part in doing anything to help save his life which forced her to wait for the news whether he had recovered or whether he had died; something which was absolutely unbearable; especially for her given the amount of guilt she still felt. Kagome was on the verge of falling apart, she needed someone to comfort her and since Inuyasha had returned to his own world; she was forced to rely on her mother to fulfill that role. The reborn priestess raced back to the house with tears already flowing freely down her pretty face, unable to bear the guilt any longer for what she had done to her friend who was now nothing more than an unconscious casualty; Kagome broke down and cried.

"Kagome?" Mrs. Higurashi asked, opening the front door; only to find her daughter take her by surprise in a desperate hug before she began to ball like a vulnerable little girl as the tears soaked through her clothing. "Kagome, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"

"I'm a horrible person!" Kagome cried out, continuing to cry and shake uncontrollably even while in the tender embrace of her loving mother who hugged and held on to her. "M-Michiru's been h-hurt and no one knows if he'll ever wake up or recover, he could die over there unless Inuyasha manages to help him o-out! I was so mean to both of them yesterday, especially to Michiru! How am I supposed to make everything right again between him and I if h-he's…"

"There, there Kagome; I'm sure Michiru will be alright." Mrs. Higurashi said soothingly, comforting her daughter as best as she could. "The Ghostbusters are looking after him so he's in good hands, Inuyasha will do what he can as well so try not to worry. Let's get you upstairs, you'll feel much better after you've had a nap; I'll bring you another cup of hot chocolate and that will help you relax and get some sleep."

Mrs. Higurashi held her daughter in a hug and continued to stay like that for another minute until Kagome had quieted down enough so that they could both enter the house and go upstairs without drawing the attention of Sota or Grandpa, she didn't want Kagome to be hurt anymore than she was already so that was the best course of action to take; she also suspected that questioning her would only put her through more heartache and that's not what Kagome needed right now either. Although Kagome had originally planned to carry on with her schoolwork by getting an early morning start, the phone call with the terrible tidings had done its damage and so her daughter needed to sleep in order to calm down so her mind would be in better condition to concentrate on her assignments after she had woken up; she would need something to take her mind off of Michiru's present predicament so she wouldn't feel so sad and depressed. What ever the matter was which had caused Kagome and Michiru to quarrel amongst themselves was none of Mrs. Higurashi's business, and that is how it would remain; it would be up to Inuyasha to try and do something to help save Michiru even though the young man was thousands of miles away in a foreign country.

"Inuyasha, p-please do what you can before its too late; I'm counting on you and so is Michiru." Kagome whispered silently to herself.

Meanwhile in the feudal era, Inuyasha was just arriving at the outskirts of Kaede's village; looking around for Sango. He had left quickly in order to avoid losing precious time, but also because he knew Kagome wasn't ready to hear the information regarding Sounga; for she would probably break down even more than she usually did if he knew the full extent of what Michiru was forced to endure and he didn't want that to happen. By know, he could smell the sent of cooking and quickly followed it to where he saw Kaede cooking a roast over a fire; with Shippo and Miroku waiting patiently with their mouths watering as they eyes the delicious meal being prepared for them. Totosai was also present along with his abnormally huge cow Momo, he was sitting comfortably puffing away on his pipe while Momo grazed on some tall grass growing nearby. One look was enough to know that something was out of place, Sango and Kohaku were not around; not even Kirara was present which was quite unusual given the tasty hulk of meat roasting away over the cooking fire. The only place that the three of them could be was inside of Kaede's house so Inuyasha wandered over to look inside only to find it empty which made him wonder where they could possibly be since it was breakfast, the three of them weren't bathing in the river or else would have caught each of their scents; which meant that they all had to be somewhere else.

"Do any of you know where Sango is right now?" Inuyasha asked, arriving back to join everyone at the table where Kaede was cooking.

"I haven't seen her." A voice called out, causing Inuyasha to turn around and blink his eyes once or twice upon seeing a raccoon-dog.

"Hachi?" Inuyasha asked, receiving a nod from the raccoon-dog. "What are you doing here?"

"I came by to visit, with Naraku gone; I thought I'd see how master Miroku and his friends are doing." Hachi answered. "Are you alright?"

"Not really, I need to find Sango." Inuyasha replied, turning his attention towards everyone else. " So I'll ask again, does anyone know where she is right now?"

"Not that its any of your business, but she's gone back to her home village for a short time away from here." Miroku answered rudely.

"How long ago did she leave?" Inuyasha asked as a look of concern came over his face. "I have to know so someone please tell me."

"She left yesterday right after she finished talking with Kagome." Miroku answered. "Do you need to know why she left as well?"

"RRR! I don't have time for your tricks Miroku, give me straight answers and tell me now or I'll shove my fist right through your head before you can cry out for help!" Inuyasha warned, glaring right at Miroku's face after lifting him up in the air by his kimono with one hand.

"Inuyasha, don't take it out on Miroku." Kaede cut in suddenly, making Inuyasha drop Miroku. "If something's bothering ye, than tell us."

"Michiru's fallen unconscious with the Sounga stuck in his hands, if I don't find Sango than he can't be saved and he could die." Inuyasha answered, causing a sudden silence to descend on everyone as their eyes and mouths widened with shock and disbelieve upon hearing the half demon's words. "Hachi, I need your help to travel to Sango's home village as quickly as possible; I don't want Michiru to die so can you please help me?"

"I would help you if I could Inuyasha, but I've only just arrived and I'm very tired; I won't be able to take you very far or all the way there." Hachi answered with a regretful tone of voice.

"Then I'll carry you on my back as far as I possibly can and afterwards; you can carry me the rest of the way if you're rested enough." Inuyasha countered. "Is that alright with you?"

"Very well then, when are we leaving?" Hachi replied reluctantly.

"Right now, sorry to interrupt you from having your breakfast." Inuyasha answered, walking over to scoop Hachi up on his back. "Hold on."

"Wait for me, I'm coming too; I can transform and carry two of you if both of you are tired so let me come along." Shippo said pleadingly.

"Fine, hang on tight though; because I'm not wasting any time." Inuyasha agreed, eager to get going and leave.

"One moment Inuyasha, take some food along since you don't want to stop for a meal." Kaede said, cutting up the whole roast into several equal sized portions and stabbing a spit through each of them so they could be eaten while on the move. "Here ye go, good luck."

"Thanks Kaede, hold on tight you two; here we go!" Inuyasha said, waiting for Shippo and Hachi to both get a good grip on him as well as the three spits of food before leaping high into the air and leaving the village behind them. "I only hope we make it on time, for Michiru's sake; he's counting on us."

"Sorry if I'm heavy Inuyasha, I admit I'm round in the middle unlike you and Shippo." Hachi said apologetically while eating his roast meat.

"Don't worry Hachi, I've lifted heavier loads than you before; just stay alert and keep holding on tight." Inuyasha replied while jumping. "Shippo, did Sango ever say why she went to return to her home all of a sudden?"

"No, but it must have had something to do with what Miroku did while they went on an evening walk together." Shippo answered. "Yesterday evening, the two of them went walking in the forest, when Sango came back by herself and in a bad mood; it was pretty obvious that Miroku had tried groping her again like he usually does. She probably just needed a break to get away from him for a few days, not that I blame her; Miroku is such a perverted idiot. Kagome probably gave him another lecture like she did the first time, boy was she ever mad at him; yelling at him and slapping him across the face over and over again."

"Sounds like master Miroku had it coming if he didn't behave himself, I'm amazed that his father and grandfather were each able to find themselves a wife; one can only guess how they overcame their lecherous ways in order to impress a lady." Hachi remarked.

"Hmm, but Miroku must have done something really bad if he made Sango mad enough to want to get away from him; especially since she went all the way back to her home village." Inuyasha thought out loud before asking another question. "Shippo, were you not with Kagome when she was talking with Miroku or Sango the last time she was here?"

"Oh no, she told me to leave so she could talk with Miroku in privacy; you know how she is when she thinks I'm too young to be included in some discussions." Shippo answered before taking a bite of his roast meat. "She probably chewed him out like she did before, then she had a talk with Sango before everyone went their separate ways; she returned to her world while Sango left with Kirara and Kohaku."

"So she didn't tell you anything at all?" Inuyasha asked, completely surprised that Shippo had been left out of everything; but then Kagome was probably in a hurry to return home to avoid getting caught so she only talked with Miroku and Sango to be as quick as possible.

"No she didn't, why do you ask?" Shippo replied. "And why are we going to see Sango? How can she help Michiru if he's in Kagome's world thousands of miles away in another land? Is there something else going on that I don't know about here or does she have some special medicine or something that we need to help bring Michiru back to good heath?"

"Shippo does have a point Inuyasha, I don't remember her ever possessing any supernatural abilities or powers at all." Hachi added.

"You guys listen very carefully to what I'm about to tell both of you because I don't want to have to repeat myself okay?" Inuyasha asked, hearing an okay from each of his friends; it was only fair that they know everything of what was going on and it would help them to understand what they were doing and why they were travelling to the remnants of Demon Slayer village where Sango had gone. "I was visited by the ghosts of Utsugi and Kakuju shortly before I came and saw all of you, they told me that they had put a spell on Michiru in order to keep him alive long enough for us to find Sango so that she could attempt to save him; I'm wearing Kakuju's amulet around my neck and I've been instructed to give it to Sango so she can hopefully make contact with Michiru will he's unconscious. A part of his soul has been implanted within it so that she can do that even though he's in Kagome's world and far away, if Sango can bring him out of his present state and wake him up; then Michiru's life can be saved and everything will be alright. Do both of you understand everything now?"

"Most of it, but that doesn't explain why only Sango can help wake Michiru up; it doesn't make any sense to me." Shippo answered.

While the young fox demon continued to ponder the mystery of what was going on and why Sango was so important to Michiru's survival, Inuyasha was deep in thought; for it was plainly obvious why Sango was the likely candidate to help save Michiru's life. Michiru was in love with Sango and someone as precious as her was the only person who could bring Michiru out of this predicament, otherwise someone else would have been chosen instead and there would have been no need for Utsugi and Kakuju to ask for Inuyasha's help; Michiru would probably awake in a few hours if that had been the case. Inuyasha was silently cursing the fates for this dire situation which held his friend's life in the balance, of all the days for Sango to be away; why did it have to be now? The answer of course was Miroku and his lecherous advances which clearly set off a fuse which shouldn't have been lit, perhaps Sango would still be in Kaede's village if the perverted peeping tom hadn't lost control of himself yesterday evening as Shippo had pointed out; but nothing could be altered or changed and so the three companions could only continue their journey and pray that their efforts would prevail so Michiru's life could be saved.

Inuyasha knew that Shippo was smart enough to understand love because he had heard him babble with Kagome about Miroku's undesirable behaviour on more than one occasion, although everyone else but Shippo now knew of Michiru's love for Sango; the half demon couldn't bring himself to tell his little fox demon friend about the matter of the love triangle that existed because of it; for he would be breaking his promise to Sango about keeping his mouth shut even though Kagome had already found out and told Miroku after she had interrogated Michiru and Inuyasha just before hand. The strong fighter didn't know how he was going to face Sango once he eventually found her, but it had to be done despite the emotional difficulties; Michiru's life as at stake and so it couldn't be helped. Inuyasha still felt a little guilty, not only for Michiru's predicament; but also for how Sango was suffering now that the secret of Michiru's feelings had been revealed to the others. He could only imagine how much more the demon slayer would suffer as soon as he informed her of Michiru's current condition which was slowly draining his life force away which each passing hour, he knew that she cared for him very much so it would be a horrible sight to see Sango break down as she had nearly done before when Inuyasha had first told her how he had found out about Michiru's confession of love towards her. He would have to be ready to comfort her as best as he could in case all of this was too much for her to take so he made a mental note to remember that if it was necessary after he found her and told her everything.

Back in the village which they had left behind, Kaede told Miroku and Totosai to occupy themselves while she went to go get some meat to replace what she had given to Inuyasha and the others; breakfast would be delayed for a little while longer as a result of the unexpected journey which the three comrades had suddenly embarked on. While Kaede was busy cooking again at the fire, Totosai stayed as well to assist her in anyway he could so she wasn't burdened with doing all the work by herself; leaving only a short time to wait until breakfast was ready for them to eat. During that time, Miroku decided to go on a quick leisurely walk to clear his head and get some morning exercise at the same time; he would be in a better appetite once he returned so it was all for the best. Wondering down the path, passed the mysterious fields and crops until he entered the forest where he came upon the Bone Eater's well which he was all too familiar with; another minute later and he arrived at the river where he had shared a moment of peace with Sango before it was shattered by his uncontrollable desire to touch her exquisite body once again.

That incident was in the past and couldn't be changed, but there was another incident which Miroku had just discovered that he was now thinking very carefully about; the one which involved Michiru's predicament. Was everything Inuyasha said actually true? Had the Sounga somehow escaped imprisonment and was it locked in Michiru's hands which caused the Kururugi boy to fall into a state of unconsciousness, one from which he couldn't be woken up from and that would eventually lead to his death? If Michiru did die because of Sounga, then Miroku would no longer have any adversary competing for Sango's heart; unless of course Lord Kuranosuke Takeda made an appearance and tried to woo Sango as he had done by proposing to her on that one occasion long before Michiru Kururugi came to the Feudal era or into their lives for that matter. What could Inuyasha possibly hope to accomplish by going to see Sango? What could she possibly do to save Michiru given that he's presently in Kagome's world thousands of miles away in a foreign country? Perhaps Sango's love will die with Michiru if she ever did have any love for him and then she can be free to move on after she returns from her temporary absence, so in that respect; Miroku and Sango would be together and then Michiru will not have died in vain.

"No!" Miroku said, shaking his head and trying desperately to rid his mind of all selfish thoughts and greed. "I mustn't think like that, an honourable monk such as I would never ponder such devilish thoughts; not when so many people would suffer because of all this!"

But try as he might, even Miroku couldn't deny that his chances of repairing his relationship with Sango and gaining her as his wife were far higher or would be far higher if Michiru succumbed to Sounga's evil and died in his sleep; or if he became a host and went on a killing spree so that he couldn't return home or to the Feudal era for that matter. Even if Michiru did manage to break free of Sounga's control, perhaps he would do so only to find that he had taken the lives of some innocent people while he had been possessed; an innocent boy as young and vulnerable as Michiru would be too traumatized and ashamed to live with what he had done which would also discourage him from returning to see Sango since he would be too afraid and too ashamed to face her after committing such an unforgivable act of murder. What ever Inuyasha was planning to do once he saw Sango was indeed a mystery, Miroku would unfortunately have to wait out this whole affair and then decide what to do once he had heard the immediate aftermath of the situation.

That left another possible outcome, one that greatly decreased Miroku's chances of taking Sango as a wife; what if Michiru's life could be saved? What if Inuyasha had come through with what he was planning to do? What if afterwards Michiru eventually did return to the feudal era and reunited with Sango again? Would Sango accept his feelings or would she reject him? Miroku pondered the possibilities and came to the frightening conclusion which already appeared to be looming ahead in the oncoming future, he may already in fact have blown his last chance to repair his relationship with Sango; for he had angered her enough to leave and go back home to her own village even though it was nothing more than an abandoned area which was completely devoid of life except for the vegetation growing among the ruined remnants that were left of the once famous demon slayer village where Sango and her family lived their lives. Michiru and Sango had not only become close friends in such a short period of time, but the Kururugi boy had even confessed his feelings to her even though he knew she cared for someone else; he also couldn't return to see her again which was a serious disadvantage that Miroku himself didn't have to worry about. But now that Michiru had successfully found a way to travel back in time, that problem was now solved; and it would only be a matter of days before he eventually returned so Miroku's days were very much indeed numbered.

There was also the fact that Miroku hadn't tried to take his relationship with Sango seriously, he felt as though he had all the time in the world since she clearly cared for him despite his mannerisms; they were also forced to put their feelings for each other aside so they could deal with the matter of Naraku who always managed to escape death over and over again. Now that Naraku was finally dead and gone, Miroku did want to pick up where he had left off with Sango; but he decided to wait a while longer so she could have the time to tend to her brother Kohaku whom she had finally rescued after countless days of fighting and travelling. It seemed as though he was doing the right thing by delaying his advances, but now that someone else had taken a romantic interest in the beautiful warrior woman; Miroku could not delay any longer even though that was the problem. He wanted more than anything to repair his relationship with Sango in the hopes that they could both move forward together as a loving couple, but she had gone away for who knows how long and with each day that went by; the closer the deadline came when Michiru would finally return to the feudal era. Miroku clenched both of his hands into fists as he wished he also had the power to travel back in time, for he would change the past and alter events in his favour so that he could be the one who Sango chose instead of Michiru; not the other way around as things appeared to be leaning towards.

Kagome's words echoed once again in his mind, Miroku was a fortune teller and he didn't like the look of what his fortune was turning out to be; for it appeared as though he was entering a contest which he couldn't win even though he wasn't willing to admit or accept defeat. Although the final outcome would ultimately be up to Sango and no one else, things were looking far too much in Michiru's favour and Miroku felt as though he was on the losing side of this battle for the love of the woman that both young men were drawn too so very much. If Sango did in fact choose Michiru, Miroku would no longer be able to enjoy coping a feel of her goddess like figure; he might find himself being targeted by one of Michiru's Shikigami attack spells if he were to even attempt such a lecherous act as he had done so many times in the past before the Kururugi boy even came into their lives. Would Sango also want to start a family of her own and bear Michiru's children? One of Miroku's eyes began to twitch uncontrollably at the thought of a completely naked Sango in the arms of someone other than himself, willingly becoming intimate with Michiru of all people instead of with him as he so often fantasized about for so many days and nights; jealousy had indeed taken over the monk who now found himself unable to let go of his dark thoughts and desires. Miroku could no longer deny it, he was jealous of Michiru; even though Sango had not yet chosen over which of them she loved.

"OW!" Miroku cried out as he turned around and held a hand up to examine the back of his head where a sudden blow had struck him.

"Sorry Miroku, but you didn't answer when I called out to you; you must have been very deep in thought." Totosai said apologetically, removing the cylinder shaped end of his long hammer away from the monk's head. "Kaede's done making breakfast, won't you join us?"

"Yes, thank you…thank you for coming to tell me." Miroku replied, coming back to his senses as all thoughts on Sango and Michiru slowly vanished from his concentration so he could focus his attention on Totosai. "I was deep in thought as you said, sorry for not hearing you."

"Oh no need to apologize, I'm like that myself; especially when ever I'm working or thinking very hard." Totosai remarked. "Don't let it bother you Miroku, you'll feel better after you've eaten a good meal; eat hardy and all your troubles will vanish into thin air. Ha! Ha! Ha!"

"I wish it were truly as simple as you say Totosai, I really do." Miroku whispered quietly, turning around to look behind him as they continued to walk back in the direction of the village; his eyes clearly picking out the spot where Sango had pinned him to the tree and glared at him when she warned him not to touch her like he had done ever again. "Time to wait and see what fate has in store for us all."

Meanwhile in the modern era, Kagome was laying in bed with the soft warm blankets covering her body so she could stay cozy; she had awoken from her nap and looked at the small alarm clock which was close by so she could see the time of day. It was presently 1:00 in the afternoon on Friday, November 23; five hours since she had gone to bed for a nap. Blinking for a few moments so make sure she wasn't hallucinating, Kagome found that she had been asleep for much longer than she thought; it was an hour after lunchtime and the day was practically half over already. But on this occasion, she didn't need to get up and was free to stay in bed for as long as she liked; despite the ever accumulating amount of homework that she still had to tackle and complete before Christmas break if she was ever going to catch up in her grades. After another yawn and a heavy sigh, the reluctant reborn priestess heaved herself out of bed and wandered over to her desk so she could continue with her school assignments; she had nothing else to do and it would be better in the long run if she accomplished what she could while waiting for news of Michiru's hopeful recovery which was dependant on Inuyasha's progress for the time being. A quick read through the paper on her desk brought her back up to speed and allowed her to recall everything she needed to know about the assignment in front of her, but sadly; her mind wasn't entirely focussed on homework.

Kagome pulled out a handkerchief from a box on the corner of her desk and wiped away any remaining residue of tears from her eyes when she had been crying earlier in the morning, she had cried herself to sleep since she couldn't escape the guilt of her actions towards Michiru; but now that it was out of her system and that Inuyasha was doing what he could to help out their friend; she felt better than she had before when she had balled her eyes out in front of her mother who had to walk her all the way up to her bedroom and tuck her in so she could have even a remote chance of going to sleep. Kagome realized that she and Michiru were actually much more similar than she had thought originally, something which she realized she had overlooked; the circumstances surrounding each of them were similar even though they were still completely different people. They were both high school students who lived in modern day Japan, they were both taken to the Feudal era and during the course of their adventures; they befriended new companions and even secretly fell in love with one of them. Kagome had fallen in love with Inuyasha despite the fact that he still had feelings for Kikyo even though she was no longer a living person, Michiru had fallen in love with Sango even though she cared deeply for Miroku; regardless of the perverted monk's undesirable qualities.

Now here they were, each of them trying to take the relationship with the one that he or she loved to the next level; at least that was what Michiru had attempted to do by declaring his love for Sango just before he left. Kagome sighed as she thought about the matter a little more, Michiru had acted honestly since he had spent so much time with Sango; but he probably acted out of desperation since he knew that he didn't have the power to return and see her again. For once, Kagome began to feel sorry for Michiru instead of angry as she had done during their last conversation together over the phone which ended on bad terms; Inuyasha had been completely right when he said that he deserved a chance with Sango. Poor Michiru had finally found a way to travel back in time, but now that he was unconscious and in danger of losing his life; it looked as though he would never be able to see Sango ever again. Kagome realized how truly lucky she and her relatives were not to have suffered the same predicament Michiru was going through considering how many years the Sounga had been kept in her family's possession, she was also fortunate that she had the power to travel between both worlds just like Inuyasha could; and the half demon was equally fortunate so that the two of them could at least visit one another freely at will even though their relationship still needed some improving in order for both of them to actually become a romantic couple.

Although Inuyasha still cared for Kikyo, she was no longer a living person and it appeared as though any love she possessed for the half demon had died with her over fifty years ago during the horrible tragedy which Naraku had schemed up for his own selfish greed. Kagome shook her head of all thoughts regarding the love triangle which involved herself and concentrated back on the one which involved her other friends, she had to admit that Michiru had been very brave by declaring his love for Sango; for he couldn't return to see her again and he was already aware that she cared deeply for Miroku so the possibility of facing rejection was extremely high; Kagome couldn't help but admire Michiru for overcoming the fear of rejection and gathering enough courage to confess his feelings to Sango. If only Miroku could confess like that, if only Miroku could act well mannered; if only Miroku could act more like Michiru period. The reborn priestess also recalled when she and Inuyasha found out that Michiru had been alone in the modern era for four and a half months while both of them were travelling from Kururugi village to Kaede's village, it must have been a very difficult experience trying to get through everyday life without even one word from his friends or even Sango for that matter; with the fear of rejection constantly popping into the back of Michiru's mind during each and every day. Sango herself was also suffering, which Kagome soon found out for herself when she had questioned the demon slayer after talking with Miroku on her last feudal era visit; something which she now especially regretted.

Miroku had screwed up so many chances of taking a romantic relationship with Sango seriously, and it was beginning to show; it looked as though Sango had finally had enough of Miroku and now she was preparing herself to start a relationship with someone else who had come into her life and her heart. Kagome recalled all the times when she had defended Miroku in the past when ever she and Inuyasha argued over whether or not Sango and Miroku would eventually become a couple together once Naraku was finally hunted down and defeated, she now realized that she wouldn't be able to tolerate any of Miroku's lies or lecherous behaviour if she was in Sango's position; lord only knows how Sango put up with him for such a long time. This was very true, for if Miroku had done one of his usual foul ups in modern day Japan; he would definitely not get away with it unpunished. The laws and rules of common conduct and decency protected everyone from going through what ever Miroku always got away with in Feudal Japan whether it was stealing, blackmailing or sexual harassment; the latter being Miroku's most common crime that he frequently committed when ever he groped Sango's body.

Michiru on the other hand was well mannered and acted morally, he was also accustomed to improving himself as he had tried when he helped out as best as he could in battle while he was still inexperienced with using his newly awakened Shikigami powers; perhaps he had asked Sango to train him in physical combat so he could get stronger and that is how they became close friends over the course of their travels together. There was no denying that Sango was a very attractive and beautiful woman, so it was only natural that Michiru eventually found himself drawn to her like Miroku had been; but the Kururugi boy had managed to keep it a secret until the moment when he had confessed his feelings to her just before he was returned home to modern day Japan and that was when both Sango and Inuyasha her his parting words which revealed how the Shikigami user felt towards the demon slayer woman. Kagome of course found out later due to her eavesdropping incident which later lead to Miroku finding out once Kagome had finished interrogating argument with Michiru and then Inuyasha, she now wished she hadn't done all of that; but it was far too late for any regrets at this point now that the damages had been done. Kagome had hurt Michiru, Inuyasha and Sango all in the same night; now she made things worse by telling Miroku about the whole affair which Inuyasha had warned her not to do even while suffering the wrath of her sit commands.

Another heavy breath followed by a long sigh showed that Kagome was uncomfortable about all of this, she felt absolutely horrible and she was powerless to make amends to any of her three friends since she was grounded; she now knew she had made the wrong decision by going to see Sango and Miroku and she wasn't going to make that mistake ever again. Her mind was now made up, she would stay at home and focus on her school work while waiting for news from Inuyasha or from the Ghostbusters regarding how Michiru and her other friends were doing; she also knew that she needed to catch up if she ever wanted to go back to the feudal era again in the event that Michiru recovered and was eventually able to return back home to Japan as he was planning to do from day one in America. Kagome also promised herself that she would apologize to each of her friends in person when the opportunity finally came to her, beginning with Inuyasha; then Sango and Michiru depending on which of them she could see or talk with first. Although Sango was in the feudal era and unable to stay in touch unless Inuyasha helped her out, Kagome at least knew that she was alive and well; for Michiru's present condition was an entirely different story and it was uncertain whether he would recover or not and he was relying on Inuyasha as well as the on Ghostbusters to help save his life.

Back in the feudal era, Inuyasha was still racing as fast as he possibly could in the direction of demon slayer village; with both Hachi and Shippo being carried throughout the journey despite how difficult the task seemed to be. The half demon had been on the move without any stop except to pause for a minute to check his bearings and make sure he was on course going the right way, the three travellers had long since eaten their roasts which Kaede had given them and now their hunger was no longer an issue; arriving at Sango's home and finding her so they could save Michiru's life was all that they cared about at this point. But for all his half demon strength, even Inuyasha had to admit that it would be a miracle if they could make it to Sango's village by nightfall; for his muscles were starting to feel the strain of being pushed to the limit and he had been running continuously for perhaps almost six hours. It had been a very long while since his last visit to demon slayer village, although he knew he was going the right way; he didn't know how much closer he was getting which meant that he would have to see it in the distance in order to confirm that he had almost reached it. Shippo was doing alright since he was really small and light which didn't really bother Inuyasha at all by perching himself on the half demon's left shoulder where he could hold on real tight, Hachi wasn't such an easy burden; but Inuyasha was willing to bear it as best as he could so he could help save Michiru.

"Inuyasha, are you sure you know where we're going?" Shippo asked, looking around. "The land all around us looks the same as it did when we all left, big wide forests and tall mountains; how are we supposed to find Sango's village in all of this if we accidentally get lost?"

"WE ARE NOT LOST!" Inuyasha countered sharply, not bothering to look at the fox demon since he knew his harsh tone of voice was more than enough to scare Shippo and make him shut up. "I know we're on the right track so just be patient and keep holding on tight!"

"Inuyasha, you've been running like this for a long while now; you're going to collapse soon if you don't take a rest." Hachi said with concern. "I'm rested enough now so I can carry us both if you're tired from running, why don't I take it from here instead okay?"

"Hmm, alright fine; but only after we've managed to get over that next mountain pass up ahead." Inuyasha replied. "I'm pretty sure that we'll be half way there once we've arrived on the other side of it, then you can transform and carry Shippo and I the rest of the way."

"As you wish." Hachi replied, taking a few sniffs of the air and picking up an odorous scent in the process. "Do either of you smell that?"

"Ugh! Yuck!" Shippo complained after inhaling a huge breath of air through his nose, looking around and noticing a band of giant horned humanoid demons that each stood about twenty feet tall with blood red eyes and mouthful of razor sharp teeth that dripped with rotten flesh and dried blood. "AHH! A band of giant bloodthirsty demons! We're heading right for them and they look hungry! What do we do?"

"We go right through them, that's what; come on!" Inuyasha countered, picking up the pace as he drew out his Tetsusaiga. "I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR ANY OF YOU RIGHT NOW! MY FRIEND IS COUNTING ON ME SO GET OUT OF MY WAY! WIND SCAR!"

Inuyasha landed on the ground after swinging his Tetsusaiga down in once swift motion, the giant blade which had transformed creating the massive surge of supernatural energy which was catapulted in the direction of the ten to fifteen demons who were blocking his way through the narrow mountain pass; the colossal destructive force tore through the ground and annihilated all of the muscular monsters in an instant while simultaneously causing immense destruction to the rocky terrain around them. The tall rock formations burst apart like shattered glass, sending countless fragments of stone along with multiple boulders of various shapes and sizes flying all over the place in the aftermath of the powerful wind scar which had been unleashed upon the land; Inuyasha quickly sheathed his sword before picking up Hachi and resuming his leap frog like jumps as he ran through and dodged the falling debris in the process. Hachi had miraculously managed to hold on to Inuyasha throughout the entire time when the half demon had let go of him in order to draw out his sword, he was lucky since Inuyasha was continuing to run through the hail of rock and dust until he cleared the area which would then put them out of harm's way and back on track as they had been before.

"ACHOO! Did you really have to carry us through the dust Inuyasha?" Shippo asked after sneezing out a bit of dust and dirt he accidentally inhaled while being taken into the dust storm. "Couldn't you have waited a moment or else go another way around instead?"

"We can't afford to lose any time or fall behind, you're the one who wanted to come along on this trip so tough it out!" Inuyasha countered. "Michiru will die if we don't get through on time. Do you want his parents to cry? Do you want Sango and Kagome to brake down and cry?"

"N-No! Shippo answered. "Of course not!"

"Well then, let's keep on going." Inuyasha reaching the end of the pass and going to halt to check the terrain ahead in the distance.

Far away and in the remnants of demon slayer village, Sango was roaming around and inspecting the interior of what had once been her home; almost everything was in ruins. It had been a very long time since she had last stayed here and so the few rooms such as the weapon's forgery and the kitchen had been covered with months of dust and needed to be cleaned off before they could be used again, the blankets and sheets for the beds in the one hut also needed to be washed and changed so Sango had them removed until she found time to properly get them washed and cleaned; it was a toiling day for her even though it was supposed to be a trip to get away from everyone and everything that had caused such a heavy burden of emotional pain. Kirara was also roaming around in her giant fighting form to staying on watch and guard her two companions in case of approaching danger as she used her eyes, ears; and nose to pick up even the smallest scent of an enemy or threat. Kohaku was resting in the shade of a broken down hut, he had eaten with his sister and the two-tail a short while ago during midday; but he was still tired from the long journey which had brought the three of them here as well as from his weakened state which he was still slowly recovering from ever since he had been rescued from Naraku on Asagiri Island many days ago.

Sango had been very busy with gathering herbs and cleaning up the hut where she and her companions were sleeping inside of ever since they're arrival in demon slayer village during the middle of the night, because of this; she wasn't able to undertake a full exploration of the fort like village until all of the necessary chores had been done first. Although she had been out by herself while Kirara stayed to watch over Kohaku, Sango was more than capable of protecting herself from harm; she also took the opportunity to visit the beautiful field of flowers where she and Kohaku liked to play together with Kirara during their younger years when their family was alive and flourishing. She had even picked a whole bunch of the white and yellow flowers so that she could take them back to the village after hunting, once she was back a short while later; the demon slayer placed a flower on each of the graves to pay her respects to her relatives. Noticing that Sango had finally come back after a while, Kirara came over and nuzzled the side of Sango's waist to express her relieve that the demon slayer had returned unharmed; Sango used her left hand to stroke the soft fur of the two-tail's massive head in response which made Kirara growl happily at her gentle touch.

"I'm glad you're here too Kirara, and I'm sorry for making you carry Kohaku and I here so suddenly yesterday evening; but I-I really needed to come back and get away from everyone for a while." Sango said with a weak smile as she surveyed all of the graves one at a time with her eyes, each with a single beautiful flower resting on the hump of dirt; beneath which rested the remains of each individual relative whom she had loved and lost so very long ago. "At least what remains of our home looks much better now that our hut is a little more tidy, and the beautiful flowers make it look more inviting now too; everything feels so peaceful even though it also feels empty with so many deserted huts and houses. I supposed I'd better go out and hunt down some food for tonight's supper since we're out of dried fish, Kohaku should be alright if we hurry quickly enough and don't stray too far; come on Kirara."

The giant two-tail crouched down and allowed Sango to climb on her back, making sure that the female demon slayer was comfortable and ready before heading out; then the two of them swiftly took to the air and became airborne in a matter of seconds. Kirara circled what remained of the outer stockade wall which fortified the village to check that the surrounding area was devoid of any demons or threats before going to the forest where Sango instructed her to fly, a few minutes later; they spotted a giant wild boar which was the perfect prey that served as a meal for tonight's supper. Kirara stay quiet as Sango readied herself and prepared her attack once they were close enough to strike, the warrior woman was dressed in her combat attire which also included some of her weapons; her Hiraikotsu had been left back at the village so that it wouldn't be a burden for her in the event that the prey was an enormous animal as this wild boar was. In a matter of moments, Sango pulled out her hidden weapon and launched it at the unsuspecting creature who was too slow to know what was coming; the long chain extended outwards in a straight line like a snake until the end of it which had a metal beak shape protruding from it stabbed through the top of the wild boar and ended its life in a flash with one single blow. Kirara landed just as the heavy beast lost all life in its body and sank to the ground now that it was dead, she sank her fangs deep into the lifeless animal and carefully heaved it off the ground so it could be taken back to the village for carving up before Sango began roasting it over a fire.

"Are you sure you can carry it back by your self Kirara?" Sango asked with concern, not wanting her two-tail friend to strain herself even though she was replied back with a growl which told her that she could manage it without any difficulties. "Let me help you just to be safe."

Kirara eyed the demon slayer curiously as Sango took out a length of rope which had been wound up and carried on her shoulder, pulling out a length of it and wrapping it underneath the wild boar's body and between its legs; making sure that both ends of the rope were pulled tight enough and secured with her arms and hands so that she could support some of the creature's body weight in order to help Kirara out just a little. A few minutes later, Sango climbed on Kirara's back and pulled on each end of the rope until she had a firm grip with both hands so that the wild boar wouldn't flop around when they flew back home to the village; each end of rope came up on either side of Kirara and curved at Sango's elbows which made them go in the opposite direction until they ran through each of her hands which kept a firm tight grip. Both Sango and Kirara moved carefully in order to get used to the awkward positions they were both in before they prepared to fly up, this would at least show if they could carry the heavy weight without any problems or hazards; but both of them were strong and their combined strength would be enough to get the job done.

"Okay Kirara, when ever you're ready; let's go." Sango said, letting Kirara know that she was prepared and that she could take off.

The giant two-tail leapt up and soared through the air with extreme caution, for she had to be careful of where she was going since she couldn't turn her head to look around as she normally could do; for it would cause Sango to lose balance now that she was helping to suspend the heavy animal hanging from the Kirara's tightly clamped jaws and it would turn into a disaster if she fell off and caused the enormous wild boar to fall with her just by one pull of the rope. Luckily, the trip home was only a few minutes and the village was a short distance away; they would both be alright so long as neither of them lost a grip of their prey that they were carrying. A relief came over Sango as Kirara finally flew over the fortified stockade wall and landed gracefully on the firm ground without incident, Sango quickly slid of the giant cat demon's back and let go of the ropes so she could seek out Kohaku to make sure he was still safe and sound; one look confirmed that her younger brother was still sleeping peacefully in the shade of another nearby hut so her worries were gone. Upon returning to where Kirara had sent down their recent kill, Sango brought over a six foot long iron spike which she stabbed through the open snout and feed it through until the sharp point protruded out the other end of the dead animal; effectively skewering the wild boar on a spit. Kirara used her immense strength to left up each end of the long spit so Sango could brace it one at a time with a thick iron pin which was used for suspending it and the beast off the ground so a fire could be lit underneath that would slowly cook it for supper.

Now that the heavy lifting was all done, Sango could skin the wild boar and remove the creature's outer fur in order to expose the red flesh underneath; carefully cutting away with a freshly cleaned and sharpened knife until she pulled away the furry hide off of the suspended corpse. Checking carefully to make sure she had cut away all of it, Sango washed her hands in a wooden barrel of water before she proceeded to clean off any traces of dirt with a damp cloth in order to wipe away any harmful germs that would possibly make Kohaku and herself sick from eating any of the meat for tonight's meal; this wild boar provided enough food for many meals so at least the three of them would be well stocked with no worrying of starving any time soon. The only noises which were made were from Sango as she continued with the laborious task she was performing, but they were soon momentarily silenced for a minute or two when a sudden moan came from Kirara who's eyes were twitching back and forth from Sango to the wild boar; wondering how long it would be until feeding time. The amusing scene was made even more funny to the demon slayer who was forced to let out a few giggles when she saw Kirara licking her lips with her large tongue as she waited for her master's permission to eat some of the tasty looking meat just sitting before her, beckoning to the hungry two-tail like a freshly served feast; it obviously didn't matter to Kirara whether the red meat was raw or properly roasted and cooked all the way through as human beings normally liked to eat it.

"Okay Kirara, you can have some now; just give me a minute to cut some off for you." Sango said as she grabbed a large cleaver and hacked off all four legs of the wild boar one right after another, holding them in her hands in front of Kirara who was wagging both of her tails in delight upon seeing the tasty flesh covered limbs; making Sango reward the two-tail with one of her gorgeous smiles that Michiru always loved before she set them on the ground for her loyal furry companion to feast upon. "There you are. Ahh! That tickles! Ha! Ha!"

An unexpected laugh followed by a few more giggles came out of Sango after Kirara had raised her head up and accidentally brushed her huge nose and snout gently against Sango's face while she knelt down to serve the cut off limbs, the damp moist feeling on Kirara's nose tickled Sango which is why she had suddenly laughed; making Kirara playfully growl in affection as she continued wagging her two tails. Sango let out a relaxing sigh once she had calmed down, this would have made Kohaku so happy had he been here to see it and had he also recovered his memories; even Michiru would have enjoyed seeing such a humorous moment of laughter between herself and Kirara given how much time they had spent together as friends during their travels together throughout the lands in search of Naraku.

Kirara sat herself on the ground comfortably with the pile of limbs between her forepaws so she could guard them while she chewed on them one at a time, making sure to eat the bones clean and lick every last ounce of flavour before moving on to the next one; conveniently positioned only a short distance away from the wild boar so she could savour the spell of it when it would be cooking until it was time for Sango and Kohaku to eat later on once it was evening and the sky had become dark.

Although Kirara was making noise due to how close by she was while she was eating, Sango hardly seemed to notice as she suddenly found herself lost in her thoughts of how Michiru was doing; hoping he was doing alright as Inuyasha had mentioned so far in his many stories of the Shikigami user. Sango was especially wondering now more than ever since she had left Kaede's village and come back to what remained of her own home for a break, for she knew that if she felt so much emotional pain when Kagome had questioned her after so foolishly talking with Miroku; there was no doubt in the demon slayer's mind that Michiru must also be feeling just as miserable as she was. Who would have thought that Michiru would actually be brave enough to confess his feelings to her in person even though he knew that she deeply cared for another, and all while being taken home never knowing when or if he would ever see her again? Who knew that all of this emotional suffering that each person in Sango's group of friends would be caused by one boy uttering three simple words which held so much meaning and significance? This was indeed a very delicate situation to be in, for now Sango was faced with perhaps the most difficult decision of her lifetime; one which could not be altered or changed once she had made it.

Sango recalled how sad she was to see Michiru leave so suddenly without the chance to mentally prepare herself for a proper farewell, let alone for hearing those three words from him; she found herself completely stunned once he vanished before her eyes and left her without the chance to wish him well or even to hug him in her arms to show how much she would truly miss him once he had left. Fate was unfair to both of them that day, and now the feelings of loneliness she had immediately felt afterwards were starting to resurface after all these days; she had become attached to him in the same way that he had with her because of the precious times that they shared together. While it was true that some of those experiences were dangerous and even unbearable if they involved Naraku in a big battle or perhaps Kohaku under Naraku's influence, those that involved Sango and Michiru during their days off to relax without any worries had really impacted her and she would always treasure them for the rest of her natural life; no matter what future fate had in store for her. The memory of those three spoken words was the last moment that the two of them had shared together and because it was during Michiru's unexpected departure; they meant that much more to Sango; for they were sincere words from the caring heart of some one special to her and not just mere words in a flirtatious phrase that Miroku could have used to gain her favour with.

In all the time that she knew Miroku, he had never once said those three words to her face in person; nor had he admitted that Sango was indeed a special person in his life. Miroku always enjoyed flirting with attractive girls when ever the opportunity came, even groping them and having the audacity to ask them to bear his children; sometimes even in front of Sango and her friends as well. Although Miroku was a lecherous pervert, he did have a caring side which Sango saw on and off the battlefield when lives were in danger and demons or other threats were there to strike fear into the hearts of the helpless; he even risked his own life by fighting to protect others including herself with his magic skills and even his wind tunnel despite the possible threat of Saimyosho nearby in the area. While she liked his caring side and admired his courage even in the face of death and possibly even his own death due to the curse of the wind tunnel, Sango had to admit that she couldn't bring herself to move her relationship with the monk any further unless some significant changes were made regarding his behaviour as well as his faith and trust. There was one incident where Sango was almost willing to start a serious relationship with Miroku even though she'd have to reluctantly put up with his lechery, but it would be worth it provided that Miroku cease all of his advances towards other girls and only focus on her as his girlfriend. When Sango had asked Miroku if he'd be willing to do that in exchange for a romantic relationship with her, the look of hesitation had been more than enough to proof that the monk wasn't yet ready or willing to pursue a serious relationship with the demon slayer even though he could have her as a loving wife for the rest of his life.

Unfortunately for Sango, it didn't turn out to be the romantic moment as both she and Kagome had so long hoped for ever since the reborn priestess saw the two of them drawn towards each other. Not everyone can change for the better, let alone in one day whether they want too or not; and it was plainly obvious that Miroku wasn't willing to abandon his interest in flirting around with multiple girls whom he had laid his eyes and hands on which is what would forever cause the monk to have a dishonourable reputation for the remainder of his life until he died and left the world of the living. While Sango knew she was both attractive and very beautiful, she knew that she needed to do more than just look it in order to draw and keep the attention of the lecherous monk so he wouldn't go after other girls; especially when her beauty eventually faded with age. It sounded impossible, but if Miroku's father and grandfather could manage it; there shouldn't be any reason why he couldn't either. Although she knew Miroku wouldn't be willing to let go of such an enjoyable habit, she knew that he would have to sacrifice it in order to move forward with her in a serious and meaningful relationship together; one which would eventually lead to marriage and so on afterwards when the two of them were both ready. The silent demon slayer let out a sigh when she gave up thinking of how she could move forward with Miroku, for it would take nothing short of a miracle for Sango to gain the romantic relationship she truly desired to have with a man whom she could call a husband and it was clear that Miroku wasn't capable of such a role.

By contrast, Michiru was a far better candidate; not to mention a morally and well mannered young man who always interacted as best as he could despite his shyness and quiet personality. Michiru wasn't as social as Miroku, but he at least knew how to act properly and politely without causing any trouble or commotion; something which Sango was very observant of in the days she spent time with the Kururugi boy. Putting his talents of the mysterious Shikigami powers which he possessed aside, Sango concentrated her attention on what good and bad points Michiru had just as she had thought about a few moments ago regarding Miroku; for she finally had the time alone to think about who she wanted to choose between the two of them and she didn't want to make any mistakes which would cause her to regret her decision. Although Michiru was quite shy and took time to get to know new people, he was willing to take things slowly which Sango herself new was very important; especially in the case of a romantic relationship with someone. Although he hadn't any experience flirting with girls before, he had been patient enough to let things continue until he could figure out his own feelings which he must have kept bottled up inside since he wasn't ready to reveal how he felt towards her yet; something which sparked the demon slayer to have a flashback in her memory.

Sango's eyes widened with shock as she instinctively brought a hand to her lips, stopping a loud gasp from escaping her mouth which came open automatically once she recognized the event in her memory from many days ago; the truth nagging at the back of her mind which had eluded her for so long until this very moment. Back as she and her company of companions, Michiru among them were departing from the ruined remnants of Botan village shortly following a battle against Kanna; Michiru had once said how nice it would be to go on a relaxing boat ride on the sea with a beautiful girl. Although Sango didn't think very much of it at the time, she joined in with the conversation along with Miroku who was always up for talking about attractive young women no matter what the situation was; whether it was real or imagined. Each of them had asked the Shikigami user if there was a girl in his life that he wished he could enjoy that wonderful experience with, but when Michiru became hesitant and was reluctant to answer; the deep red blush on his innocent face was more than enough to arouse suspicions that the girl in mind that he had been thinking about was in fact Sango herself. How could she not have caught on and picked up on that? Being a demon slayer, Sango was trained to carefully observe even the slightest details or changes in a situation whether or not it involved combat; and yet she was completely and utterly blind to the hint which had been shown.

Then a short while later on Asagiri Island, Michiru and Sango found themselves separated from the rest of their friends from the massive explosion which the egotistical demon bat had set off as a result of overreacting angrily due to having such a short temper for someone so small, Sango herself was injured from the explosion and was temporarily unable to move because of it; this only worsened the situation when Utsugi and Kagura came upon them while she and Michiru were both vulnerable and outmatched; for she knew that Michiru stood no chance in combat against either Kagura or Utsugi in a one on one fight. Sango remembered telling Michiru to run and leave her behind in order to save his own life in the hopes that he could reunite with the others so he'd be safe, she didn't want him to fight and die for her; she had lost her whole family save only Kirara and her brother Kohaku who was still a mindless captive of Naraku and she didn't want to lose anyone else precious to her. But despite the dangerous situation, Michiru refused to leave and stood his ground in order to protect her even though he knew just as she did that he stood no chance at all of surviving the fight; let alone winning against either one or both opponents at the same time.

Thankfully, Kikyo had arrived on the scene and helped to drive them away shortly before the resurrected priestess provided some medicine which helped Sango to heal her injuries just enough for her to recover from them even though her body and limbs still felt sore when she tried to stand up on her own, causing Michiru to worry when he saw her in pain; making the young boy to pick her up in his arms so he could carry her instead of making her walk and risk further injury to herself. This had been a very sudden surprise for Sango, one which made her feel as nervous and uptight as the earlier incident when she had gone to bath in the river only to be caught with no cloths on by a brief glimpse from his eyes; it had been her fault but that hadn't stopped the rush of embarrassment and emotions that coursed through her just as they were again during this event. Sango witnessed yet another surprise revelation which she hadn't seen in her teenage friend before, he had picked her up in his arms and was holding her; out of concern and not out of lecherous desires as Miroku would normally have done when he was presented with the chance. Michiru had indeed gotten stronger, both physically and mentally given that he had committed this act without her consent; the look on his face and deep within his greyish blue eyes was more than enough proof that he was truly concerned for her wellbeing.

That moment was definitely one that the warrior woman would never forget, for she found herself vulnerable and still as someone who had never experienced that kind of thing before; so naturally the emotions flooding through her head during the incident as well as after it were completely new and foreign to her. Although she couldn't see it when she looked into his eyes at the time of that event, Sango now knew that Michiru had been very much in love with her; even as far back as the time in Botan village and possibly even Minamo village. Another memory suddenly surfaced inside her mind, one which took place upon their arrival in Minamo village when they first looked at it first hand; it took place during a brief discussion in which everyone took part in when they expressed their views at staying the night at an Inn after so many days of travelling and having to sleep outside on the uncomfortable ground. Kagome had said how much she looked forward to sleeping in a comfy warm bed with a roof over her head to keep out of the cold as well as having a bath to clean herself of all the dirt from so much travelling; a hot water bath instead of a cold one which was much better and far more enjoyable to take.

Inuyasha had expressed how he didn't like bathing and how none of them needed a bath yet, much to Kagome's disapproval; then Michiru joined in and said he wished he had some shampoo so he could wash his hair. No one except for Kagome and Michiru knew what shampoo was, although Sango picked up on what the Kururugi boy was referring too when she correctly guessed what the substance was since she had seen Kagome use it when ever they had taken a hot water bath together in a river or a hot spring. Sango replied by saying that she only required soap in order to properly clean herself during a bath and that she didn't feel the need to use shampoo as much as Michiru and Kagome did, being born and raised up in the feudal era instead of the modern era; this was natural for Sango given the immense differences in the quality of living as well as hygiene and cleanliness. Michiru immediately responded by saying how shiny it makes a person's hair look after being used to wash one's air with, and then he even took the matter a little further by paying the demon slayer a very high compliment when he said she didn't need any because of how shiny and beautiful her hair already looked; this made a light blush creep over Sango's face and the sound of her voice only helped to reveal her sudden shyness at having her hair of all things to be called beautiful.

But Sango wasn't the only person to blush from the comment, Michiru had also become shy when Sango had asked him if he really did find the look of her long chocolate brown hair to be shiny and beautiful without the need to use shampoo in order to reveal it; he partially lost his voice as he tried to answer back when he too blushed with shyness. Shippo had noticed this and asked the stammering Shikigami user if anything was wrong with him due to his blushing red face, Michiru of course said he as perfectly fine despite his own awkwardness and embarrassment at having given a compliment to an attractive girl which counted as flirting; something he had clearly never ever done before. Although there was that other time during the first day off that Sango had shared with Michiru when he had complimented how cute Sango looked with the little hairpin which Kagome had helped put in the demon slayer's hair when he had walked in on the two girls, he wasn't embarrassed on that occasion; instead it was Sango who had found herself in that role. Being a demon slayer, Sango hardly ever took the time to do other things that ordinary girls would normally have done on a regular basis at that age of young adolescence; therefore she was unaccustomed to try out and taking part in these sorts of activities which Kagome had already mastered just like all high school girls did.

As each of these memories played back in her mind, Sango's eyes glanced around looking at her surroundings until they feel upon the pretty flowers which she had picked from the field and placed on each of the earth mound graves; for they bore a striking resemblance to the flowers which she had seen in another field that she and Michiru hand wandered through together during one of the last free days to relax on. Sango recalled everything vividly with every detail, she had been standing in the middle of the field of flowers when Michiru and come to join her; completely captivated by the beauty of the flowers just as she was; or so she had thought at the time. She remembered him uttering some sentence very quietly to himself so that although she heard him speaking, she couldn't make out all of the words he had used when she turned to look at him as she tried listening in; he looked as though he was spaced out and in a deep trance because of the everlasting beauty of the gorgeous flowers which nature had so wonderfully created on this patch of ground. After carefully thinking everything through, Sango realized that it wasn't the beauty of the lovely flowers which had captured Michiru's attention; but her own beauty which he had truly lost himself too during that sunny day.

Sango's lips formed a tender loving smile on her gorgeous face; Michiru had complimented her on all three of those occasions and each of them were about her beauty and how it took hardly anything or nothing at all to make Sango look truly beautiful in the eyes of the Shikigami user. A warm feeling rose inside of her heart and travelled all the way up to her smooth cheeks, making them turn pink as a blush appeared on her face; no one had ever said those sorts of things to her in such a way that would make her feel so happy on the inside. Miroku frequently complimented her, but he was mainly complimenting her beautiful figure and for every comment she heard in person; Sango also received the physical contact of his uninvited hand stroking her bottom which always seemed to beckon to the ill mannered monk as suggestive thoughts of lechery and desire entered into her mind with disgust. Shaking her head quickly to rid herself of the memory, Sango refocused herself on Michiru and how he had been the only person to make her feel so beautiful, so special and above all that; so very loved. She knew that he was a young boy just like Miroku and that all boys eventually reached an age when they began to develop deep desires for beautiful girls and attractive women, the same applied to girls who took interest in boys and young men; though Miroku obviously couldn't control himself or get those thoughts of desire out of his head or at least off of his mind.

Looking around once more, the warrior woman began to wish that Michiru could be here with her in what remained of the once lively and flourishing demon slayer village which had once been home for both her and her whole family before Naraku's treachery shattered and destroyed it. Although Sango knew her Kururugi friend had finally found a way to travel through time in order to return to the era in which she lived, he still needed to find his way back to his own home first before he could visit again and as much as she wanted to wait patiently until she could see him again; she now knew she was slowly beginning to lose her patience. It wasn't just because of the matter which involved the love triangle which had now been created from all of this or the fact that Michiru constantly risked his life fighting in another country far away during each day and possibly each night that he spent over there; but more importantly because Sango found herself feeling so alone without his presence with her. They had shared days off together, they had supported each other through the good and difficult times during Michiru's duration in Sango's world; he had become such an important person in her life and in such a short time that she felt as though he had become part of her family. When he had been taken away from her and summoned back to his own world in another era where Kagome also lived, Sango felt nearly as sad as when her younger brother Kohaku had been taken from her even though the circumstances of both events were very different; though she never showed it to anyone since she didn't want them to worry now that Naraku had finally been defeated for good.

The smile which lit up Sango's face gradually vanished until it was replaced with a look of sadness, one which brought back the painful memory of her night in Kaede's village when Kagome had questioned her after telling Miroku of Michiru's secret feelings for her; a serious mistake which was only going to escalate the situation between everyone from that night forward. Although Sango and Kagome still regarded each other as friends, it would be difficult for both of them to repair the damage done to the emotional bonds which bound their friendships together as well as those of their other friends; but especially Michiru and Miroku. While Sango vowed not to make a decision on whom she would choose between the two young man competing for her affection, she reluctantly realized that the matter could not be solved until Michiru returned; and each day that passed only rose the tension even more to the boiling point so long as the Shikigami user was not here in person. Sango wondered how Miroku was taking all of this, she remembered how his mood had been when Lord Kuranosuke Takeda had proposed to her and how Miroku had become both jealous and depressed by it since he was losing the opportunity of moving his relationship with her forward; something which only helped to make the unsure girl feel more guilty about hurting his feelings if she accepted the offer of marriage.

Now the same problem had come knocking at her again, only this time; the person declaring his love was someone truly important and special to Sango which made the matter more delicate and difficult to deal with since it would also affect the lives of her friends as well. When she had turned down Takeda's offer, everyone felt relieved; Miroku especially since he would have another chance at wooing Sango in order to gain her affection and that helped make Sango's guilt go away. Not only did her guilt go away, but all of them went away as well and left Takeda's mansion behind as they went along their way to resume their journey; leaving all the feelings and memories of guilt and sadness behind. But the same aftermath would not be the end result of this new love triangle because unlike Lord Takeda, Michiru was a part of their group and therefore; he couldn't be left behind like an old acquaintance from long ago. More to the point, Sango realized that she was now beginning to feel the emotional heartache of being separated from Michiru now that she found herself more drawn to him than she had been in the past; and her loneliness would continue until he could return. Then when ever he finally could return, she would be forced to make a decision and shatter the love triangle as well as the heart of whom ever was left standing alone once she had make her choice; and her friends watching on the sidelines would all be whispering and gossiping about the whole affair which would only add more guilt to the amount Sango felt she was already burdened with so far.

One other worrying problem was the possibility of another confrontation, one which might involve Michiru and Miroku instead of those which had happened already when Kagome had interrogated Michiru and Inuyasha one after the other as well as the one which involved Sango herself when Kagome came to question her after her unfortunate chat with Miroku. Unlike those events, the one which Sango feared wouldn't involve a verbal fight with words; but a physical fight with fists and possibly weapons. Sango had already seen enough suffering, in fact more suffering than someone as young as her should see in a whole lifetime and she didn't want to be the cause of a feud between two friends who meant so much to her even though one of them would soon become her companion for life. Once again, the female combatant shook her head in a desperate attempt to rid her memory of the horrible thoughts plaguing it which put visions of violence and hatred into her already troubled mind; she knew how hard it would be for her to cope with the aftermath of her decision and now was not the time to become depressed and afraid. Sango took a deep breath to strengthen her nerves and remind herself that although this dilemma would involve and affect everyone as a group afterwards, she would have the final say which would ultimately bring the matter to an end; it was her decision and no one else's.

Secretly though, she wished Michiru was here right now so that he could comfort her as he had so tried on many occasions when Sango found herself depressed because of her brother Kohaku being used as a piece of bait or a means of leverage to ensure that she remained helpless and hesitant which only helped to place a greater burden on her other friends; especially during a deadly battle against Naraku when all of their lives were in danger which Sango especially felt guilty from since she didn't want to be a handicap for them. Sango found that Michiru was very patient and compassionate when it came to her feelings since he was always concerned for her when ever she looked or felt down and depressed, he always tried to cheer her up no matter what he had to say or how difficult he found the situation to be; for it seemed as though he felt sad when ever she was sad which also showed how much he cared for her. She cared for him and had even trained with him at the beginning of their travels just like she had done with her brother Kohaku, Michiru was a shy and well mannered person just like Kohaku was even though he was older and in some ways stronger; but he had become just as important to her as her brother was. Is this how she was supposed to feel? Were all of the newly discovered answers from her precious memories with Michiru pointing in the direction towards love? Was Michiru the person she was falling in love with? Could she see herself marrying Michiru and eventually starting a family together and raising children of their own while living a peaceful life filled with loving memories of joy and happiness?

The demon slayer's heart began to beat uncontrollably as she silently pondered these questions over and over in her mind, for most of the answers would be yes; Sango would be willing to spend the remainder of her life living with Michiru under one roof. However, which roof would it be, there was one matter which she had overlooked until now which still held a huge importance in Michiru's life; which world would they live and raise a family in? Although Michiru had managed to adapt to life in the same world Inuyasha lived in just as Kagome had done so many times over and over again, he still had a life in his own world in his own home with his loving parents; Sango knew she didn't want to come between Michiru and his family no matter how much she missed him. She remembered from Inuyasha's tales of how Michiru was fairing over in the far away country that he had to keep his identity a secret because he wasn't a citizen of that land, it was obvious that she as well as Kohaku and Kirara couldn't reside in Michiru's world without running the same risk Michiru was doing already; a few days was fine but a lifetime was out of the question unless she could discuss it with him and carefully figure out a workable solution so that it could be done. Sango, Kohaku and Kirara would probably have to stay indoors where Michiru's home was to avoid getting caught, living in fear on a day to day basis wasn't the life she wanted; she wanted a happy life filled with love and joy that she could treasure with Michiru for the rest of their lives. There were so many changes Sango knew she would be unfamiliar with if she ever ventured into his era and who knows how long it would take for her to adapt enough to blend in and survive if she could even survive at all.

The troubled warrior woman found herself asking why fate has to be so cruel to those who have done no harm or wrong to others. She and Michiru cared and longed for each other, but they couldn't live together without one of them severing their ties to their own home; Sango began to wonder if Kagome had ever thought this far ahead in order to see where her relationship with Inuyasha would lead or how far it could go depending on which world they choose to live in and the troubles and dangers which resided in it. Although Michiru might be willing to leave his world behind in order to live with Sango in her world, his parents would be left alone and even if he visited them to stay in touch; he was the only one who had the ability to travel through time. If anything happened to him and he passed away, Sango wouldn't be able to inform them of their son's passing or to mourn with them as all relatives do when they lose a loved one; it was clear that this was an even bigger problem than the matter of the love triangle and Sango found herself helpless and unable to devise a solution for it. Regrettably, she would have to wait for Michiru to return before she could discuss this complex challenge; for he would be able to provide some suggestions and ideas which would hopefully lead them to the appropriate answer so that they could live together without hiding in fear or leaving Michiru's parents behind in another era where they would be cut off from their only son.

The gentle afternoon breeze blew against Sango's body and made her kimono flutter lightly in the wind for a moment which brought her back to her senses, she looked at the sky to see the sun heading towards the west and another look at Kirara gnawing on the four boar limbs which had by now been stripped of their flesh; this told the demon slayer that she had been deep in thought much longer than she had planned and therefore she had also lost track of time as well. Getting up from where she had relaxed, Sango went over to where the boar carcass was suspended and inspected it carefully to make sure no bugs or insects had come buzzing around to feast on the exposed red flesh of the beast; this was going to be tonight's supper and she wasn't going to let it become spoiled by a few pesky pests. After taking a minute to do an all around close observation, the warrior women gathered up some dry lumber and set the chunks of wood underneath the hulk of meat in order to light a fire so that she could cook the carcass all the way through and with any luck it would be dark by the time it was done; so she hoped anyway. Sango wiped a tear out of her left eye which had begun to water when she had been lost in her thoughts as she continued with her work, secretly wishing that Michiru could be here with her now at this very moment without anyone else to bother them; they could enjoy a nice dinner together and afterwards a peaceful evening with only Kohaku and Kirara nearby and the two of them didn't pose a bother so Sango knew that it would be a wonderful time if it could only happen for real.

Meanwhile in Modern day Manhattan, the Firehouse was nearly as quiet as a tomb; it was presently an hour and a half after midnight and everyone had gone to sleep. Ray, Venkman and Slimer had miraculously managed to rebuild a replacement containment unit from scratch and also from the parts and pieces that they could salvage from the first one so that the Sounga could be imprisoned once again; but it would first have to be removed from the hands of a certain young Japanese student who lay in bed fast asleep. Egon and Winston had each taken a two hour shift of watching over Michiru as he continued to sleep through his comatose like state in case any sudden paranormal activity occurred which might put his life in more danger or if the Sounga managed to take hold over him and use his body to commit murder. The bedroom in which all the guys were asleep in was very quiet, only the faint noise of the monitoring equipment echoed throughout the place; but it hardly mattered since everyone was too tired to be bothered by it repetitive beeping. Saya was also asleep so that he could recover his strength in the hopes of keeping Sounga quiet while Slimer floated nearby the bed to watch Michiru as well as to check the time and wake up who ever had the next shift to watch over their Kururugi friend.

Downstairs on the main floor behind the office, Janine and Ilyssa were both sleeping quietly; one would think that the room was unoccupied since there were no noises of snoring at all to be heard like there were in the bedroom upstairs where all the guys slept; including Michiru. Ilyssa suddenly opened her eyes and became awake, looking at the clock and realized that she'd been asleep for a heck of a lot longer than she had thought; way longer than just several hours which is what she thought she had taken. But looking back at what she had been through when she was helpless and unable to do anything for Michiru who had become unconscious due to the Sounga, she was grateful that she had taken such a long sleep which she had needed in order to calm herself down ever since she had broken down and cried while trying to explain to the Ghostbusters what had happened during their absence on that yesterday afternoon. Turning over in her bed to look around the room and get more comfortable, Ilyssa suddenly felt something strange being pressed between the side of her face and the soft pillow she was resting her head on; her senses told her that it was a sheet of paper and she confirmed this by snatching out even though the lights were out and her eyes hadn't yet adjusted to the darkness.

Not wanting to wake Janine, Ilyssa slowly slipped out of bed and crept toward the door with the sheet of paper in her left hand; walking carefully in order to avoid running into anything and hurting herself as her eyes slowly got use to looking around in the dark. After quietly opening the door, she snuck out and went through the next one which lead out to the office on the main floor of the Firehouse; arriving at the reception desk about half a minute later. Switching on a desk lamb in order to see better, Ilyssa placed the paper on the desk right side up and found that there was a message written on it; someone had placed it on her pillow beside her face sometime while she had been asleep. The question of course was when and more importantly, who had written it and left it there for her to find; the message would probably give her an answer so the young woman proceeded to read through what was written as she let out a yawn since she was still tired considering it was the middle of the night even though she had been asleep for nearly nine hours. The message was in Japanese, but Ilyssa was fluent in the language as well as a few others; being a specialist in various cultures and architecture had forced her to learn how to read write and speak different dialogs in order to properly perform her job.

"Dear Ilyssa, we've cast a spell on Michiru in order to help him out and we have also removed the amulet from around his neck so we could give it to his friends Inuyasha and Kagome who are both back in Japan; so please don't be alarmed if you or any of your friends notice it is missing." Ilyssa said softly to herself as she read carefully through the sentences one at a time on the sheet of paper. "Our plan is for Inuyasha to travel back to his world which you are aware exists in the feudal era in order to give it to Sango, it is hoped that she can help to free Michiru's mind from Sounga's grip so that he can awake from his unconscious state; we both know how much she means to him and that is why we have selected her for help. Our great grandson is presently asleep with the Sounga forcefully clenched in his hands as you already know, however; we found out from overhearing a conversation with Inuyasha and Egon that Michiru's unconscious mind is presently experiencing a series of nightmares which the Sounga has created in order to break his will of resistance."

Ilyssa suddenly brought a hand to her mouth as she stared at that sentence, reading it over and over again while taking a long pause to mentally process the seriousness of the situation she had just discovered from this letter; Michiru's predicament was indeed a lot worse than she had thought originally when she had seen him fall unconscious after the brawl with the uninvited intruders had ended a moment ago. The young woman took a deep breath in and out in an effort to remain calm since she needed to stay focussed in order to understand the plan that was being implemented by those who had left her this message, it was clear that there was a chance her Kururugi friend could be saved and she needed to know everything so she could explain it to the Ghostbusters when they would eventually wake up a couple of hours later in the morning. Putting her thoughts of concern and worry for Michiru aside, Ilyssa continued reading through the rest of the message from where she had left off from during her brief moment of pause; blinking while she read to stop her eyes from watering with tears.

"We have also implanted a portion of Michiru's human soul into the amulet so that Sango can contact and connect with him when she falls asleep after first being informed of his present condition and predicament, she will have to convince Michiru that none of the horrific hallucinations are real and that he's just experiencing a nightmare; it is our hope that his spirit will recover enough so he can subdue the Sounga has he had so successfully did during his first encounter with it just before he wakes up from his comatose like state." Ilyssa said quietly as she continued reading the rest of the message. "There is a possibility that Michiru might not wake up right away even if he successfully pulls through, he'll still require plenty of rest to recuperate from this event even though he's been asleep for a long while already so please tell everyone not to wake him up when you take the time to inform them of what you've read in this message; remember that. We both thank you for your help as well as for all the help and kindness you've given Michiru already ever since you've both become friends, please don't let what happened make you feel guilty because neither we nor our great grandson would blame you for that so take care; signed Utsugi and Kakuju."

The tired lady smiled slightly at the kind words expressed by both of Michiru's ancestral spiritual entities in the last sentence, they were both good and caring even though Ilyssa still felt a tiny bit of guilt for Michiru's current condition; she wished she could do more in order to help him out even though she would be forced to sit everything out while she waited for her young Japanese friend to regain consciousness. At least she had found out that there was a possibility of saving Michiru's life and that the boy's feudal era friends were going to try and exploit it while she and the Ghostbusters monitored his condition as he slept, that was the first piece of good news she had found ever since the tragedy had taken place; but knowing that Michiru was also being forced to experience a nightmare of horrible and horrific hallucinations was something that Ilyssa couldn't block out of her mind. He was her friend and he had been so brave numerous times when he had saved the lives of the Ghostbusters as well as her own, this was now the fourth time he had saved her from danger; how many more would there be before he eventually returned home to Japan?

Knowing that Michiru's life was in a worse state than she had previously thought before reading this letter, Ilyssa decided to go upstairs and check to see how he was; it had been nearly nine hours since she had last seen him when he had fallen unconscious and so she needed to see him even though it was the middle of the night. Turning off the lamb on the desk, the young woman took the paper in her hand and carried it with her as she wandered over to the stairs; her eyes which had now adjusted to the dark clearly picked out the location of where Michiru had saved her from the thugs only to wind up in a bind that was far more dangerous and life threatening then the one she had experienced. Ilyssa took hold of the railing to the side with her right hand and went up the staircase one step at a time until she arrived at the top on the second floor of the Firehouse, her eyes picked out the brand new containment unit which Ray, Venkman and Slimer had built to imprison the Sounga inside of once it had become separated from Michiru's body; a faint light flickered from inside of the bedroom as she quietly entered the sleeping quarters of all the guys. Walking between the beds on either side, Ilyssa made her way over to where she saw Michiru sleeping in his; Slimer was by the boy's bedside snoring away with his ghostly body hovering upside down like a lazy dog.

Ilyssa carefully sat down in a fold up chair which had been set beside Michiru's bedside for who ever was tasked with watching him for two hours, the only sounds other than Slimer's snoring were the faint beeps repeatedly echoing from Egon's scanning equipment which he had hooked up and left turned on to monitor Michiru's condition with each passing second; the dim light from the screen which displayed his vital signs and mental activity made a faint glow which flickered continuously throughout the bedroom. After looking curiously at the screen of the machine for a few moments, Ilyssa turned her gaze to look at Michiru who she worried about now more than ever after reading that letter and discovering his true predicament; he was breathing so very shallowly since his chest hardly rose or fell at all with each breath he took in and out. She took notice of the horrible looking demonic veins with had wrapped both of Michiru's arms up from his shoulders all the way down to his wrists, leaving his discoloured hands forcefully grasping the Sounga from which he couldn't let go of unless the plan she had been informed of had pulled through; it would be up to Sango to save him and no one else.

Ilyssa sighed in defeat at being unable to help bring Michiru out of this mess, her eyes began to water again even though they weren't as heavy as when she had broke down the first time upon seeing him suffer; luckily there was a box of handkerchief on the bed close to Michiru's left arm which Egon had used to wipe away slime residue despite the plastic wrap which had been draped over it and underneath Michiru as a means of keeping the bed clean and dry. It hurt her to see Michiru in such a state of vulnerability, this was so unlike the brave appearance he always managed to show during a battle with ghosts or any other dangerous situation for that matter; he was just a fifteen year old boy who was merely a young teenager in her eyes and he didn't deserve to suffer like this after doing so much good in order to help others out despite the fact that he didn't belong in this country. The woman moved her hands to the young boy's neck to check for his pulse and a moment later, she was relieved to find that he still had one which indicated that he was still alive; but she also noticed that Michiru wasn't wearing his amulet anymore when her fingers pulled his shirt collar aside so the contents of the letter were true. Utsugi and Kakuju had been here, they did remove the amulet from his neck and take it back to Japan; now Michiru's life would be resting on his friends from the feudal era and Ilyssa would have to wait with the Ghostbusters to see how the big plan would turn out.

Authors Note: I apologize for the long wait, I had hoped to have this chapter done much earlier given that no events from the Ghostbusters game needed to be included, but sadly it took a lot longer to get everything out and on paper. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Orionpax09 since some of his work from "Legacy of the Cursed Mask: The Wolf Demon Crisis" helped to inspire the scenes with Sango having to think of who she would choose as a husband between Michiru and Miroku so please thank him for that.

Orionpax09: I had to return a favour since you gave me credit once before on a similar situation regarding your dilemma scenes with Sango in your story; it was especially tough to write mine out in this chapter so that they would be somewhat different from your own even though the subject that they were written for is about the same situation. Therefore I tried to focus on the internal events as much as I could in order to concentrate on Sango's experiences with Michiru so that she could more easily figure out how much of a better person he is compared with Miroku, as well as other events from Sango's past which involve either herself and Michiru or herself and Miroku; and finally how she could possibly live with Michiru given the challenging problems each of them would face regardless of which world they chose to spend their lives together in. These events as well as those which Sango thought about in chapter 6 during her bath and finally the thoughts of each of the other individual Inuyasha characters regarding the love triangle have given lots of insight to what the future holds in store for everyone and I hope that you enjoyed reading them since I know that you especially take all the characters into careful consideration even though there can only be one protagonist in each of our stories. On the subject of using some of the Shikigami spells from your story, I appreciate the offer and I will use any that I might require when ever I find I the need to do so; but I'm going to try and create my own as often as possible to avoid any troubles. I've actually come up with a new Shikigami spell as well as a new familiar to go with it when Michiru casts it on the battlefield, but that won't be revealed until he and the Ghostbusters go to explore Shandor Island.

Candyman53: You're absolutely right, Michiru is going to need the support of all of his friends to recover once he eventually wakes up from his comatose like state; he'll still get it from his friends in the feudal era even though he's still separated across time and space.

Rajvir: Life is tough and gets really busy, nevertheless I hope you enjoy reading this chapter and that you can look forward to the next one.


	14. Endurance

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, Ghostbusters, or anything associated with either of them. This story is being written just for fun and enjoyment.

Chapter #14: Endurance

It was presently 7:30 a.m. on Friday November the 23rd and everyone was presently gathered together at the kitchen table so they could eat a morning meal while they planned the day, each person had taken their turn to shower and wash so that they would be completely ready to undertake what ever work they were tasked with doing; though it was going to be a difficult experience since their morale was still shaken due to Michiru's predicament. Although the Ghostbusters had their operating licenses suspended and taken away from them by Peck, they couldn't ignore the fact that the city was in danger as well as the possibility that their friend Michiru couldn't wake up from his comatose like state because of the demonic sword Sounga; so each of them couldn't let go of their duty or sense of responsibility to do what they could to protect the people regardless of what Peck and P-COC had already done and could do later on if they wished to intervene again. Sleep had certainly given everyone the chance to rest themselves and also to recover as much strength as possible to accomplish everything they possibly could, for they now had to consider the possibility that they would have to save the city without Michiru's help and they needed to prepare for the worst in case events escalated once again; despite their hopes that their young Japanese friend would pull through and recover.

While Janine was finishing up with cooking breakfast and turning off all the burners on the stove, Ilyssa was setting the table and making sure everything was neatly arranged; then she went to the counter to pour some hot coffee into all of the mugs which she had collected together. The Ghostbusters were presently at the other end of the room in the lab examining the brand new containment unit which Ray had managed to construct last night for the sword Sounga so they could imprison it again and hopefully avoid a second breakout in the event that it was separated from Michiru later in the future, he had spent seven hours altogether with Venkman and Slimer; it wasn't an easy task that's for sure. They first had to disassemble what remained of the first one so all the component parts which were still intact and usable could be reinstalled on the newer device before constructing a brand new containment unit from other pieces which they also needed to make it stronger and more solid than before, the design was still the same; but Egon was busy trying to treat Michiru and so they had to rely on completing the job without the inventive scientist to help them which was why he was with them now to inspect the new unit and make an evaluation of its condition.

"Hmm, all in all; this is a fine piece of work you guys have put together." Egon stated as he carefully examined the heavy and immense metallic device.

"Thanks Egon, we tried making it more solid and strong by adding some steel plating around all the vulnerable areas at both ends where the first one was smashed yesterday so that the same result doesn't occur again; but that's made it much heavier than before." Ray said.

"So Egon, any further comments you'd like to make before we have our final say over whether this thing is done or not." Venkman asked.

"I would like you guys to make one modification, nothing big though; merely a minor adjustment depending how you look at it." Egon answered. "I was hoping that we could add on some slime plasm banks in order to pump some positively charged slime into the interior of the containment unit to keep it flooded at all times, that would seriously disrupt Sounga's recovering ability so that it will be forced to use up its evil power and PK energy to counteract the positive effects of the slime; thus weakening the evil entity considerably so it will be too weak to possess anyone in the event that it becomes free again."

"That's a good idea, we can attach a timer to each of the plasm banks so then we'll know when their empty and then we can switch them out with full ones; or maybe we can modify them in such a way so that a hose can be fitted to the device which can continuously pump positively charged slime into the containment unit so we don't have to worry about watching it as much." Ray replied as he took the matter a little further. "We'll have to gather up some slime distributors from our spare proton packs and attach them in such a way so that they can feed slime into the prison space where the Sounga rests inside, they'll have to be shielded with some additional steel plates for protection as well; should take us no more than hopefully two hours or so."

"Sounds good Ray, you'll have to do that after breakfast before anything else on today's agenda though; it will be better for and for Michiru if this new containment unit is completely modified and ready to imprison the Sounga." Egon stated with a nod. "Keep up the good work."

"You got it." Venkman said as the scientist took his leave and went to go to the bedroom where Michiru was. "So much for being done."

"Now we can disassemble and build more, oh boy." Slimer said with an excited tone, letting out a few snorts and grunts as he talked.

"Egon." Janine called, making the scientist come to a halt and turn to face the red haired lady. "Breakfast is ready, you'd better wash up."

"Thank you Janine, I'll be right back then." Egon answered gratefully before strolling to the bathroom to wash his hands and return.

"Something smells good over here; you ladies have really outdone yourselves this time." Winston said as he complimented Ilyssa and Janine on their accomplishments in the kitchen. "Pancakes, scrambled eggs, toast and bacon; now that's one delicious looking meal."

"So when do we get to enjoy the morning feast you've both prepared for all of us?" Venkman asked eagerly as he looked at the foods."

"None of you are going to feed your faces without washing your hands first so get going Venkman." Janine said with a slight icy tone of voice. "That includes you as well Slimer, go wash your hands; and don't let me catch you eating off of other people's plates or drooling on all our dishes."

Slimer gave the red haired lady an embarrassed slime before darting off to go wash up, taking advantage of his size and free floating form to butt in ahead of everyone else so he could wash up first even though he didn't have a mortal body; making Venkman cuss about being unfair as he did so. Five minutes later, everyone returned to the kitchen and took their seats with Egon who had already sat down at the table; waiting patiently for Janine and Ilyssa to serve breakfast before the two of them sat down themselves and joined in. Slimer had his own spot located on the end of the long lab table which was temporarily moved closer so that he could join the company of the mortal humans at breakfast as they sat at the round kitchen table together, Janine made it clear that he wasn't to make a mess of anything among other things she suspected him of doing or else she'd recommend he be locked up in prison again; so he did his best to behave properly and refrain from his usual behaviour. Once all of the food and drinks were served along with the plates and so on, Janine and Ilyssa sat down to join everyone at breakfast; but the leather clad beauty momentarily sighed after observing Michiru's seat was now empty even though she knew he was still asleep in the bedroom.

"Cheer up Ilyssa, everything will turn out eventually; so drink up and eat something." Janine stated as she poured Ilyssa some orange juice.

"Thank you Janine." Ilyssa responded softly with a weak smile as she accepted the glass cup and drank the contents until it was half empty, it would be tough; but the tanned skinned woman had to cope as best as she could despite how worried she was about Michiru.

"I don't have to remind any of you that today's going to be a difficult day for all of us, we're all going to need all the strength we can get so eat hardy; it's a Friday after all and we probably have a lot of work to do even though our licenses have been pulled." Janine stated in order to get everyone's attention as they all started to eat. "Right, now that that's out of the way; you can take it from here Egon."

"Thank you Janine." Egon said as he cleared his throat before explaining today's agenda of tasks to everyone. "Despite Peck pulling our operating licenses, we're all obligated to do all that we possibly can in order to save the city from the enormous paranormal event which threatens to destroy it; but we also have to try our best to help Michiru even though I'm still waiting on word from his friend Inuyasha who is still looking around for any information which could improve Michiru's chances of surviving his current ordeal. I regret to inform you that the Sounga is presently forcing Michiru to experience some nightmarish events in order to break his will so that he can be enslaved as a host, his amulet has mysteriously disappeared as well and unless he miraculously recovers; he will either become Sounga's host or die in his sleep. I learned this from Inuyasha yesterday over the phone, he's presently investigating more information so I'm afraid there isn't really anything more we can do as of yet; just so all of you are aware. Before I assign any tasks, does anyone have anything they need to bring to our attention first?"

"Egon?" Ilyssa said, getting everyone's attention as she held out the letter she discovered six hours ago which had been left for her by Utsugi and Kakuju. "I found this letter addressed to me and it explains what you and Inuyasha were discussing together over the phone yesterday, the ghosts of Utsugi and Kakuju who were Michiru's ancestors; they were listening in on your conversation and they were the ones who took Michiru's amulet which is why you found it was removed from around his neck."

"I see, did they mention a reason why they took Michiru's amulet?" Egon asked as he took a quick glance at the letter before passing it around for everyone else to look at briefly.

"Yes, they've cast a spell on him in order to make sure he's alright while he's asleep; they've also implanted a portion of his human sole into the amulet so that one of Michiru's friends from the Feudal era can hopefully connect with it in order to contact him and convince him that none of the nightmarish hallucinations are real." Ilyssa explained carefully, making everyone a little better now that they new there was some chance of saving Michiru despite the horrific fate he was currently forced to experience as he lay fast asleep in bed. "They hope that he'll recover mentally so he can break free of Sounga's hold and subdue the evil sword like he did before, then he'll be alright again and wake up; but he might not wake up right away until after he's rested so he can't be disturbed until all of this has passed."

"Hmm, does anyone else have anything to bring up?" Egon asked, looking around to everyone as he reached for his mug of coffee.

"Yeah, after finishing construction on the new containment unit; I was wondering if I could go set up my bookstore in order to reopen it in the event that Peck fires us or something." Ray responded. "My second job could help to bring in some cash now that we're out of work, and in addition to researching any information on all the paranormal events we're dealing with; the bookstore itself can also serve as a place for Michiru to lay low if Peck comes snooping around here again. But I'll need a moving truck to haul all my books and furniture from the storage locker to the bookstore and I'll also need an extra pair of hands to help me carry all the heavy stuff, if that's okay with you."

"Sounds good Ray, you can leave with Venkman when ever you're ready." Egon stated approvingly, receiving a quick glance from Venkman after the man was drafted to help out Ray with his laborious task. "Janine, you'll have to monitor the office for any emails, phone calls or messages even though we don't have any licenses to operate as Ghostbusters anymore; the information on any and all paranormal activities could still be helpful to us in case things escalate. Winston, you'll have to remain here on standby in the event that an important paranormal event has to be dealt with; so make sure Ecto-1 is all tuned up and running. Ilyssa, I still need someone to watch over Michiru while I work; but you'll need to monitor his condition closely for any changes no matter how small. Ray, Winston and I will join you after breakfast to help speed up the final construction of the containment unit; we'll also have to perform some tests afterwards to ensure it works properly before we all move on with our other tasks for today. Does everyone understand what each of you are doing?"

After everyone nodded, the group continued eating breakfast until each person was completely full; except for Slimer of course whose stomach would never get full. Egon and Winston joined Ray and the others in order to complete the construction of the new containment unit for the Sounga so that Ray and Venkman could leave that much earlier and have more time to furnish and reopen Ray's Occult bookstore, they also wanted to make sure that each of them could hook up or reload the device with more positively charged slime from the plasm banks which needed to be refilled once they were empty again; a few tests would be in order after the unit's completion so it was best that all of them were present so they could learn from on hands experience. An hour and a half later, the device was done and all of the Ghostbusters carried the heavy device downstairs to the basement where they could hook it up to a hose in order to pump positively charged slime into each of the newly installed plasm banks located on the long sides of Sounga's new containment unit; filling them up took a few minutes however given the thickness and stickiness of the green slimy ectoplasm substance.

"Well it looks easy enough to replenish, I only hope it stays as quiet and still as it is now when the Sounga is trapped inside." Winston commented as everyone watched each of the four plasm banks fill up one after the other; two on each side of the huge metallic device.

"You and me both Z, I hope that Michiru can somehow recover from all of this as well; lord knows how he's doing right now given that he's forced to endure all sorts of horrific nightmares." Ray replied. "Say Egon, we still have to test the injection function to see if the slime can be pumped into the prison compartment where the Sounga is going to stay inside of; press that green button right there on the panel."

Once Egon pressed the button Ray had indicated, a small amount of positively charged slime was injected from each plasm bank and through a tiny tube which lead into where the Sounga would supposedly lay inside; completely filling up the space until the button was pressed again to shut it off. The long trap doors where presently open so each of the paranormal investigators could have a perfect view of the containment unit's interior, although there were now four very tiny openings inside of the prison; they were far too small to be of any use to the Sounga and they would be flooded with positively charged slime anyway in order to keep it weak enough to stay nearly dormant so it couldn't inflict harm in case that it was accidentally set free again. In addition to the plasm banks and steel plating which helped to strengthen and protect all the vital areas of the containment unit, the instrument panel that was also installed allowed anyone operating the device to turn the slime distributor system on or off; and there was a gauge to govern the injection flow of the slime going into the interior so that it could be used up slowly to avoid running out quickly.

"That's basically how it works, you can see the slime flowing in through each of the four openings from the plasm banks on the outside; but we won't know how the Sounga will counteract to the positively charged slime until its imprisoned inside or how much time we'll have to replenish the plasm banks once they are eventually emptied one at a time." Ray stated after everyone had a long observation.

"Yes, we'll have to time it as soon as we place the Sounga inside; then we can select an appropriate speed for the slime distributor system to inject the slime inside while it operates around the clock." Egon said in agreement. "If the sword itself reacts the same way that the demonic veins reacted during the tests Winston and I performed yesterday, then the positively charged slime will evaporate as it contacts the Sounga which will continually cause the it's evil power to dissipate in order to keep it at a relatively dormant state; thus ensuring that it won't be powerful enough to cause harm which will allow Michiru to subdue it again if it is accidentally set free again."

"Sounds like a great plan Egon, now that we're all done here; I'll head up to the main floor and do a check up of Ecto-1." Winston said.

"Right, thanks for your help Winston; good job again guys." Egon replied, giving Ray a pad on the shoulder. "Good luck with hauling all of your books and furniture around, be careful not to overwork yourselves; you'll be needed to help save the city when the time comes."

"Gotcha Egon, we'll be careful; time to carry this new masterpiece back upstairs Venkman." Ray said, lifting one end of the massive metal machine. "Come on, we haven't got all day; we've got a lot of stuff to move after this so hurry up and help me out here."

"This thing is heavy Ray, I wish Michiru were up and recovered so he could use his magic and levitate this huge contraption just like he did with that magic carpet trick he pulled; you remember that?" Venkman replied as he carefully heaved the other end of the device.

"Oh yeah, that was definitely a heck of a sight to see; I envy him for being able to fly on it." Ray added as he and Venkman carefully carried the new containment unit upstairs one step at a time. "We're taking this back up to the lab and then I'll call up a buddy I know who can provide us with a hauling truck we can use; all my stuff is organized in a big storage locker that looks like a small garage so all we have to do is move everything from one place to another."

"Sounds simple enough, but we'll we make it?" Venkman joked around, walking backwards as carefully as he could up the staircase.

"Yeah, you come with us too Slimer; you can act as a guard at the bookstore while Venkman and I drive back and forth between trips." Ray suggested, noticing that the green ghost was helping him balance the other end of the containment unit since he had most of the weight as a result of following Venkman from the bottom of the stairs. "You can even scare anyone off that comes snooping around too."

The fat spiritual entity wore a mischievous grin which made Venkman worry as he listened to Slimer grunt and snort with delight at being included in the road trip which Ray and Venkman were going to take in order to move all of the furniture and books over to where Ray's Occult used to be, it would probably take all day to move and organize everything in working order; but it was worth while and helped to pass the time as long as they couldn't operate as Ghostbusters for the time being. After a few more minutes of manual labour, the two men and their paranormal companion arrived at the lab on the top floor and set the heavy containment unit down on one of the long lab tables; Venkman and Slimer both took a brake to relax while Ray called up his buddy in order to acquire a moving truck to haul all of his possessions which he needed to furnish his bookstore so it could be reopened for business again. Winston was busy examining the engine of Ecto-1 while the two ladies had just finished cleaning up the kitchen; although Ilyssa had left a plate with some cutlery and a glass in case Michiru suddenly woke up since he had now missed two meals at this point. The leather clad beauty suddenly stood still as she took a momentary pause to observe the empty spot which had been set for the Kururugi boy who was still asleep, after letting out a sigh; Ilyssa moved ahead so she could glance into the bedroom just to take a quick peek at the brave Shikigami user who she cared about so much despite only knowing him for just a few days.

"Ilyssa, Michiru wouldn't want you to suffer just because he's in a tight spot; try to stay strong for his sake and that will make it easier for you to endure until he wakes up." Janine said comfortingly. "I'll be downstairs at the reception desk if you need me for anything okay?"

"I'll remember Janine, thanks again; let me know if any of Michiru's friends call you over the phone so I can talk with them." Ilyssa replied.

"I will, you have a good morning now." Janine answered back before wandering over to the staircase which lead to the main floor.

After Janine had departed, Ilyssa went into the bedroom where she found Egon checking the monitoring equipment which indicated Michiru's vital signs and so on; the scientist also had a medical kit along with a proton pack sitting on another bed just to the left of the one which Michiru was resting on. The young teenager looked the same as when she had seen him over six hours ago, almost as still as a statue except for the slow rise and fall of his chest when he breathed in and out ever so slowly; his eyes closed shut and his mind completely lost in the realm of unconsciousness where all that was seen in either a dream or a nightmare couldn't felt real until one woke up and realized that everyone was just an series of images and sounds. But until he awoke, everything which he would be forced to experience because of the Sounga would look and seem very real which was a great danger; for Michiru's will power and mental control would eventually break in time if he could no longer endure. Not wanting to dwell on the subject and cause herself any more worries for a while, Ilyssa turned her attention to what ever it was that Egon was presently involved with; he appeared to be using a magnifying glass in order to get a closer look at the demonic veins which were all tangled and injected in both of Michiru's arms.

"Egon?" Ilyssa asked, making the intellectual man jump momentarily; he had failed to notice her enter since he was concentrating so hard on what he was doing. "Sorry for startling you like that, what exactly are you doing?"

"I didn't hear you come in, I'm trying to untangle one of the veins so I can get a sample which I can perform some tests on; I also need a sample of Michiru's blood." Egon stated after turning around and facing the young woman. "This has to be done if we want to try and save him, we have to consider the possibility that what ever plan Michiru's ancestors came up with doesn't work; so we'll have to use our own to try and separate the Sounga from Michiru's body after we've done some investigating to gather enough information that we require."

"I know Egon, and I fully understand even though I'm still worried about what Michiru's going through right now." Ilyssa answered strongly even though her voice was quiet. "Is there anything I can do to help besides just watching him for any changes in his condition?"

"Yes, you can help me get the samples I need so I can take them to the lab for making tests; if you're up to the task that is." Egon answered, receiving a nod from the young woman. "Very well, there's a tiny knife in the medical kit used for making insertions; please use it to make a cut somewhere on his body so you can obtain a blood sample. You should probably make the cut somewhere away from his arms so that the demonic veins don't interfere or contaminate the sample, I suggest you take the sample from his lower leg; let me know when you're done."

Ilyssa did as Egon suggested and went over to the end of the bed where Michiru's feet were, she rolled up his pant leg until she saw the scar of where he had received a cut on the side his leg just below the knee from his battle in the alternate version of the library against Azetlor; she didn't want to add another scar to her friend so she decided to make the insertion where the cut had been in order to get the blood sample Egon needed. Next, she took a syringe and held the needle tip where the blood had appeared and drew out enough until she believed she had enough for a sample; then she carefully cleaned the cut with some rubbing alcohol to kill any germs before she applied a band aid to cover the tiny cut so it would stop anymore bleeding. This reminded Ilyssa of when she had bandaged up Michiru after he had come back from the library and when they had spent some time together before the celebration party had begun that night not too long ago, and when the two of them got to dance together even though Ilyssa had to teach Michiru how to dance depending on if the music was fast or slow paced; how much fun they had that night. Ilyssa secretly wished that everything was alright and that Michiru hadn't been put into this horrible predicament, her young friend didn't deserve such a torturous experience; he deserved to have fun and enjoy his life as all teenagers do while they grow up and fall in love before some of them eventually start a family with their own children.

"Ilyssa?" Egon called out, bringing Ilyssa back to her senses with the sound of his voice once he noticed she was lost in thought.

"Sorry Egon, I was distracted for a moment." Ilyssa said apologetically before handing him the syringe with the blood sample inside.

"No problem, we've all had a lot on our minds so don't feel bad about it." Egon replied, taking the device from her and setting it on a small lab tray he had with him before returning to his work. "I'll be done in another minute or two and then I'll head out to go work in the lab."

Ilyssa watched intently as Egon was using some tweezers to yank one of the many thin purple coloured demonic veins which was tangled around each of Michiru's arms from the shoulder down to his wrist, after it was held up and away from the others; the scientist took a small pair of scissors and made two cuts on either side of where his tweezers were holding so that he now had a quarter of an inch long piece of the demonic vein which he could take back to the lab; along with the blood that was now leaking out of it from the inside. The whole vein which had now been injured from the cut, began to twitch irregularly as if it were alive; making both Egon and Ilyssa uncomfortable about what the Sounga was doing to Michiru as he lay asleep and remained vulnerable to the demonic sword and the evil entity contained within it. After walking back the lab, Egon placed each blood sample from Michiru's leg as well as the blood from the demonic vein on two separate plastic slides so he could take a magnified observation of them both through two microscopes which he had ready and waiting for him; Ilyssa followed him because she was curious about what the scientist hoped to learn from all of this. Egon placed each slide underneath one of the microscopes and focussed the lens until he could see perfectly through each one, after making a careful analysis from his findings; he switched over to look through the other one to see what the second sample had to reveal.

"Hey Ilyssa, what are you and Egon working on?" Venkman asked after strolling over to watch when he noticed both of them go to the lab.

"Egon is viewing some samples we took from Michiru's blood and from those demonic veins that are wrapped around and injected into his arms." Ilyssa answered. "I thought you were going to help Ray with moving all of his furniture and stuff so he could reopen his bookstore."

"Yeah I am, but the truck isn't here yet so we're waiting for it to pick us up; the driver is a friend of Ray's and he owes Ray a favour." Venkman answered. "But until he arrives, we're just passing the time and we thought we'd see what you two are doing over here."

"That cruel and clever devil…" Egon commented, keeping his eyes looking through the lens of the microscope before shaking his head.

"What is it Egon?" Ray asked curiously, knowing from Egon's tone of voice and choice of words that he had discovered something bad.

"Those demonic veins may have been created by the Sounga, but they'd done more than just entangled Michiru's arms and injected themselves into his hands; I'm afraid they've taken some of his blood." Egon answered, causing Ilyssa to bring her hand to her mouth in horror as everyone became aware of the situation which Egon and just discovered. "After checking both samples, there is now no doubt in my mind; the blood I found inside of the demonic vein is or I should say was Michiru's own blood. Although his vital signs are still normal as well as his skin colour and pulse, I believe that the Sounga has undertaken this measure as a means to prevent Michiru and possibly anyone else from forcefully removing either the demonic veins or the sword from Michiru's body; he'll be drained of his blood and die of anaemia if that were to happen. It needs Michiru as a host and won't let him die unless Michiru refuses to surrender to Sounga's will, but as all of you know already; Michiru can only hold out for so long until his spirit is broken and he loses the will to resist or the will to live."

"What about the method that you and Winston were trying yesterday?" Ray asked. "Couldn't we use our slime blowers and spray positively charged slime on Michiru's arms until those demonic veins are destroyed? Won't the positive energy counteract the…"

"It wouldn't be enough." Egon interrupted as he cut Ray off. "The Sounga would just regenerate the demonic veins with its evil power, and for every attempt we try, Michiru would lose some of his blood; the veins have injected themselves into his body and so the blood they've taken is still in his system flowing around with the rest of it as he breaths during his unconscious state. The Sounga will cause Michiru to bleed to death in order to prevent him from being liberated, even if that means giving up Michiru as a host; I'm afraid that his life is out of our hands and that we have to trust in his friends from the Feudal era. There isn't anything more we can do except to monitor Michiru's condition and be ready for when he wakes up, you guys had better go downstairs to wait; your ride will be showing up soon."

There was a heavy silence, no one had any words to speak after hearing those terrible tidings; their minds were now plagued with worry for their friend. As much as everyone wanted to help, there was really nothing more that could be done; they would have to hope and pray that Inuyasha and the others would prevail. Ray and Venkman were about to say something more, but both of them reluctantly gave up and left as soon as a honking noise was heard from outside below which indicated that the truck they were waiting for had arrived; Slimer flew through the wall and entered inside the back of the truck without being seen thanks to his advantage of being a ghost. Egon gave Ilyssa an apologetic look before returning to analyse all the data he could from the blood samples so he could carry on with more tests, it was going to be a long day and no one knew of each of them could get through it with their minds as troubled as they were right now; especially after finding out such a horrific discovery. Ilyssa returned to the bedroom and sat down beside Michiru's side, taking a glance at the monitoring equipment before checking his neck for a pulse just as she had done before; he was still alive even though it was impossible to know how much longer he had to live. However, a quick examination of his forehead revealed he was burning up which meant he must have caught a fever despite the fact that he was perfectly fine and healthy a while ago; so Ilyssa had to try and help him.

After going to the kitchen, Ilyssa took out some ice cubes from the fridge and wrapped them up in a facecloth and set them on the flat breadboard which was located on the counter nearby; then she grabbed a small frying pan and struck them a few times until they broke apart into smaller pieces. Now that the ice cubes were crushed and reduced to tiny fragments, she carefully folded them into a smaller pile and ran it underneath the sink tap to dampen it with cold water for a moment before turning it off; then she wandered back into the bedroom and gently placed the tiny bundled up facecloth on Michiru's forehead. Once she was sure it would stay still in position and that it wouldn't unfold on its own, Ilyssa sat down and made herself comfortable in the fold up chair so she could watch over her Kururugi friend as he continued to sleep; he looked so calm and peaceful even though the presence of the Sounga and those horrible looking demonic veins around his arms told her that his sleep was anything but that. The young woman secretly hoped that his body was at least getting the rest it needed in order to give Michiru the strength he so disparately needed to break free of Sounga's hold and subdue the sword's evil power before eventually waking up again, as long as he had a pulse and that he was breathing normally; he was alive and that was something to be grateful for despite the suffering he must be going through in his unconscious state.

Not wanting to dwell on Michiru's predicament and how he was suffering, Ilyssa thought back to all the fun times they had shared together before this unfortunate incident had come about; beginning with the time when he was telling her of his Feudal era adventures during the morning when he had saved her and defeated the manifestation of Gozer with the combined might of his Shikigami powers and also from his proton pack which he was equipped with now that he was working for the Ghostbusters. Then came the afternoon once he had returned from his tour of duty at the library, he had received some minor injuries and although she teased him about not using his magic to heal all of them; she was secretly happy that she was now given an excuse to spend time with the teenage boy once again. Later on the same day was the party that the Ghostbusters had arranged to celebrate their triumphant victory at the library, one which Ilyssa especially enjoyed; for she got to dance with him even though she had to teach him while in the middle of the first few songs. Then came the incident when she got to meet the ghosts of Utsugi and Kakuju who were both Michiru's ancestors, she found it kind of funny how she had mistaken them for enemies such as Janine had also done which resulted in the Ghostbusters being roused from their beds and everyone panicking for a few minutes until Michiru managed to calm everyone down once he explained who they really were and son on; although the moment with the fire and Michiru having to help her put the flames out on her nightgown was another comical event given how she got to see him blush once again from being embarrassed at such close physical contact with a female such as herself.

As a smile managed to appear on Ilyssa's face, her mind wandered ahead to the next series of memorable events which she had shared with Michiru; beginning the following morning when he had cooked breakfast for everyone while she had been showering. Ilyssa had no idea that the Shikigami user had any culinary skills in the kitchen, so arriving at the table to find all the delicious food he had prepared was another surprise she wouldn't forget; Janine and the Ghostbusters had been equally impressed and surprised at the young Japanese boy's talent and they all got to enjoy eating the morning meal just as she did until it was revealed that Michiru had used his magic in the car on the drive home yesterday afternoon which went against the wishes of his friends since he was doing it in brood daylight and outside. That's when Ilyssa had brainstormed the idea of pulling the little prank by getting Ray and Winston to feed Michiru and herself to Slimer as a punishment for disobeying orders, but that of course turned into a comical event when she had tickled the poor boy as he was restrained by the others and helpless to defend himself until he begged for mercy and promised not to disobey orders again; that had been especially funny as well as when Michiru chased after her to get even once he was released. After a free for all tickling match has Venkman had called it, the two of them were too tired out and sore to carry on and so they just laughed as they shared a long hug while they found themselves in each others' arms; making Ilyssa let out a few giggles as she recalled the experience.

Then came the time when she and Saya both got to help Michiru conduct some research about his mysterious Shikigami powers during the afternoon once lunch was over, the three of them had all done a great job together and this was proven when Michiru had successfully devised a new spell which took everyone back and forth through time once his theory had been put to the test in practice; a monumental achievement since it now allowed him to travel back to Japan's Feudal era so he could see his friends again. But Sango was the one person he wanted to see most of all and more and anything or anyone else in the world, despite the possibility that she was in love with another young man; namely Miroku according to Michiru's previous adventures throughout Feudal Japan. Later on in the evening, Ilyssa took Michiru to the Museum so he could act as her body guard as well as her guest while on the look out for any signs of paranormal activity when the Ghostbusters had suspected that the Museum would be the next location where they had to combat ghosts and other animated monsters. The two of them were both dressed up all nice for the occasion, Michiru was in his school uniform which was complete with a dress shirt and tie while she was wearing a nice evening dress; Ilyssa found the teenager's company most enjoyable and she was delighted at taking him on a grand tour of the Museum so they could see all of the exhibits together before the opening gala took place a few hours later. Afterwards, they took a brake to relax and enjoy each others company; sharing their thoughts and having a few good laughs even though most of them made were at Michiru's expense since he easily got embarrassed about dating a beautiful girl such as Sango when Ilyssa had suggested that he could take her for a magic carpet ride once he told her of his idea to travel back home by using the Persian Rug as a means of transportation.

Although their time at the Museum together had been an enjoyable experience, Ilyssa knew that she would eventually have to say goodbye to her Kururugi friend; he had to return home before his presence was discovered and there had already been a few close calls thanks to Walter Peck poking his nose into the affairs of the Ghostbusters such for his own selfish means of getting revenge on them. Michiru had expressed how much he would miss her as well and that he hoped he'd get to share as many more enjoyable times with her as he could before he finally travelled back home to Japan, Ilyssa also shared the same sentiment; but she would do her best to help him out in any way she possibly could before that time arrived; including that time on the following day when Michiru needed her to help comfort him after having a heated discussion over the phone with one of his friends regarding his hidden feelings for Sango which he hadn't been prepared for. Ilyssa had done her best to console Michiru when he had broken down and cried after telling her how the whole affair had occurred, although he had felt ashamed for being the cause of it all; she was able to convince him otherwise once she explained the reality of the matter as she understood it from what she could deduce as she held him in her arms until he was better again. Shortly after he had taken a nap to recover from the event, Ilyssa had gone to the bedroom to wake him up; and she was rewarded with a funny outcome when she had tickled him in order to rouse him from sleep since he fell out of bed and momentarily screamed in a panic. Immediately following that little laugh, Ilyssa was even more entertained when she discovered Michiru had been having a wonderful dream about Sango and how he got to see her even though it was all just a dream.

As she thought about the matter again, it became all too clear why Sango was the likely candidate to bring Michiru out of the comatose like state he was still in; for seeing her and being able to interact with her would probably help him to break free of Sounga's hold and so Utsugi and Kakuju were proven to be right in selecting her to help bring their descendant back to consciousness once again. Ilyssa remembered all sorts of occasions Michiru had mentioned when he had spent time with the beautiful demon slayer, she had helped to train him in physical combat so he could get stronger in order to protect himself as well as those he cared about; but the friendship he had formed with her eventually transformed into love even though it was as plain as day that Sango still had feelings for Miroku. Some of these experiences had been funny though, at least from an outsider's point of view; namely the one when Michiru had accidentally walked in on Sango without knowing that she was undressed and bathing herself in the river. Everyone got a laugh out of that little event from Michiru's long adventurous story, but that hadn't been the only time Michiru had felt so embarrassed; there were a few others which had been fairly recent since they occurred over here during his days in America. Ilyssa recalled what she deemed to be the first most embarrassing experience for Michiru after thinking carefully of all the events she remembered, it was the time when Michiru was on his way to the Sedgewick Hotel for his first assignment as a new member of the Ghostbusters; he had been mercilessly interrogated by Peter Venkman about Kagome and Sango who were the two girls he had befriended during his visit to Feudal Japan. Although Ilyssa wasn't there to see it in person herself, she did recall the event when Janine had played back the recording she had heard over the radio because Michiru had accidentally pressed the talk button on the radio com inside of Ecto-1 throughout the entire event; not knowing it since he was too preoccupied with all of Venkman's questions and trying to survive the whole embarrassing situation until they arrived at the Hotel.

There was another event which was even more recent, one which had occurred just yesterday a couple of hours before Michiru had unfortunately fallen prey to the Sounga after Ilyssa remembered him saving her from the three hoodlums who had so rudely assaulted her after walking in uninvited; it was when everyone had discovered the significance of the mysterious symbol which turned out to be a Mandala that accurately mapped out the locations where the paranormal occurrences were all taking place throughout the city. Once Ilyssa had explained what she was doing at the Sedgewick Hotel, she ended her explanation with the inclusion that Venkman had tried to pick her up on the elevator; which made the man a bit humiliated. Venkman had managed to redirect everyone's attention away from himself when he let it slip that he hadn't been the only person who had been checking her out when most of the Ghostbusters who were there had seen Ilyssa for the first time, not knowing that she was somehow connected to all of the paranormal occurrences until a few days later; it turns out that Michiru had also examined Ilyssa with his eyes even though he had already lost his heart to someone else. Ilyssa found it amusing and even sweet given how shy and innocent the Shikigami user was, most teenage boys his age were quite unaccustomed to openly express an interest in a member of the opposite sex until later on when they matured or had begun to take an interest in girls; but every boy had his own pace and so it was obvious that Michiru was still reluctant to discuss certain subjects so openly in front of others since he became so embarrassed in the process.

After quietly giggling to herself when she recalled every detail of Michiru's blushing red face as well as the look in his light blue and grey eyes, Ilyssa felt much better than she had before; recalling all of those happy memories had helped to heal the pain she felt ever since she found out about the horrific nightmarish scenarios that Michiru was forced to experience in addition to Egon's discovery of Sounga's clever means of keeping Michiru from being freed from the sword by any outsiders such as herself and the Ghostbusters. Although things looked bad, Ilyssa knew that the Sounga would be totally unprepared for the plan which Utsugi and Kakuju had devised in order to save Michiru and so she held on to her faith in the hopes that Sango would be able to prevail and help Michiru to get out of what ever unbearable hallucinations he was currently dreaming about; seeing Sango again would be the best medicine he could ask for in a time such as this. But while Ilyssa knew how much Michiru cared for Sango, there was the possibility that she loved Miroku which made Ilyssa wonder if he would find out whether or not she loved him in return since he had told her in person before he was taken home to the modern era; this was something which always dwelled on the teenager's mind. How would Michiru be able to take it in the event that Sango didn't love him back? Ilyssa couldn't imagine Sango choosing Miroku over Michiru after listening to all the stories of the Kururugi boy's adventures with his friends throughout the Feudal era, but there was still a possibility; one which couldn't be ignored.

But Ilyssa truly believed that Sango did love Michiru, given how close they had become in such a short time as well as how much of a better catch Michiru was compared with Miroku; or else she would have gotten Inuyasha or Kagome to tell him that she didn't love him on her behave in order to save herself the pain of doing it herself and in person. The leather clad beauty knew that Michiru was a good person that any girl would like to have for a boyfriend regardless of what era they came from or regardless of how shy and nervous he was when it came to opening up and interacting with girls, if she were a decade younger; Ilyssa herself would even be tempted to make a move on the boy. She had become great friends with him over just a few days and they both trusted one another, he saved her life on more than one occasion and she had been there for him when he needed her help and support; whether he was feeling depressed or whether they were both talking and working together as they had done many times so far. But right now, Ilyssa wanted Michiru to wake up so he could break free of Sounga's hold and recover afterwards; more than anything else at this point. Despite her own relationship with Michiru and how sad she would be when the time came for him to leave, she could deal with that just as any adult could handle when they were forced to say farewell to a dear friend who was departing; it was the thought of Michiru dying that she couldn't take and this was something Ilyssa now feared more than ever.

The young woman secretly wished that part of her human sole could have been implanted into the amulet so she could also help Michiru out and convince him that he was only trapped in a nightmare of horrible visions, she had comforted him more than once before and had faith that she could have helped him out again if she were given the same opportunity as Sango was going to be tasked with; but it was too late for anything like that since Utsugi and Kakuju had already devised a plan which remained unchanged so she had to accept the reality of the situation and wait for fate to run its course. It would have been better in her opinion however, for in the event that Sango informed Michiru that she didn't love him when their soles contacted each other; she could be there at least in spirit in order to comfort him since he would be heartbroken and even more sad than before at being rejected by the girl he had fallen in love with. But given the situation Sango would be facing, Ilyssa knew that the demon slayer wouldn't bring up such a delicate matter while Michiru's life was presently on the verge between life and death; he would be depressed and hurt which would mean that Sango would have to do all in her power to comfort him in order to give him the strength he needed to wake up once if she could convince him that he was only trapped inside of a nightmare. Although Ilyssa knew that Sango would do what she could to save Michiru's life, she would first have to be informed about the entire situation first; which meant that Inuyasha would have to pass on everything Egon had told him over the phone yesterday afternoon.

Unbeknownst to Ilyssa and everyone else in the modern world however, Inuyasha had still not yet made contact with Sango because she had left Kaede's village to return to her own home for a break to get away from everything and everyone so she could figure out her own feelings about who she was truly in love with; so it would be a while yet before the demon slayer would discover the unfortunate fate which had befallen Michiru who was unconscious and suffering from the horrifying hallucinations caused by the Sounga. After checking an alarm clock to see the time of day, Ilyssa had found that more than a full hour had gone by ever since she had sat down to watch over Michiru; becoming lost in her thoughts had caused her to lose track of time since she tried to cheer herself up by thinking of happy experiences she shared with the Kururugi who was lying asleep beside her. A glance at the monitoring equipment showed that Michiru's vital signs were still stable and that he was doing alright for the most part if one didn't include what his unconscious mind was going through or the demonic veins which were injected in his hands and entangled around his arms. It had been over half a whole day since Michiru had been put into this state of vulnerability, everyone was wondering whether or not he would pull through and how much longer would it be until he eventually woke up if he could even wake up at all; a dread had crept over everyone even though each of them coped with it as best as they could since there was really nothing more than could be done except to wait and pray for Michiru's recovery.

Meanwhile in the Feudal era, Hachi was presently transformed into his giant form which enabled him to fly freely through the air; carrying Inuyasha and Shippo on his huge back with ease since they were now very tiny compared with his massively huge body. Inuyasha had given him simple directions so all he had to do was fly in a straight line on a direct course for where the half demon remembered the remnants of demon slayer village to be located, it was now very late in the evening and the sun had set just a short while ago; transforming the sky into a dark curtain covered with an infinite number of shining stars now that it was night time. Inuyasha was on his back, taking the opportunity to get some sleep after travelling for such a long period on foot while carrying the racoon-dog and Shippo for a good stretch of their journey; for he would need to be awake when they finally arrived so he could brief Sango on Michiru's fate among other matters of equal importance. Shippo was still awake though, despite how late it was; for he was deep in thought about how Sango would be able to save Michiru's life as Inuyasha had mentioned in his explanation at the beginning of their journey together and he couldn't understand the importance of her inclusion in what the plan was.

However, the young fox demon's mind was deep in thought and had been pondering endlessly for a while now in order to find the reason for why Sango was chosen to contact Michiru's soul in order to try saving his life; thus freeing him from the Sounga's hold. Unable to make sense of anything from all the recent events which had occurred within the passed few days, Shippo's mind wondered back in time to when the Kururugi boy had been here travelling with everyone throughout the Feudal era; at least taking that approach would possibly provide some clues which could lead to a solution behind this bizarre mystery which he was attempting to unravel. Although none of them had even heard of the Sounga before or knew of its existence at the time until its discovery back in Kagome world and at her own home, Shippo did remember that all of them had partnered up together in pairs of two while they took a day off from time to time during their travels throughout the land and in each of those intervals; Michiru had always chosen to spend the day with Sango. They must have become close friends over the course of Michiru's duration here in this world, which would at least be reason enough why Sango was the likely candidate for trying to help save Michiru's life; her kind and gentle nature was always effective at comforting those in need and she was also strong even though she always didn't show it.

That couldn't have been the only reason though, for Michiru had made friends with everyone during his adventures; causing Shippo to momentarily hit a dead end in his thoughts. But just when he was about to give up on the whole thing, two other memories came to his mind; the first of which was when they had all arrived at Minamo village after a long period of traveling and fighting horde after horde of demons along the way. During the subject of discussion when Michiru was explaining what Shampoo was used for, the Shikigami user had complimented Sango's lovely long hair; the two of them both blushed with embarrassment and Shippo even remembered asking Michiru if anything was wrong with him which would cause him to react in such a way. The other brief event was during one of the days off when everyone had once again paired up with one another, when Michiru had chosen to spend the day with Sango as he usually did; Miroku commented that the two of them got along well together and that they must have become very close friends. As the young fox demon continued to think, his eyes widened with the realization that Miroku had been jealous underneath that polite façade; just for a moment anyway as he merely pointed out the fact that Michiru was always choosing to spend each and everyday off with Sango instead of with someone else. This wasn't really anything new since Miroku always got jealous over someone who showed an interest in Sango, like that one time when that Lord Takeda or whatever his name was proposed to her and asked for her hand in marriage; that was definitely one event which both Miroku and Sango would never forget since they had feelings for each other even though they hadn't openly declared that they were a couple or anything.

This was of course in the past and had happened long before Michiru had even come to the Feudal era or even into Inuyasha's band of friends for that matter, so it didn't have any connection to the plan which involved Sango saving Michiru's life; they were only just friends after all. Or were they? Shippo's mind suddenly fast forward to the time of Michiru's unexpected departure when he was summoned back to his own time in Kagome's world shortly after Utsugi's body had been laid to rest and buried at the Kururugi Cemetery, as Michiru's body and soul slowly began to vanish from sight amidst the mysterious magical light that engulfed him; Sango stepped forward and expressed her regret at seeing him leave so suddenly after spending such a short time with her and everyone else. Then Michiru announced that he wanted to tell her something before he left, although Shippo didn't hear what the Kururugi boy's last sentence had been; he now had a pretty good guess what his choice of words were despite not having any positive proof to support it. Michiru had told Sango he loved her, that had to be it; there was no other possibility which could top that or render it impossible. Another more recent memory flashed in Shippo's mind from when Inuyasha had asked him what Michiru had said just before he vanished, which meant that Inuyasha might have figured this out as well; though much earlier if what Shippo had guessed to be Michiru's sentence was true.

Shippo's mind was bursting with questions now that his guess was creating new possibilities within the problem he was already focussed on, causing him to lose track for a moment as he tried shaking them off so he could concentrate on the subject at hand; Sango being chosen to contact Michiru because of him falling in love with her did make sense since they hadn't seen each other for a while and that they both missed one another. Seeing Sango again would probably be the best medicine Michiru could ever ask for since that would most likely be his one wish before he died, if that is what fate had in store for him; heaven forbid. This certainly appeared to be a valid reason for why she was needed so badly since only she had the best chance of saving Michiru's life, they had become close friends after all and had trained together to become stronger; they had even fought together on countless occasions against Naraku and other dangerous foes. If Michiru was truly in love with Sango, was she in love with him as well despite her feelings for Miroku? This was a very serious question since it involved another love triangle, not with some old acquaintance in the case of Lord Takeda; but with another friend among Inuyasha's company who everyone had befriended. If this was truly the case, how would Miroku react to all of this? Was he even aware of the possibility? Were Kagome and Inuyasha aware of it as well?

The chances were very high considering how Inuyasha had shown so much concern for his friend ever since he discovered Michiru was taken to a far away country and trapped there with no means to return home, at least for the time being; the half demon had also stayed in touch with Michiru thanks to visiting Kagome's home and he had even taken the time to tell everyone else of how Michiru was doing while in the middle of his adventures with the Ghostbusters he was currently living with. Shippo suddenly remembered the time when Inuyasha had asked him to watch out for Sango and Miroku to see how they were both doing while Inuyasha was gone visiting Kagome's house, perhaps this was to observe how both of them interacted with one another now that there was a very real possibility that Michiru had fallen in love with Sango and Sango herself was now forced to choose between Michiru and Miroku; a difficult decision which would undoubtedly put her under immense pressure and stress. But what was Kirara's job then? Maybe Inuyasha had asked the same of Kirara since the two-tail cat demon was Sango's loyal companion, she was nearly always with Sango and could observe how the demon slayer was doing; whether she was happy or sad and needed someone to comfort her as Kirara frequently did when Sango needed it.

This whole affair had certainly become much bigger and more complex than Shippo had dared to imagine after thinking and making so many guesses for such a long while, he was fortunate that he didn't have any inclusion in it which would cause him some emotional pain such as what Sango was possibly forced to go through; if his guess about Michiru loving her was correct anyway. Did Miroku somehow find out about this? Is that why Sango had chosen to leave so suddenly and go back to her home village in the middle of the night? Was Kagome aware of this as well? Is that why she needed to talk with Miroku and later on with Sango in privacy? As much as Shippo wanted to know all the answers, it wasn't his place to ask and everyone was already greatly worried about Michiru's wellbeing now that it was discovered he could die in his sleep because of the Sounga; so he decided to keep all of this thoughts to himself for now until a more suitable time to bring up the subject for discussion presented itself. The main task was to get to Demon Slayer village and see Sango so that she could be informed of everything first, then wait and pray that she could somehow achieve a miracle and help save Michiru even though he was far away in another land and in another time altogether; or else their Kururugi friend would die in his sleep.

"How are you doing up there Shippo?" Hachi asked out of the blue, breaking the silence and bringing Shippo out of his thoughts.

"I'm alright Hachi, I was just thinking about a bunch of things for a while; there isn't really anything else to do until we see Sango." Shippo answered. "I wonder how much further we have to go before we get to her village, we've been travelling for ages now; it feels like forever."

"We've gotten through most of our journey, if you look below on either side of us; you can see mountain ranges and forests so we're nearing Sango's home village." Hachi replied, making Shippo look around. "Why don't you ask Inuyasha how close he thinks we are?"

"He's still asleep, if I wake him; he might get mad at me and hit me in the head like he usually does when he blows a fuse." Shippo said.

"Ha! Ha! Ha!" Hachi laughed in amusement before uttering a reply. "That's Inuyasha for you, he always has a short fuse doesn't he?"

"Yeah, but he usually forgets that Kagome has one too; and he only figures it out once he's made her mad and then she yells sit to vent her anger on him." Shippo responded. "Once, she yelled sit so many times; Inuyasha dug a hole in the ground when he hit it over and over again."

"Ouch, that must have been very painful for him even though he's a half demon with a lot of strength." Hachi commented with a grin.

"Oh yeah, sometimes I think Sango could use an ability like that to keep Miroku in line when ever he gropes her all the time; because he isn't discouraged when she gives him a slap in the face." Shippo added after thinking for a bit. "What do you think about that Hachi?"

"Yes, Sango could sure use an ability like the one Kagome possesses; but sadly she doesn't have one." Hachi answered in agreement.

"No, but there are other ways to make Miroku stop his lecherous behaviour." Shippo asked. "Do you want to here some examples?"

"Sure, I'm listening." Hachi answered, knowing that what ever Shippo had to say was going to be entertaining and funny to laugh at.

"Well there was one time when Kagome visited us briefly one night and she showed us some live images of Michiru and of the people he's staying with in the far away country using some advanced tool from her world, Miroku had his mind in the gutter and asked if a pretty woman that he saw with Michiru would be interested in bearing his children." Shippo began, making Hachi laugh for a brief moment before he continued telling his story. "Boy was Kagome ever mad at him, you would have loved to have been there with me to see what happened next; it was priceless even though Kagome can be a bit scary when she's angry. She called him a pervert and killed him right between the legs were no guy wants to be hit, then she slapped across the face over and over again as she yelled at him for being such a perverted person; making him beg for mercy throughout the whole time until she was done! What do you think of that? Pretty funny eh?"

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!" Hachi laughed before he recovered enough to answer back. "Yeah, it sounds as though Miroku got the fright of his life; especially since he begged for mercy from Kagome of all people. Ha! Ha! Ha! That must have been funny to see in person."

"I'm got an even funnier story if you're interested to hear it too, it involves Miroku spying on Sango while she's having a bath." Shippo said.

"Oh please tell it, its been such a long while since I've had something this funny to laugh at." Hachi asked in excitement as he listened.

"Sango was having a bath in the river and Miroku had gone to spy on her since he can't resist seeing her gorgeous naked figure, at some point; he was caught and so he ran away to escape unpunished." Shippo explained as a funny grin crossed his face. "Although he managed to get away from her, he bumped into Inuyasha and fell backwards on to the ground; Inuyasha and I knew what he was up too and so we both arrived a short distance away even though we were already too late to stop him from his lecherous behaviour. Since Miroku didn't learn anything from Kagome's punishment or her words, we decided to discourage Miroku from spying on Sango again; and Inuyasha had the perfect way to do it too. Inuyasha drew out his huge Tetsusaiga and Miroku's eyes widened with fear, he begged for him to show mercy and not to cut off any of his limbs since Miroku didn't get to find a wife or have any children yet which only made Inuyasha grin with delight at putting Miroku in his place; he had something far different in mind which neither one of us ever suspected."

"So what did Inuyasha do?" Hachi asked, eagerly awaiting Shippo's answer as he also wore a funny grin on his enormous face.

"He asked me how many times I thought Miroku groped Sango, I guessed close to a hundred; but Inuyasha just rounded it off to a hundred in order to keep everything simple." Shippo replied as he continued telling the story. "Then he asked me to count to a hundred out loud one number at a time, and as soon as I started; Inuyasha spanked Miroku on the butt with the flat side of his Tetsusaiga every time he swung it down really hard!"

AH! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!" Hachi burst out laughing, causing Shippo to laugh as well; it was a miracle that neither of them awoke Inuyasha considering how loud and hard both of them were laughing together. "Oh my, that must have been so funny; I wished I could have been there to see it! AH! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! So how did Miroku take it? Did he beg for mercy like he did with Kagome?"

"No, he was screaming out like a baby the whole time; his eyes were watering like crazy!" Shippo answered causing Hachi to laugh again even though he exaggerated a bit. "Kirara who was with Sango and Kohaku came over to see what was going on, when Miroku begged for her to save him; she just ignored him and went back to the river where she had come from. I was laughing so hard that I stopped counting after five, but Inuyasha kept count until he spanked Miroku for the hundredth time in a row; then he pulled Miroku to his feet and told him to walk to Kaede's village while thinking carefully about his lecherous ways on the way back. Miroku was in a lot of pain and couldn't move, but Inuyasha gave him one final hard spank on the butt with his Tetsusaiga to get him moving; he ran back to the village as he was told."

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Now that was a very funny story, even funnier that your first one; I'm amazed Miroku didn't learn anything after going through those two painful experiences." Hachi commented now that the story telling was over. "Oh well, he'll just have to admit that he has no one to blame but himself; regardless of how long it takes or how many more times he'll be subjected to such painful consequences all because of his lecherous actions."

"Oh yeah, you can say that again; perhaps that's why Sango left to return to her own home in order to distance herself from him." Shippo suggested. "I can understand considering how many times Miroku has groped her among other things, so she really needed a break."

"I just hope that when we arrive unannounced, we aren't intruding on her peaceful solitude if she wanted to get away for a while." Hachi said worriedly.

"Don't worry Hachi, she'll understand once Inuyasha tells her why we've come to see her; Sango's a kind person who always does what she can to help others so we won't be in any trouble." Shippo replied in order to dispel any worries that Hachi had for intruding on Sango.

"I guess we'll have to rouse Inuyasha from his nap once we arrive at Sango's village if he hasn't woken up before we get there." Hachi remarked.

"Yeah, too bad Kagome isn't here with us to keep him in line if he loses his temper; I really don't want to wake him up." Shippo replied as the three travellers continued onward through the night sky, looking up at the stars and wondering whether everything would be alright.

It was just after eleven o'clock in the evening on the night of November 23rd Tokyo time back in the modern world, Kagome was now getting ready for bed in order to have a good nights sleep; she had managed to do as much of her homework as she could even though she still had a long way to go before all of it was completed. Now that the evening was late and she had tired herself out with working for many hours, it was time for the reborn priestess to turn in for the night; she would continue where she had left off tomorrow morning after a long sleep. Once she made sure that her nightly routine was done, Kagome crawled into her bed and pulled the warm covers over her body as she gently rested her head on the soft pillow underneath; getting as comfortable as she could before switching off the lamp at her side which darkened her bedroom. Her door was closed shut to drown out any noises from the rest of the house even though her relatives had already gone to bed a little earlier, everything was now still and quiet which made her environment very peaceful; but her mind was still troubled by thoughts of worry and concern for Michiru who she knew was in a horrible predicament from which he couldn't yet be saved from until Inuyasha had succeeded in what ever plan he was trying to accomplish. As her breathing steadily became slower and softer every few minutes, Kagome's body gradually relaxed; leaving only her mind to stay active a little while longer until sleep could take her over.

Although Kagome was unaware of all the details regarding Michiru's predicament, more specifically the horrific nightmares he was forced to experience as he slept; it was just as well that she didn't know considering how depressed and ashamed she felt already for having argued with him during their last talk together. If she knew everything that Inuyasha knew, the vulnerable young girl would probably break down even more than she had done before when she had sobbed uncontrollably in front of her mother as soon as her half demon friend had left to go to the Feudal era; so she was fortunate that she had been spared the knowledge which would have only brought more suffering and pain on her already troubled mind as well as her guilty conscious. But what of her other friends who were living in Feudal Japan other than just Inuyasha? How would Shippo and Miroku react to all of this? Then there was Sango, Kagome remembered that the female demon slayer had flown back to what remained of her home to take a break and get away from everyone for a while; so Inuyasha would have to track her down in order to inform her of what was going on while he was in his own world. She hoped Inuyasha would succeed with his plan first, Michiru's life was at stake and she as well as all of her friends would be absolutely devastated if their Kururugi friend were to die; not to mention both of Michiru's parents and family or the Ghostbusters who he was living with over in America.

Just before her eyes were about to close, Kagome noticed a strange cloud of blue light enter inside through the tiny space between the floor and the bottom of her bedroom door; it slowly began to engulf the room as it grew larger and larger. Kagome blinked her eyes for a moment to make sure she wasn't dreaming, then she began to feel afraid now that she knew this was all very real; the mysterious cloud of blue light reminded her of the Air Spirit she and her friends had fought against on Mount Houoh which made her even more afraid since this could very well be an enemy. Before the reborn priestess could come up with a guess as to how it came into her world and what it was doing here, the cloud suddenly glowed more brightly; forcing the young girl to shut her eyes to avoid being blinded as she remained silent and still. Although she was frightened, Kagome managed to control her breathing so it appeared as though she was asleep and unaware of the other presence inside of her bedroom; hiding under the soft blankets of her bed provided some comfort to her even though she wasn't exactly safe from danger which she believed she was in. Unfortunately, her bow and arrows were underneath her bed and there was now way she could possibly leap out and grab them to arm herself without being attacked in the process; she was helpless and utterly defenceless against what ever this being was who had infiltrated her home and invaded her bedroom with such ease. Another moment passed by as the light began to dim, the large orb of blue light dividing itself in half until both halves took on a human form; Kagome still had her eyes closed so she wasn't able to see what was happening until she could tell that the blinding light was gone.

"Do not be afraid, we will not harm you." Kakuju said softly with a reassuring voice as Kagome was momentarily lost in awe at the appearance of who she suddenly recognized as both of Michiru's great ancestors, or more specifically their ghosts; Utsugi's and Kakuju's.

"We came by to visit you once we knew you were going to turn in for the night, we didn't want to disturb you while you were working and we especially didn't want to frighten you or any of your relatives." Utsugi added, waiting for Kagome to sit up in bed so they could talk together with her. "Please forgive us for intruding like this, I apologize for coming to see you so late at night; but we need to talk with you."

"You're Utsugi and Kakuju aren't you?" Kagome asked, receiving a nod from both of the spiritual entities even though she already knew the answer as she sat up and turned to face them so she could hang her legs over the side of her bed and set her feet on the floor. "Why do you need to talk with me?"

"Before he left to return to his own world, did Inuyasha tell you what happened to our descendant Michiru?" Utsugi asked curiously.

"Y-Yes." Kagome answered softly as the recollection of the event played back freshly in her mind. "Inuyasha said that some people had intruded and the Sounga was accidentally set free in the middle of a fight when Michiru drove them away, b-but he wasn't able to subdue the sword's evil power and he fell asleep with the sword clutched in his hands; it can't be removed and he wasn't woken up yet. A-And if Michiru doesn't wake up soon, then he'll stay like that until he…"

"Inuyasha didn't say anything else after that before he left?" Utsugi asked even though he already had an idea of what Kagome would say.

"I asked if there was anyway he could be saved, Inuyasha said yes and that he had some sort of a plan he was going to try out; he told me to wait for him to come back once he was done and then he left." Kagome answered, her eyes watering as her guilt took hold of her again. "I'm sorry for not knowing about the existence of the Sounga sooner or that it would have taken him far away from his home and put his life in danger. I'm sorry for hurting his feelings yesterday when we talked together, I'm sorry for not being able to help him; I'm sorry for everything."

"There, there Kagome; we didn't come here to cause you any pain and you don't have to ask for our forgiveness for anything so please don't cry." Kakuju said soothingly, moving over to comfort Kagome as best as she could even though she was a spiritual entity; using her voice to do all the work since she couldn't completely embrace the poor girl who was in desperate need for someone to make her feel better again. "I'm sure Michiru has already forgiven you, he isn't the kind of person who would hold a grudge against someone; especially you who happen to be one of his closest friends. And try not to worry about how Michiru is doing because we've already formulated a plan to help save his life, that's why Inuyasha returned to his own world in order to carry it out; so hopefully everything will turn out fine and Michiru will recover within a day or so if Inuyasha succeeds."

By now, Kagome had stopped crying; Kakuju's words had done their work to cheer her up even though her face was tear stricken. The high school girl felt better now and managed to calm down enough so her body stopped shaking, she rubbed her face to get rid of the remaining tears and composed herself in order to continue her conversation with the two ghosts who had come to visit her; both of them waited patiently until Kagome was ready to talk again. Although Kakuju was a ghost without a physical human body, Kagome still felt some sort of physical contact when the female entity had tried to embrace her in a gentle hug in order to comfort her once she had started to cry; a strange and unfamiliar feeling which she couldn't describe even though she was comforted by it until Kakuju released her and backed away to give Kagome some space after the moment had passed. Utsugi was listening carefully just in case Kagome's crying had been heard by any of her family members so that he and Kakuju could make an escape before being seen, although none of them posed any threat to both of them; the last thing he and Kakuju wanted was to create another panic like the time when they visited Michiru and all of the Ghostbusters had been aroused from their beds in the middle of the night because of a simple misunderstanding.

"I can hear someone coming, we'd better leave; hurry before we're caught." Utsugi warned, darting to the open window so he could leave.

"Wait, what about the plan you came up with?" Kagome asked in a quiet tone, wanting to know more before her two visitors would leave.

"Shh, everything will be alright Kagome; you can find out from either Inuyasha or Michiru when one of them contacts you again." Kakuju said, using her strength to gently push Kagome back down so she was lying in bed again; then she pulled the blanket over the young girl to tuck her in before she said her farewell. "You get yourself some sleep so you can continue with your homework, you wouldn't want to be left alone and stuck here forever once Michiru comes home and later goes to visit everyone in the Feudal era now do you?"

"N-No." Kagome replied with a giggle as she smiled back at the spiritual entity of Kakuju who had shown her such kindness and care.

"I didn't think so, now go to sleep and leave everything to us; we'll drop by to visit you again in a day or two." Kakuju said before levitating away so she could follow Utsugi out the open window, passing right through the window screen without incident. "Night night Kagome."

"Goodnight, and thank you; both of you." Kagome whispered softly as she stared at the open widow until her bedroom door flew open.

"I thought I could hear you crying Kagome, are you feeling alright?" Mrs. Higurashi asked with concern upon entering the room once she had turned on the lights so she could see how Kagome was doing, walking over to the side of the bed to talk to her briefly for a moment.

"Hmm?" Kagome responded, trying to cover up the fact that there had been ghosts visiting her a moment ago as her mother knelt down to look at her closely to make sure she was doing well and so on. "Oh, I was just having a bad dream; sorry if I worried you or woke you up."

"No you didn't wake me up, I woke up on my own and just happened to hear you across the hall so I came to check up on you." Mrs. Higurashi replied, giving her daughter a curious look to make sure she was alright as she said she was. "Are you sure that's all it was?"

"Yes I'm sure." Kagome replied sheepishly, a little embarrassed about the curious gaze her mother was giving her. "Positive, I swear."

"Are you absolutely positive?" Mrs. Higurashi said with a mischievous tone of voice, a smile creeping over her face as she placed one hand on Kagome's shoulder to hold her down while she used the other to pull the blanket back and tickle her daughter's stomach; causing Kagome to laugh and squeal uncontrollably. "I can't hear you Kagome, are you or are you not positive that all you had was a bad dream?"

"AHH! HA! HA! HA! HA!" Kagome cried out loud, her body shaking as she wore a funny expression which made her mother happy that she was still in a good mood even though she was now the victim of such a cheap tactic such as tickling. "YES! PERFECTLY POSITIVE! EEEEK! NOTHING ELSE HAPPENED! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! I SWEAR IT WAS ALL JUST A BAD DREAM! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!"

"Well alright then, you should be able to go to sleep now that you're feeling much better after all that laughter." Mrs. Higurashi remarked after ending her tickling assault and pull the covers back over Kagome who held them tightly with her hands to prevent her mother from doing this again; then she leaned down and kissed her daughter on the cheek before getting up to leave. "Sweet dream Kagome."

"You too Mom." Kagome replied as her mother switched off the lights and closed the door on her way out, letting out a long sigh of relief that her visitors hadn't been found out or caught in her bedroom; now she could finally relax and go to sleep. "Phew, that was too close."

Outside Kagome's bedroom window, Utsugi and Kakuju were still hovering nearby; making sure to avoid being seen as they stayed to listen in on Kagome's talk with her mother who had come to check up on her. When Kagome began laughing uncontrollably, the two spiritual entities curiously peered through the open window to look inside and see what was going on; seeing the comical scene taking place was very funny and it had made them laugh as well even though they did their best to stay quiet to avoid drawing attention to themselves. Although Utsugi and Kakuju pitied Kagome for enduring such an experience on their behalf in order to keep their presence and existence a secret, they were both glad to see a mother and daughter interacting together even though Kagome was clearly a victim in the brief affair; for it had made her laugh which ensured that she would no longer be sad or depressed as she had been before when they had questioned her about what Inuyasha had told her. Now that it was over and both Kagome and her mother were going to sleep, Utsugi and Kakuju decided to take their leave and return to the Firehouse in the far away country where they could watch over Michiru.

"Don't you think we should go back and tell Kagome about what Sounga is putting Michiru through?" Utsugi asked. "She has a right to know since she's one of Michiru's closest friends, regardless of the fact that she can't do anything since she's grounded at home."

"Heavens no, she's depressed enough as it is and there's no need to tell her since she can't help out like Inuyasha and Sango can; she's been through a lot of pain already after she found out about Michiru's predicament which has made her feel terrible." Kakuju replied. "She'll get over her guilt though once she's had the chance to amend her friendship with Michiru, but until that time; we'd best leave her alone until after we're sure that our descendant has recovered once he subdues Sounga and wakes up from his long sleep."

"Very well, we've done all that we can so we'll just have to watch over Michiru and wait patiently for the final outcome in all this." Utsugi said as he followed Kakuju through the air as they both left the house and flew over the nearby shed on the property of the Higurashi Shrine; knowing that inside was the Bone Eater's well which connected the Modern world with the Feudal era where Inuyasha had gone. "Once Inuyasha completes his task, the portions of our souls we implanted in the amulet will only be of a little help to Michiru; his life will be in Sango's hands from that moment onwards."

The sky was dark and only the stars gave any light other than the cooking fire which Sango had lit to cook the wild boar she had hunted for supper that day, everyone had eaten their fill for tonight and it was nearly midnight already so Kirara was up and about on guard while Sango prepared herself to go to bed; for she had spent most of the evening carving up the wild boar in order to salvage and preserve as much of its edible flesh as she could after it was been completely cooked through which left only the bones and inedible parts remaining in the fire so that they would be burned before they rotted and created a stench. Kohaku had gone to sleep hours ago after eating what he could until he was full, Sango had eaten as well and so had Kirara; the two-tail eagerly offering to help devour any food she could when ever she got the chance just as any loyal animal companion would do for their human master. Now that her work was finally done and all of the remaining cooked meat had been packaged away for eating later at future meals, Sango could take the time to relax once again after such a long amount of toil; her tired body slowly getting comfortable once she sat herself down by the nice warm fire with the evening breeze blowing the fumes and smell away from her in the opposite direction from where she was sitting.

The demon slayer sat still by the burning fire, thinking carefully about what she should do next; it had already been nearly a full day since she and the others had arrived here and she was debating about how many more days they should stay until the three of them returned back to Kaede's village. Although Sango remembered that she had come out here to get away from everyone for a short while, she couldn't help but feel lonely even though she had Kirara with at her side as well as her younger brother who was finally free from Naraku's captivity and cruelty; despite the fact that Kohaku's memories still needed recovering after being under the influence of that evil monster for such a long time. Kohaku had been saved and Naraku had been vanquished, thanks to the combined efforts of all her friends; including Michiru who Sango missed most of all now that he had become such an important person in her life. While Sango's goal of killing Naraku and getting Kohaku back had at last been accomplished, fate was still cruel to her that day since Michiru had been taken away from her; someone she had grown immensely close too and couldn't imagine living without even though they both lived in two completely different worlds that were separated apart from one another by hundreds of years.

This of course didn't stop Kagome and Inuyasha from seeing each other since the two of them had the advantages needed which allowed them to freely travel back and forth through time by means of using the Bone Eater's well when ever they wanted, a well which existed outside of Kaede's village in this world and was part of Kagome's own home in the modern world where Michiru also lived in; perfectly convenient for the two of them. While it was true that Michiru had managed to find a way to travel back in time thanks to a breakthrough in his Shikigami powers, he couldn't travel effortlessly like Kagome and Inuyasha could; and Sango herself couldn't travel through time at all because she had neither of the powers that Michiru or Kagome possessed. Once again, the female warrior found herself tormented by facts that she couldn't ignore or change; she was just an ordinary demon slayer without any supernatural abilities or magic powers. It wouldn't feel so painful to Sango on the inside if the Kururugi boy hadn't declared his love for her before he vanished, but he had been hurting as well since he knew he hadn't the power to return to her and also because he knew she had feelings for Miroku; that's what it looked like anyway during his inclusion in Inuyasha's company over the course of his adventures in the world he had been summoned too.

Sango understood that although Michiru had been in love with her as far back as when they had all stayed the night at Minamo village, she also knew that he had kept it a carefully guarded secret from everyone; knowing that revealing it would cause emotional pain and possibly even confrontation for all of the company of friends which they were both a part of. Despite Miroku's bad habits, Michiru also knew that Sango still cared for the ill mannered monk even though he didn't know how deep her feelings for him where and so on; which is why he only revealed his own feelings of affection for her during his last moment when he would see her in person since he didn't know when or if he would ever see Sango again in his life. Although Sango was suffering from having to choose between Michiru and Miroku as well as trying to deal with the problems of seeing how she could possibly have a lasting relationship with either of them, she at least had the option of choosing who she loved out of both of them; and she also wasn't alone for so many days after Michiru's departure now that everyone else still remained in her world until they could return to Kaede's village. Naraku was dead, Kohaku had been rescued and everyone's troubled were finally behind them; or so it appeared for the time being. But back in the modern world where he lived, it was an entirely different aftermath for Michiru; he was now separated from Sango whom he had lost his heart too and it must have been painful for him knowing that he couldn't return to see her again.

The demon slayer suddenly remembered that while it had only been about five or six days since Michiru's departure in her own world, it had been four and a half months in the modern world; a huge difference as well as a longer amount of days in comparison with what she experienced. She tried to imagine how it must have been for Michiru to be alone without any word from any of his friends for all that time, not to mention without an answer as too whether or not the person he loved was in love with him; causing the fear of rejection to torment his mind constantly every day and night from that moment onwards. How could he have possibly coped with all that? And how could he have been burdened with such thoughts on his first day in another country after the Sounga had transported him there with no knowledge of when he'd return home again or even to the Feudal era for that matter? For this was before he had met Ilyssa and she had managed to help him discover more knowledge about his Shikigami powers, knowledge that when used correctly; allowed Michiru to travel back and forth through time successfully just as he had done when Utsugi had summoned him to Inuyasha's world thanks to Naraku's aid. Although Michiru had gradually improved his skills with his Shikigami magic as well as his combat experience in order to survive in battle over the time he traveled the lands with all of his friends, Sango knew that he was quite vulnerable at the beginning when she had met him for the first time and only after getting to know him; did she agree to train him in practice when ever she had free time.

It was the same for herself as well when she had first joined Inuyasha's company of friends, there were times when Sango felt like a burden who would only slow them down or jeopardize their safety if she wasn't strong enough; and especially as long as Naraku held her brother Kohaku as a captive to blackmail her when ever he wished. But while Sango had experienced her share of horrifying tragedies, she was at least trained since early childhood in the art of physical combat which enabled her to hunt and slay demons; for this was her family's trade and culture which Kohaku had also been trained to do even though he was much younger. The advantage of learning at a young age and mastering the art continuously as one grew older was not something Michiru was fortunate enough to have, he had to learn the hard way as soon as he had been summoned back into a different world; one that was filled with demons and other dangers he didn't yet know existed until he became familiar with them as he encountered them during his travels with Inuyasha at the beginning of his adventures. But as time went on, the Shikigami user gradually became more confident and capable than he had been before so that he could survive any dangerous situation that he or the group found themselves in; regardless of the threats involved as Sango herself found out on more than one occasion.

The demon slayer suddenly paused when she realized she was getting off topic, here she was trying to focus on figuring out her feelings as well as find answers to her problems and instead she found herself thinking about nothing else but Michiru; but she couldn't control herself since she missed him so much. Is this how she was supposed to feel? Was he the one that she truly loved from the bottom of her heart? Did love really bloom from two people who both cared for each other deeply regardless of how fate had managed to keep them apart from one another for so long? It appeared to be in the case of Inuyasha and Kagome, for they could see each other and each of them could visit a different world even though they couldn't entirely fit in with the people who dwelled in it; Kagome certainly did a good job and so did Michiru. But Sango knew that the world that they came from was entirely different from the one which she and Inuyasha originated from, and she also knew that both of them would find it extremely difficult to live in that world even with all the advantages and advancements that were available to those who lived there. This was true because Inuyasha hadn't attempted to go after Michiru when the Kururugi boy had been transported to a far away country, which meant that even a half demon with unrivalled strength in the modern world had his limitations and couldn't just do as he pleased and go where and when ever he wished; making it quite clear that Sango would also find it tough to adapt to the changes and laws which governed the world where Michiru and Kagome both lived in.

But before Sango could continue any further with her thoughts, she was distracted by Kirara who had suddenly turned around sharply which indicated that the giant two-tail sensed the presence of someone or something who was approaching the village; forcing the demon slayer to get to her feet and go grab her Hiraikotsu in case there was a dangerous threat lurking nearby. After quickly checking to make sure Kohaku was alright and safe, Sango snatched her giant weapon and wandered over to where Kirara had strode off too; arriving beside the giant cat demon near the edge of the village where the remnants of the entrance get still stood. Upon looking around below from the high ground on which they were both positioned, giving them a clear view of the terrain in front of them as well as a far a way look of the countryside which stretched all around to the edge of the horizon that was just beyond the extent of their vision; Sango couldn't see or hear anything. Another careful look made her wonder what Kirara had sensed, but suddenly she began to hear voices and it was only when she looked up did she realize that the approaching presence was coming from up above in the dark night sky; the voices eventually grew louder until she recognized whose voices they were and she breathed a sigh of relief once she spotted their owners in the distance. Blanketed against the bright stars in the dark sky was Hachi in his giant form flying along up in the air, and somewhere on his back even though he was too tiny for Sango to see; was Shippo the young fox demon. She couldn't quite make out what they were chattering about, but she would soon find out once they had arrived; it would only take a few moments for them to land.

"You're too big right now to land in the village Hachi, you have to transform to avoid smashing up the ground and accidentally hurting someone; I'll transform and catch you so hurry up already!" Shippo argued, trying to take charge since Inuyasha was still asleep; Sango was needed alive and well if they were to save Michiru and the last thing that they wanted was to just drop on the ground and accidentally knock her unconscious or injure her which would be even worse. "I'll float underneath you and carry you down to the ground so don't worry!"

"But even if you do catch me, you won't be able to catch Inuyasha as well; so go wake him up and tell him we've arrived!" Hachi countered worriedly. "If you don't wake him up, he'll fall to the ground and the impact will wake him up; then he'll be really mad and angry!"

"He's big and strong, he can survive anything; hurry up and transform so we can land!" Shippo ordered, not wanting to argue anymore.

"Okay, don't say I didn't warn you when he wakes up and blows a fuse." Hachi remarked before transforming back into his raccoon-dog form, becoming much smaller and causing his two passengers to suddenly fall through the air; Shippo transformed into his giant pink balloon like appearance and floated underneath Hachi so the raccoon-dog could climb aboard and be floated down to the ground with ease.

But as Hachi had warned, Inuyasha just kept falling until he found himself woken up by the sudden impact which he felt upon hitting the ground without any warning what so ever; the half demon quickly got up from the ground and carefully observed his surroundings until he figured out that they had finally arrived at what remained of Demon Slayer village. After scanning the sky for any sigh of Hachi and Shippo and seeing them float down to the village which was about fifty feet or so above from where he had fallen on the ground, Inuyasha leapt up the side of the rocky terrain over and over again until he was standing at the entrance which lead into the place which had been Sango's home; spotting the female demon slayer a short distance ahead with Kirara at her side along with the two travelling companions who had ditched him in the air when they arrived. Sango and Kirara had originally been standing at the entrance where Inuyasha now stood, but they had both been forced to run back in order to catch Hachi once the raccoon-dog had lost his grip of Shippo and fell until he had been saved by the giant two-tail's catch. Shippo landed a moment later, and while Sango and Shippo were both making sure that Hachi hadn't sustained any injuries; they failed to notice a now ticked off half demon who was presently walking towards their position.

"I thought you said not to worry after you caught me in the air Shippo, if Kirara hadn't caught me; I'd be very badly injured." Hachi said.

"Its not my fault you couldn't hold on to me and lost your balance, at least I floated you down most of the way didn't I?" Shippo replied.

"Shippo, Hachi; what are the two of you doing here?" Sango asked curiously as she helped the racoon-dog off of Kirara's back once Shippo had transformed back into his regular fox demon self. "Why did you come all the way from Kaede's village and at this late night?"

"We had to come and see you Sango, Inuyasha said that you were the only hope we had of…stop poking my head Hachi, I'm trying to…" Shippo replied until he realized Hachi was trying to alert him of Inuyasha who was now just twenty feet away and getting closer as he walked towards everyone; making Shippo and Hachi frightened while Sango and Kirara notices his ticked off expression as well.

"Inuyasha…what are you doing here." Sango asked curiously, clearly unable to figure out a reason why he and her other two friends had come here to find her; not yet knowing that it was a serious matter of the highest importance as well as a very grave emergency.

"HE DID IT! HE DID IT INUYASHA!" Hachi and Shippo shouted in unison, pointing at one another in the hopes of avoiding the half demon's wrath as each of them stood on either side of Sango who was now in the middle of them with Kirara just behind her; causing Inuyasha to stop and take a deep breath since he wasn't in the mood for an argument this late at night.

"I didn't want to wake you up and disturb you in your sleep, so I let you be until we arrived here; t-that's a-all." Shippo stammered while peeking out from behind Sango, making the female demon slayer worry that Inuyasha was going to blow a fuse since his temper always got the better of him.

"I asked Shippo to wake you up so you would be ready to land on your feet without incident, he refused and ask me to transform back to my true form so I wouldn't make a mess upon landing; that's why you hit the ground really hard because he transformed to catch me instead of you." Hachi countered with a sweat running on his head as he too feared what Inuyasha's reaction would be.

"Guys!" Inuyasha shouted after letting out a long sigh once he halted in his tracks, shutting both of them up instantaneously; getting everyone's full attention in the process now that he had silenced everyone. "Stop freaking out would you, that's not what we came here for; so shut up and go relax now that we've arrived. Sorry for coming here so suddenly Sango, but there's an emergency and I don't have anyone else to turn to; we need your help?"

"Inuyasha, it's late in the evening and the sun has already gone down; the three of you have only just arrived here." Sango countered until she suddenly noticed the look he had in eyes, a look of unimaginable worry that she had never seen in him before; one that told her something very serious and terrible must have happened which forced her to change her mind since she didn't want to let him down. "If it's an emergency, could you please explain it to me first before we do anything?"

"Is there somewhere we could talk by ourselves?" Inuyasha asked softly, waiting for the female demon slayer to answer him back.

"We can go behind the hut where Kohaku is sleeping inside of, have the three of you been travelling since breakfast this morning?" Sango replied, getting a nod from everyone but Kirara; prompting Sango to gather up some of the packages filled with slices of freshly cooked wild boar meat so she could provide a meal for her three guests. "Well, before we talk; perhaps the three of you should eat something first. Here's some wild boar meat that I cooked this afternoon, it tastes really good; I can give you some more if anyone is still hungry."

Once Hachi and Shippo were both dining on the cooked wild boar meat which was a welcoming feast for them considering that they had been travelling all day without stopping for a rest or for lunch, Inuyasha followed Sango around behind the wooden hut so the two of them could have a conversation in privacy; Sango already knew that it was going to be a serious talk since Inuyasha looked so worried and also because he hadn't taken even one bite of the food she had offered him yet. Now that they were alone and far enough away to be heard by the others, Inuyasha was about to inform Sango of the reason he had sought her out; but she stopped him and ordered him to eat before they would talk so he could refresh himself. Although the matter was a pressing one, Inuyasha wasn't going to argue with Sango since he was a guest in what remained of her home village; so he tried to be patient and eat his wild boar meat until his hunger was satisfied. Kirara was still on guard and she had wandered over to the hut so she could quickly alert Sango and Inuyasha in case any other beings approached the village while they were both talking, Shippo and Hachi were making a lot of noise stuffing their mouths full of food so Kirara also needed to distance herself from them in order to have a better opportunity of listening for any threats or dangerous foes lurking nearby; so she kept close in order to do what she thought was best to protect everyone as a whole group.

"Now Inuyasha, what is the emergency you needed my help for?" Sango asked softly in an effort to dispel the half demon's worries.

"Before I tell you, there's something I need to ask you first." Inuyasha replied, lowering his head shamefully; making Sango worry even more at this point. "Sango, the Sounga was a sword that my father possessed when he was alive; I only found out about it after it let itself loose at Kagome's house. I gave you my word that I wouldn't tell Kagome about what Michiru had told you before he was summoned back home, but she found out anyway because she had been listening in on a conversation I was having with Michiru over at her house as well. And I've lost the chance to prevent stuff from happening which have made everything worse for all of us as you already know, I don't know if I even have what it takes to do anything right anymore; but I still have to know something from you before I go on. Sango…can you ever find it in you to forgive me for any faults or mistakes which have put you in any kind of pain like what you went through when Kagome came to question you?"

Sango couldn't believe what she was hearing, Inuyasha was asking her forgiveness when she clearly couldn't see a need to forgive him; after all he had done to help her through her troubles. This wasn't the Inuyasha she knew on a day to day basis, the Inuyasha she always remembered was a strong and fearless fighter who didn't take any insults or remarks from anyone one; and yet here he was with his head lowered in shame asking her for forgiveness as if he had done something to damage her. Something wasn't adding up here, he didn't come all the way from Kaede's village just to ask for her forgiveness; there had to be something else on his mind that he somehow felt he was partially responsible for causing and Sango needed to find out what so she could determine what was really going on and who was really at fault if there was indeed anyone to point a finger at in all of this. First things first, Sango had to be honest with Inuyasha and let him know that he had nothing to be sorry for; so she gave the motionless half demon a gentle hug to try and comfort him as he had done with her when she had been depressed about her problems. After nearly a minute of searching for the right words, Sango began to speak; hoping that what she had to say would make him feel better and put his mind at ease.

"Inuyasha, you don't have to ask me for forgiveness because you haven't done anything wrong; you've been trying to do what you think is best for each of us individually and all of us as a group. If this is all about the Sounga taking Michiru over to that far away country or of Kagome questioning each of us about Michiru's feelings for me, then you've got the wrong idea; I don't hold you responsible for either of those events and neither should you." Sango said, determined to be the voice of reason at least for tonight on this occasion. "Please tell me you didn't come all the way here just to ask me for forgiveness, because you don't need it; you've been a very caring and supportive friend Inuyasha which is something that even Kagome should feel proud of you for. Now what's this emergency you need my help with?"

"Do you really mean everything you've just said?" Inuyasha asked weakly. "You won't take anything back after I tell you why I'm here?"

"I swear to you Inuyasha, I won't take anything back of what I've said to you just now; I promise you as a demon slayer." Sango replied.

"Alright, there was an incident where the Ghostbusters live; the Sounga was accidentally set free when some bad people intruded." Inuyasha explained, getting Sango's full attention now that she knew this was very serious. "Michiru managed to drive them away, but…he couldn't subdue Sounga's evil power has he had before; he's lying asleep with the sword clutched in his hands and no one can either remove it from him or even wake him up."

"I see…" Sango answered as a worried look suddenly appeared on her face. "But why do you need my help?" We're in a different era and thousands of miles away so I'm afraid I don't understand how you think we can help Michiru?"

"Sango…Michiru is going to die very soon in his sleep if we don't do something to save him." Inuyasha said softy as he rested his hands on Sango's shoulders, his sentence causing a horrifying chill to crawl up her spine; her mind suddenly unable to bear what she had just been told. "The Sounga is forcing him to go through some nightmarish hallucinations of unimaginable horror and it won't stop until he either becomes a host or dies in his sleep once his spirit along with his will to live are shattered. But there is a way he can be saved, that's why I'm come all the way here to find you; Utsugi and Kakuju both say that you're the only person who can help Michiru at this point. You remember who they are don't you?"

"T-They're Michiru's great ancestors, we ran into each of them from time to time during our travels with Michiru from one place to another." Sango answered as her eyes widened when she also recognized the amulet which Inuyasha was removing from around his neck. "That's Kakuju's amulet, how did you get it?"

"Listen to me very carefully Sango, Utsugi and Kakuju have implanted a part of their souls as well as Michiru's soul into this amulet; you need to wear this amulet around your neck when you go to sleep so you can contact them." Inuyasha instructed as he fastened the amulet around the demon slayer's neck. "Utsugi and Kakuju will contact you so that you'll know what to do in order to save Michiru's life, I've done my part of their plan; the rest of it is all up to you. Sango, they both chose you for a reason; prove to them that you and only you have what it takes. I know it's a lot to ask, but please do this for Michiru; there's no one else who can do it. Can you go through with this?"

"Y-Yes, I'll do it Inuyasha." Sango replied even though her strong façade was cracking under all of this pain and suffering she was now feeling, knowing that Michiru was suffering unspeakable agony and that he would die if she didn't do all that she could to save him; she grabbed Inuyasha for one last hug out of desperation to make herself feel better before taking her leave to go to bed so she could face the task she had now been given. "Thank you for coming all the way here to see me, I'm so sorry I didn't stay in Kaede's village; I would have stayed if I'd known what would have befallen Michiru."

"Hey, its okay Sango; you and Michiru should be able to subdue the Sounga if the two of you could help me and the others beat Naraku." Inuyasha said supportively, his little sarcastic remark causing a weak laugh to escape Sango's lips even though she was so afraid. "Kirara and I will both watch over Kohaku and the others while you're asleep so don't worry about any of them, you focus on saving Michiru and then waking up yourself once all of this is over; I'll make sure no one disturbs you in your sleep either."

After she managed to gather her strength, Sango released herself from Inuyasha and went inside of the hut at the other end of the interior so she could sleep alone and away from Kohaku; for she didn't want to wake him in case she cried or called out loud in her sleep. As she laid down once she had changed clothes for the night, the demon slayer now felt more tired than ever; the laborious day coupled with the recent events of the late evening were all too much for her to handle all at once and so she needed a great deal of rest even though she still had a critically important task ahead of her. Although she had told Inuyasha in person that she was willing to go through with this, her mind was still very much afraid for what lay ahead; knowing that she had to somehow contact Michiru's soul in the midst of Sounga's nightmarish hallucinations. Sango was afraid of what she would see Michiru going through, but the fear of her failing and him dying was even more frightening to her; for his friends and family would be devastated if she couldn't save his life and she wouldn't be able to forgive herself for a failure of that magnitude and significance.

As memories of all her happy and enjoyable experiences flooded into her mind, Sango's eyes began to water uncontrollably with fresh tears which poured down her lovely face; soaking her night garment in the process. She cried softly and whimpered as her body trembled with fear, fear of losing the boy who had held such a special place in her life and her heart; a person who was as of this moment irreplaceable. Despite her own fears and uncertainties, the female demon slayer made up her mind that she wasn't going to let Michiru die just so the Sounga could achieve its own evil ends; she would gladly stay asleep for an entire year if that was the price to pay for saving the life of the boy she cherished so very much. As far as Sango was considered, the Sounga was no different from Naraku; a vile being of pure evil whose only means of enjoyment was savouring the sight of countless victims suffering and dying without any hope or mercy. She had to be brave on this task though, for she would be undertaking it all alone and entirely by herself as soon as she was finished finding out what she had to do from Michiru's ancestors; who's souls were also implanted inside of the amulet she was now wearing around her neck.

Finally after her last ounce of energy had been spent, Sango fell fast asleep; not to awaken until she had completed her task. For a couple of hours, she remained unconscious and without dreams as one usually experiences once they do fall asleep; but then she eventually reached the level where one's subconscious takes over just before they become lost in the realm of the dream world where they are unable to tell the difference between it and the real world until after they wake up. The demon slayer found herself floating through what can only be described as a giant void much like the one which Michiru had tumbled down when he had first been summoned back to the Feudal era, only in this case; Sango knew where she was going and she saw a sight below her which caused her to remember what she was doing and why she was here. She quickly checked her neck and found the amulet in which part of Michiru's soul was implanted, as well as part of Utsugi's and Kakuju's; but the two later people suddenly appeared before her as they stood on either side of what looked like a gateway with large ancient doors that were locked shut for the moment anyway. Upon coming to a halt in the empty space directly in front of the gate, she addressed the two of them in order to find out what she specifically needed to do; for it would be a battle of wits and emotions against an evil entity who had the advantage of manipulating the nightmare world to his liking.

"Utsugi, Kakuju; I've accepted what has to be done to save Michiru's life." Sango stated, trying to remain calm and mentally prepare herself for what she was to encounter once she crossed through the gateway in front of her. "Inuyasha said you have to tell me something before I can connect with Michiru, I'm ready to listen to what you have to say; please tell me what I must do to help Michiru break free and subdue the Sounga before he wakes up."

"The Sounga is forcing Michiru to experience a series of nightmarish scenarios so that his spirit and will to live will eventually break, you must connect with him and help him find the will power to overthrow the Sounga; this can only be done if you can convince Michiru that nothing of what he sees and feels is real." Kakuju answered as the gate began to unlock itself slowly. "If you can accomplish that, then the two of you will prevail and each of you will wake up from sleep; remembering all of this as if it were merely a bad dream."

"But be warned, the Sounga will not give up the fight so easily; you must be prepared to counter what ever move it devises in order to save Michiru's life." Utsugi explained, drawing Sango's attention. "The Sounga can read the thoughts of who ever takes hold of its sword handle, the deepest thoughts or desires; and even secrets that a person has who would otherwise not share them with anyone else. With this ability, the Sounga can torment its victim and blackmail them into carrying out its endless cycle of murder under the delusion that they can also achieve their own personal goals in the even that they can't resist Sounga's control; the blackmailing can be done by lying and the victim will become Sounga's host and slay every living human being on the face of the earth until no one is left alive. If however, the victim is unwilling to carry out Sounga's will; then the evil sword will continue to torment them by reading their thoughts and implanting horrific hallucinations into their mind until their mental control is eventually broken and they either become Sounga's host or die."

"Then I know what needs to be done…" Sango replied as she watched the doors open, revealing a pitch black void of darkness on the other side of the gateway; but the demon slayer managed to overcome her own fears and eventually walked towards the entrance. "Thank you for helping me, and for doing what you could to help Michiru out as well; I'll find a way to repay you for your kindness someday."

"There's no need my dear, all that matters to us is Michiru's life; good luck until we meet again." Kakuju said with a smile. "If we do not meet again under these sort of circumstances, then may we meet again in heaven where all of us will be free from mortal suffering."

"Thank you again anyway." Sango replied again, and with those last parting words; she stepped through the doorway and vanished.

Back in the modern era on the other side of the globe, things were the lowest of the low for the Ghostbusters despite the successes that they had accomplished earlier during the day; the tragedy involving Michiru and the Sounga had caused everyone's mood to hit rock bottom. It was a definitely a dark day for everyone back at the Firehouse, there were no laughs or jokes being told; only looks of concern or curiosity were exchanged back and forth between adults as they continued their work duties with little or no interruptions. After spending the rest of the morning and part of the afternoon moving furniture and books from the storage locker to the Ray's Occult bookstore, Ray; Venkman and Slimer had briefly returned for a quick lunch break in order to relax as well as to check up on how Michiru was doing. Egon was currently sitting at the kitchen table analysing data which was collected yesterday at the Sedgewick Hotel and reading through the Gozerian Codex to answer any questions on his mind; both in complete silence. Venkman had been playing a game of pool with Winston for a short while once half of the work had been done for the day, and he had even been cool with allowing Slimer to join in on it too when ever it was his turn to shoot; which showed that even he had gotten used to the green ghost now that Michiru was out of commission.

Janine had been at her desk to answer the phone, but no calls or messages came and so she spent the majority of the day compiling data on her computer and reading through books or magazines that she had on hand at her work station. Right now she was currently handing out mugs of hot coffee to everyone since their depressed minds needed to be kept awake until the day was eventually over, as each person looked up and quietly mouthed a thank you; she nodded back with a weak smile to try and cheer them up. Ray had just finished preparing a late lunch and was just getting ready to serve it out once he evenly loaded everyone's plates, Janine had suggested earlier that day that they all eat a properly cooked meal to keep both their health and their heads up; so he volunteered to cook for today once he had completed his task of hauling all his belongings back to his bookstore and made sure that the Containment grid for the captured ghosts was in working order. Although he still needed to arrange and organize everything first before the bookstore could be operational and reopened for business, he decided that he could hold off on that lengthy task for two or three hours; until after lunch.

Inside the bedroom, lying down fast asleep partially under the covers in his bed was Michiru; a small cloth filled with crushed ice was resting on his forehead. His breathing was peaceful for the most part, but yesterday afternoon it had been an entirely different story; one which no one would ever forget. Ilyssa was at his bedside, not willing to leave unless the situation demanded it; for she was worried most of all after the horrifying predicament which had unfolded yesterday. Ilyssa had watched over Michiru as soon as she had finished tidying up the kitchen with Janine after breakfast, she spent nearly the whole day carefully monitoring Michiru's condition for any signs of change whether they were for better or for worse; and gradually losing every ounce of mental control she needed to keep herself from breaking down again. Earlier that morning, she suspected that he might have caught a light fever when she felt a burning heat from his forehead which was also drenched with sweat; prompting her to use a damp cloth filled with crushed ice to combat it in order to keep Michiru's temperature stable.

It was fortunate that the Ghostbusters had no calls or clients worry about, they had enough on their plate already with Michiru's state and the city in danger of a massive paranormal occurrence; not to mention Peck poking around in their affairs and firing them once he had pulled their operating licenses which forbid them for conducting any further paranormal wasn't a pleasant situation for everyone; Michiru was the best paranormal combatant out of all the Ghostbusters and he was also a great friend to each of them as well; to see him stuck in such a state of vulnerability really brought down the morale of each adult in the Firehouse. Ilyssa was especially troubled, Michiru was not only a friend; but a child as well. She dreaded the thought of having to explain his current state to his parents who were thousands of miles away from their only son, Egon had already been forced to inform Inuyasha over the phone of the Shikigami user's predicament when the half demon had called earlier at breakfast and Ilyssa understood that it had been a very challenging conversation to get over and done with. Having lost track of time due to staying at the teenager's side for so long, Ilyssa checked her watch and saw that it was presently 2:00 afternoon time and that lunch was nearly ready. The silence was interrupted by two pairs of footsteps walking in her direction and when she turned to look, Ilyssa saw that Ray was entering the bedroom with a tray on which rested a plate of food and a glass of ice cold water; Janine followed behind holding a mug of fresh coffee in each of her hands.

"Michiru's still asleep Ray, please don't try and rouse him." Ilyssa asked softly, standing up and repositioning herself between Ray and Michiru's bedside.

"Yes I know Ilyssa, but Mitch hasn't eaten a bite since yesterday at lunch so he must be…" Ray quietly protested before being interrupted.

"He'll eat when he wakes up!" Ilyssa suddenly burst out, taking a pause to calm herself down so she could apologize even as her eyes threatened to water with tears. "I'm sorry Ray, sleep is what he needs most right now; please leave him alone. Besides, he won't wake even if we tried because the Sounga is still clutched in his hands; and we've already been instructed by his ancestors to let him wake up on his own after he's gotten through all of this."

"Alright, lunch is served on the table; come when ever you're ready." Ray replied with a nod before turning to leave, reluctantly giving in to put Ilyssa at ease.

"How is he?" Janine asked as she handed Ilyssa a cup of coffee. "Any change at all?"

"No, none." Ilyssa answered before taking a sip.

"I regret to say that this is one battle Michiru will have to get through without our help." Saya added, startling the two ladies in the room since they had nearly forgotten about his presence; it had been a while ever since Saya tried to keep the Sounga quiet after Michiru's unfortunate accident and so he surprised them with his voice for a moment. "You should go and eat lunch with the others Ilyssa, you can always return here when you're done; I'll stay here and watch Michiru so don't worry."

Ilyssa took a handkerchief and quickly dried her eyes before leaving the bedroom with Janine so that they could go have a late lunch with the others outside in the kitchen, everyone could use a good meal given how low their morale was and the Ghostbusters had to keep up their health in order to be ready for any job that might arise; regardless of the fact that they were a man short or that they weren't in the best of moods. Saya levitated above the sword handle for a few moments and watched Michiru's face quietly without making a sound, it was no wonder why Ilyssa was so depressed; Michiru was still crying in his sleep which told the wise old spirit that the unconscious teenager was experiencing a nightmare. As much as everyone wanted to wake Michiru and bring him out of it, the boy needed rest more than anything else and no one was going to deprive their friend of the only medicine available to heal his condition. It would interfere with the only plan left available which could save the Shikigami user, if he was aroused by someone even after he had been saved by Sango and the Sounga had been subdued, Michiru might not be able to go back to sleep; let alone get the rest he so needed which would allow both his mind and body to work out the troubles they were both facing together. Nevertheless, Michiru had been asleep for nearly twenty-four hours straight; one could only guess how many more hours it would be until he would wake if he ever woke up at all.

Author's Note: I apologize that this chapter wasn't completed sooner, but I was also writing out chapters one and two for my Inuyasha/Full Metal Panic story; so I fell behind schedule as a result. Its no secret that Sango doesn't possess any supernatural abilities or magic powers in the Inuyasha series or in the Secret of the Cursed Mask game, nevertheless; I thought it would be fair and entertaining for her to be given the opportunity of undertaking a difficult challenge on her own so that she can attempt to save Michiru who has obviously become so precious to her. Although I already have some ideas on what sort of nightmare scenarios she will witness Michiru encountering before she can finally attempt to save him from Sounga's hold, I still have to arrange them in a workable order; nothing is fixed in stone as of yet so please feel free to include any ideas or suggestions regarding that matter. Thank you all once again for taking the time to read each chapter of this story, your reviews and support are very much appreciated; I couldn't continue writing it without you.

Candyman53: Sango is certainly going to be upset, but she's a strong character so if she can endure having her brother taken away from her and held captive by Naraku for who knows how many days; I think it's a safe bet she can handle one night of sleep in which she'll be trying to save Michiru from the evil sword Sounga.

Rajvir: What you say is completely true, you can have either quality or quantity; not both even though that's what reality demands of us. I hope you enjoyed this chapter despite how sad everyone is in it, so I thought I'd add a few funny moments here and there; just for laughs.

Greymon Leader: Glad to know you're enjoying the story even though some chapters have proven more difficult to write than others.

Jetty1: I'm happy you're enjoying the story thus far, especially the events which I've had to make up all on my own; the event with Sango saving Michiru from the Sounga has been unfolding in my head for many months and I been waiting for the appropriate moment to include it in the story as you have just discovered. At first, I wasn't going to use the suggestion you mentioned in your review for chapter 13; but I've had a change of heart after thinking it through more carefully. But I might have difficulty finding the right spot to include in among the other nightmarish events Michiru is going to be subjected to, so please make any other suggestions you can come up with that could make it easier for me to do that; it isn't a big deal though if you can't. Sango is a gentle character and I don't think she would want to question Michiru about his passed experiences with girls considering how embarrassed and sensitive he would be about the subject, she doesn't want to hurt him so she'd have to ask him about it well after the nightmarish battle is over in order to avoid making him suffer even more than he is already. But the idea is an interesting one, so if I don't use it in the next chapter; I'll use it in a future one once Michiru has returned to Japan's Feudal era and he can see Sango is person again which will give them the opportunity to talk about that subject. One last thing, please try and update your Inuyasha/Lord of the Rings cross over soon; it's a great story and your fans want to read more of it.

AeropostleKeyblade: It has been a while since your last review, I hope that you're doing okay and that you find time to read more of this story again.

Master of Death and Darkness: Hey there, its been a while; I hope that you're progressing with all of your stories and that you're getting some good reviews. Its difficult trying to write more than one story at a time, I've now discovered that for myself just recently; but I'll somehow get over it just as any author manages to do. I want to thank you for sharing ideas and discussing events for each of our Inuyasha Cursed Mask stories, I always enjoy it and I've learned some new ways to bring a new story to life thanks to your help; especially on some of the videos from the Cursed Mask game which had awesome events I didn't even know existed.

Orionpax09: While life can be unfair and difficult to cope with at times, reading and writing fan fiction stories is always something that helps brighten my mood; I hope you're doing alright and that you're having lots of success with your stories. Although its probably stressful and difficult writing multiple stories all at once, you have a talent for it; the number of reviews you get from your fans is proof of that if you don't believe me. As an author, we can read and write our own work knowing there are fans out there who enjoy it and are waiting to read more; that's something to be grateful for in this difficult and complex world we live in. I hope you enjoy reading this new chapter when you find the free, Sango is getting closer to making her decision on who she truly loves and wants to spend her life with; which will make a certain lecherous monk wish he was a better person like Michiru has proven to be.


	15. Memories, Nightmares and Feelings

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, Ghostbusters, or anything associated with either of them. This story is being written just for fun and enjoyment.

Chapter #15: Memories, Nightmares and Feelings

"Ahh!" Sango yelped as she suddenly found herself falling through yet another void, one that lead downwards like an endless tunnel into an abyss of darkness; more frightening however since she was falling rapidly instead of being floated gently down like the first that she had travelled in along with the fact that she was surrounded by complete darkness and couldn't see a single thing or even her own hand in front of her face. "Why am I falling? Where am I going? How can I possibly find Michiru in this abyss of total darkness?"

And just as the last question pierced through Sango's lips, a faint twinkle of light like that coming from a tiny candle suddenly appeared beneath her; giving the troubled demon slayer a sign of hope that she was heading in the right direction even though she was still falling. The light began to glow brighter as the distance continued to close between it and Sango, eventually forcing the female fighter to shield her eyes to avoid blinding herself from the light as it intensified; mentally preparing herself for what was to come next within the next few moments. After impacting the source of light, Sango came to a halts and felt firm ground beneath her feet which caused her senses a moment of confusion until she recovered from the sudden change in events she was experiencing; being in the world of the subconscious mind was indeed very different from reality since she had managed to survive the fall and land on her two feet without being injured or killed from the sudden impact. Breathing a sigh of relief that she was alright and that the scary experience of falling through the void of darkness was now over and done with, Sango slowly opened her eyes to observe the new environment she had now landed in; carefully surveying the situation around her for anymore unexpected surprises that lay in store for her in this realm of the subconscious.

"Wait a moment, this doesn't look anything like the Feudal era that I live in; this must be part of the modern world where Michiru and Kagome both come from." Sango said quietly after turning to gain an all around view of the area around her, she was inside of a large room filled with desks and chairs which were both occupied by young teenagers dressed in strange clothes; the girls wore skirts and attire similar to the clothes that Kagome wore even though they were a little different in style and choices of colour while the boys were dressed in exactly the same style of clothes that she remembered Michiru wearing during the Kururugi boy's duration in her world. "Could this be where Michiru goes to school to take studies and do homework just like Kagome says she does? That means Michiru should be here somewhere, but there are well over two dozen people here inside of this one room; how am I supposed to find him when every boy is dressed in the same style of clothes? If he isn't here, how many rooms will I have to search until I finally find his whereabouts? Oh well, I guess I'll just have to check each person one at a time until I can find him; if Michiru is even inside of this room that is."

Sango wandered over to the front of the classroom, this allowed the female demon slayer to see the faces of the student seated at every desk in each row as she walked down to take an up close look at each person one at a time before moving on to the next row of teenagers; most of them anyway since some were facing other directions so they could talk to other students seated nearby. Although she was unfamiliar with this unusual environment, Sango herself was thankful that no one seemed to notice her presence; she didn't like being the centre of attention or having everyone's eyes focussed entirely on her. While she glanced at the faces of each young man she came across, Sango also took a few moments to examine the uniform attire that all of the young girls were dressed in; her cheeks heating up from embarrassment of having to dress in the same manner and exposing her naked legs to the eyes of those around her since she knew all too well that such an outfit would only cause even more lecherous thoughts to form inside of Miroku or someone who shared some of the lecherous monk's undesirable qualities.

"Michiru?" a female voice spoke quietly, causing Sango to turn and spot the girl who had spoken out loud at the back of the centre row in the classroom; the person who was looking to the left and who called to someone whom the demon slayer was looking for. Taking a moment to relocate herself on the other side of the classroom where the girl was looking, Sango gasped as her eyes picked out Michiru Kururugi sitting at a desk across from the female student who was trying to talk to him; a closer look told Sango that Michiru was possibly a year younger even though there was no definite way to prove her hypothesis.

"Yes?" The Kururugi boy answered, turning his head to the right in order to face the young girl who had called out to him.

"Hi, I'm Sayaka; it's nice to meet you." The long dark brown haired girl answered back with a smile.

"Nice to meet you too." Michiru responded politely, despite being a little nervous for talking with an attractive teenage girl among other students in the classroom.

"Do you have a girlfriend at all?" Sayaka asked curiously, causing a light blush to appear on Michiru's cheeks as he tried to remain calm.

"This must be one of Michiru's memories, before he ever came to the Feudal era or even discovered the existence of his Shikigami powers which were still dormant inside of him; I'm seeing a memory of his past." Sango deduced as she continued to wait and watch for what was next to come in this experience which had taken place in the Kururugi boy's earlier life when she didn't know he even existed.

"W-Why do you ask?" Michiru responded nervously, almost afraid of where this conversation was going as he waited for her to reply.

"Sayaka thinks you're a real cutie, she wants to know if you're available." Another girl cut in, one who was unfortunately seated directly behind Michiru and began talking out loud for the whole class to hear. "She interested in having you as a boyfriend, she's been fantasizing about you all week."

"Aki!" Sayaka burst out, trying to stop her friend from embarrassing both her and Michiru in front of the whole class.

"Michiru's so unbelievably handsome, that's what you were saying wasn't it." Aki teased as she giggled, causing all of the students to focus their attention on Michiru and Sayaka.

"I never said that!" Sayaka shot back while her classmates verbally exchanged "OOOS" and "AWS" before lots of laughter broke out.

"Alright that's enough, everyone quiet down and open up your math textbooks to page 273; come on now." The teacher ordered after entering and approaching the front of the classroom in order to begin today's lesson. "No more laughter jokes or passing notes; got it?"

As everyone did as they were told, Sango returned her attention to Michiru and Sayaka who were both red from embarrassment from being humiliated in front of the whole class; the young junior high school girl sat looking at the Kururugi boy with an apologetic expression on her face as she waited in vain for him to take a glance back at her. But it never came, for Michiru sat quietly with his eyes now glued to his open textbook after taking a quick glance back once the teacher arrived; not daring to look back again for fear of suffering even more humiliation than what he had already endured. And so after a full minute had gone by, Sayaka reluctantly turned away in order to concentrate on the assignment that the teacher was giving; feeling entirely responsible for what had happened even though it had been her friend Aki who had caused both her and Michiru so much embarrassment and humiliation. Although everything was now silent thanks to the teacher's arrival, Sango could easily understand the situation all around her; and feel the internal pain that both of them were now forced to bear for the remainder of the day at school. This must have been the very first time a young girl or any girl for that matter had openly shown interest in the Kururugi boy, and unfortunately an opportunity for these two to become friends which in time could have led to something more; was lost thanks to the verbal teasing from a fellow classmate. Such an event would undoubtedly be an unhappy memory which would be forever burned into the minds of both young teenagers, and the internal pain which each of them felt would naturally stick with them; damaging their confidence and courage to open up and socialize with others until they could eventually let go of it all once each of them could get over the matter.

Now Sango understood that Michiru had more than one reason to keep his feelings for her such a secret, it wasn't just rejection he had to worry about; for he was also afraid of humiliating her as well as himself in front of their feudal era companions. The demon slayer thought what would have happened had Michiru declared his love for her at an earlier point in time before his unexpected departure, wondering if the two of them would have been teased or interrogated; an experience neither of them would be able to survive and one that would have been made far worse if Kagome or Miroku had expressed any objections about it which would surely start up a heated argument amongst all of them at once. Thinking back to the recent events Sango herself had been forced to endure which included the emotionally painful argument between herself and Kagome before she departed to return to her own home, it was obvious that a similar scenario would have immediately resulted had Michiru declared his feelings openly towards her in person and loud enough for everyone else to the Shikigami user's confession; something which she could already imagine in her troubled mind. Kagome and Inuyasha would be arguing over what Sango's reaction would be, and more importantly; which young man between Michiru and Miroku she would choose as a lover to spend the rest of her life with. Shippo and Kirara wouldn't know how to respond, both of them would most likely keep their eyes on everyone in case things got out of hand; and Miroku would either be shocked or possibly stricken with inner rage for seeing yet another man take a romantic interest in the woman he was so very much infatuated with.

Sango realized that she would have felt so helpless like someone who had become cornered in a trap, unable to respond accordingly to the situation which had engulfed her; for any hesitation would only cause internal strain on both of the young men as they both waited in anticipation for her reply which would cause more suffering to flood into everyone's hearts afterwards no matter how she answered. Thankful that such an event hadn't happened then, Sango took a deep breath in and out to calm herself so that the internal pain she felt would pass and leave her more easily; but her mind still knew that the same scenario awaited her in the future once Michiru eventually returned to visit her and everyone else in the Feudal era. Another minute went by and the last ounce of pain left Sango's heart and mind, but there wasn't a way to erase the suffering she could read while watching the saddened expression on Michiru's downcast face; Sayaka also had a similar look even though she managed to hide her suffering within herself more easily than the Kururugi boy could do. It seemed fairly obvious that neither one of them had gotten together or had even become friends after that humiliating event, for Michiru never mentioned Sayaka's name even once during his days spent travelling in the Feudal era; which lead Sango to the conclusion that they never saw each other outside of school or even ever again after this unfortunate event. This was proof enough that in spite of no dangerous demons existing in the modern era and all of the infinite advancements that humans had made in the hundreds of years which separated Michiru's era from that of Inuyasha's; life would always be full of everyday difficulties and the world would always have people who entertained themselves by humiliating others around them regardless of the fact that it was disrespectful and wrong.

"Michiru…" Sango said softly, extending her arm out and trying to touch Michiru's face; her open hand passing through his cheek as if he was merely just an illusion along with everyone and everything else around her. "No! Don't leave me! Come back Michiru! Come back!"

No matter what Sango said, the memory from Michiru's past had come and was now gone; forcing her to wait patiently for what she was going to see next. The demon slayer lost balance and as she tried to steady herself, she found that she was standing inside of a confined room with glass windows and there were other people around her standing inside as well; but the bigger surprise was what she found when she looked through one of the windows. The outside environment was moving by rapidly and it was at that point Sango realized she and those around her were being transported somewhere, in all her dreams she had never seen anything like this; it had to be another of Michiru's memories which he had experienced in his own world. Glancing outside the window, Sango could see multiple buildings towering to various heights above her head which looked as though they were made of stone and steel; but they also had windows of glass for people to look in and out of. People were wandering around about their business, some were dressed in various types of clothing; everything seemed so peaceful and everyone looked happy and at ease which made Sango wonder if she could adapt to Michiru's world just as he had done while he had visited hers. Before she could admire anymore of the outside scenery however, Sango's ears recognized the voice of someone who had become close and important to her; and he was only standing a few feet behind her as she turned around to look at him which put a smile of relief on her face. Michiru was once again wearing his familiar uniform attire, and it appeared as though he was talking with a friend who went from the same school as him since both of them wear dressed the same way; Sango decided to listen in on their conversation.

"Chill out!" Michiru's friend replied with a clenched fist in order to avoid making a scene. "Will you quit making a scene about it?"

"It's just that…they're still only in junior high." Michiru responded as Sango moved closer so she was standing beside him and to his right.

"Get real would you?" The other boy replied. "Already in junior high is more like it, it's hardly unusual; there are a lot of guys who already have girlfriends."

"Really?" Michiru asked in disbelief. "Alright then Kousuke, name a few of them."

"Alright, Sakai, then there's Akira; then Shion…oh and Tokuya." The other boy answered.

"You're kidding me…even Tokuya?" Michiru asked in shock.

"What, didn't you know?" Kousuke replied.

"No, its news to me." Michiru said softly before letting out a sigh. "Boy what a shocker this has been, and here I thought I was Takuya's good friend."

"Perhaps he kept it a secret because he didn't want to make you feel bad." Kousuke suggested after pondering momentarily.

"What do you mean by that?" Michiru asked curiously, turning to face his friend.

"You know what I mean…" Kousuke answered as a mischievous grin crossed his face. "You don't have a girlfriend yet, that's what."

"…" Michiru mumbled momentarily before looking down at the floor as a light red blush appeared on his face.

"Ha, Ha, Ha; you sure blush easily Michiru." Kousuke commented with a few laughs. "Ha, Ha!"

"I was right, he and Sayaka each went their own separate ways and never got together; all because of that painful event which kept them apart out of fear of being hurt and humiliated all over again." Sango said to herself, eyeing Michiru carefully as the young boy blushed. "I guess this helps to explain why Michiru finds it hard to socialize with people, especially with girls; he's afraid of being hurt and of hurting others. That's why he kept his feelings for me a secret for so long, until he finally found the courage during his last moments in my world."

"Next stop, Kururugi Shrine; Kururugi Shrine. Please ring the bell if you want to get off of the bus." an electronic voice echoed.

"This is our stop, see you later." Kousuke said as he pressed the alarm button to indicate that he and Michiru wanted to get off of the bus.

"Yeah, if I don't get overworked during the festival that I have to help my parents with; bye." Michiru waved as they both exited the bus.

After departing from the bus, Kousuke ran to the left while Michiru ran in the opposite direction towards Kururugi Shrine which Sango recalled was part of Michiru's own home since it originated in Kururugi Village hundreds of years before the Shikigami user was even born; the sight in front and around Sango was anything then what her memories of Kururugi Village had been when she had seen it in the Feudal era. Sango broke into a run in an effort to keep pace with Michiru since he was hurrying to get home and take part in the festival which had begun and was currently being celebrated without him, so it was obvious that he didn't want to miss anymore of it than he had already; at least it was still daytime and it appeared as though dusk was a very long way off which would give him plenty of hours to make up for lost time. Although this was merely another of Michiru's memories, Sango herself felt as though she had been given the chance to see a glimpse of the modern world where Michiru and Kagome resided in; being able to see this in person and to walk around and explore was so much better than looking at a tiny image of it using the digital camera Inuyasha had once shown her and now the demon slayer felt somewhat envious of Inuyasha for being able to travel to this world when ever he liked as he had done so often.

"Oh man, I knew I was going to be late; my dad's going to give me that look again." Michiru complained as he raced up the stony stairs which lead to the entrance of Kururugi Shrine where his home and family property were both one and the same piece of land.

While following Michiru, Sango glanced around to view everything; there were a lot of people here to attend the festival so it must be an exciting and memorable occasion to enjoy. Some people were dressed in modern day clothes that Kagome and Michiru normally wore, but others were wearing traditional Japanese kimonos; everyone looked so happy and joyful which made Sango's heart warm up inside. She also noticed that people were purchasing wooden dolls along with stuffed toys so they could write their names on them before tossing them into small pits dug into the earth which were surrounded by small fence railings. All the women, whether they were young or old were looking very pretty and had obviously prepared themselves to look their best for the festival; this was certainly an event Miroku would love to attend in order to woo as many unsuspecting beauties as he possibly could through his fortune telling so he could flirt with them and of course ask each of them to bear his children as she recalled him doing on so many visits to various villages throughout the land. If this was where Michiru lived, it definitely looked like a comfortable and inviting home to grow up in; the lush green environment which made up the property reminded Sango of how her own home had once flourished with life and laughter before it and her family were destroyed by Naraku's cruel treachery. Before Sango was distracted by any further thoughts, she was brought back to her senses once she noticed that Michiru had come to a halt in front of a particular shop where a man dressed in a kimono was currently working.

"Sorry I'm so late Dad, I didn't mean to keep you and Mom waiting." Michiru said apologetically as Sango came to a stop beside him.

"You know this is the Doll Festival of Wishes." Mr. Kururugi answered with a deep voice, giving Michiru the look that he couldn't take.

"Wow, he looks a lot like Utsugi; especially with the kimono he's wearing for the festival." Sango commented as she examined Michiru's Dad with her eyes. "His voice sounds deeper though, probably since he's grown older unlike Utsugi who didn't age at all. I wonder if Michiru's mother has a similar resemblance to Kakuju just as his father does to Utsugi."

"Yeah, but my homeroom class at school went way overtime today; I'll get changed quickly and come right back out to help in the shop." Michiru countered, hoping to make amends with his Dad for being home late; despite the fact that it wasn't his own fault.

"No hang on…I can handle things here, please go to the storehouse and get me some more amulets okay son?" Mr. Kururugi replied.

"You got it Dad." Michiru said with a smile, giving his Dad a wink along with a thumbs up before heading off to the storehouse has he had been instructed; making a genuine smile form on Sango's lips since she was happy to have seen a glimpse of Michiru and at least one of his parents along with his home. By comparison to the first memory which she had just witnessed, this one was so much better since Michiru wasn't sad or suffering emotionally in anyway; so this was a glimpse which Sango would be glad to remember from her own view.

"Pleased to meet you, my name is Sango…" The Demon slayer said politely before shutting up upon realizing that this was just another of Michiru's memories and that no one could see or hear her, Sango had lost herself in Michiru's memory and thought that she was with him in person given how peaceful everything was instead of like the previous one was; she inwardly called herself stupid and was thankful that Kirara wasn't here to growl hilariously at her for her foolish mistake as she darted after Michiru and arrived at the small wooden building. "That's the storehouse? Of course, that's right; it's exactly the same as it was when we all saw it during our visit to Kururugi Village."

"Lets see, I think we put the box of amulets somewhere in the back of the storehouse last year; I wished I had stopped to grab a flashlight." Michiru said, talking to himself as he waved his outstretched arms in front in order to feel his way through the dark interior of the storehouse; despite the small ray of summer sunshine that was beaming in through the open doorway. "Wooah! Ahh!"

"Are you alright Michiru?" Sango asked with concern as she came over to his side, pausing to mentally scold herself yet again for getting wrapped up in this memory a second time. "Ugh! Control, control; just stay focussed and don't lose control or I'll lose my mind in here."

"This place is dangerous, the wooden floor is totally rotten and so is my luck today; I'll get Dad to fix it later." Michiru said, trying to get to his feet; only to find the entire floor disintegrate and then falling into a dimensional tear in space and time with multi-coloured lights illuminating the void all around him. "Wooah! Ahh! AAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

"MICHIRU!" Sango shouted as she tried reaching out to grab Michiru even though she was falling as well, losing herself for the third time; but she was too worried and afraid for the Kururugi boy and so she forgot to scold herself again. "Wait a minute that must have been how Michiru was summoned to the Feudal era; which means his next memory should be…in my world."

Sure enough, just as the demon slayer predicted; the next memory she was going to experience was one which took place in her own world where she had been born and raised. Looking around, the demon slayer found she was standing inside of a wide wooden building; with a stone step leading up to a wide wooden floor just in front of her. Behind her was the entrance way leading in and out and there was a small table with a decorative flower pot sitting on top of it, there were two hallways leading off to different rooms on either side of it; one hallway was to the left and the second was some distance ahead of her. Before she could guess where she was or wonder why she was here, Sango's eyes fell on someone walking towards her from the far end of the immensely spaced room; and that very someone was Michiru. He was walking slowly without uttering a word, there was a look of uncertainty on his face which made Sango worry that something was wrong; that and the fact that he was strangely quiet even though he was alone for the moment. Once he had descended from the elevated wooden floor boards and was down on the lower stone floor which leads to the front doorway, Michiru came to a halt and stood perfectly still; his internal thoughts echoing out loud even though he wasn't talking.

"My heart feels so uncertain, why does it hurt this much? Is it because I like Sango? But Miroku is already by Sango's side." Michiru pondered, causing a small gasp to escape from Sango's lips as she saw Miroku was approaching the spot where they were from the far room which Michiru had come from a minute ago; she waited patiently with baited breath to see what would occur between the two young men.

"Where are you going Michiru?" Miroku asked casually.

"I said I was going out to fetch some water." Michiru answered, after he noticed Miroku's presence. "What are you doing up and about Miroku? You're sick with a fever, Sango told you to take it easy and get some rest so you can recover yourself; don't go wandering around and make yourself worst."

"No need to worry, I'll be alright; I just came to tell you that the inn keepers have prepared a hot bath for all of us." Miroku replied, waving his hand and dismissing the Kururugi boy's worries away as if they meant nothing. "I thought you'd like to take one now before the girls occupy it, you know how long they like to relax in it; the water will have gotten cold unless we take our turns first. What do you say?"

"You came here to tell me that?" Michiru responded with a slight change in his voice along with a momentary annoyed look on his face.

"Is something bothering you?" Miroku asked curiously. "As a Buddhist monk, I am trained and obligated to assist young people who are in need of my help; you are included in my company of friends so feel free to openly discuss anything that you want me to know about."

"Thanks Miroku, but I want to relax on my own for a little while longer; I'll come later when I feel like taking a bath." Michiru replied.

"Very well then, I'll go ahead first; don't be gone long or the water will have gotten cold." Miroku said before leaving and heading back to the bedroom.

"Despite his constant flirting and unwanted behaviour, Miroku is still a nice person; nicer than me anyway." Michiru thought out loud.

Sango could already feel the tension which must be burning inside of Michiru's heart, carefully observed his actions, even though she was powerless to do anything since this was only a memory of Michiru's past; she was forced to just follow him and see everything through his eyes as she watched him experience each part of his memory one minute at a time. The demon slayer followed him outside, it was obvious that Michiru wanted to take a walk more than anything else right now; going to get some water was merely an excuse to go outside and breath the fresh air so he could attempt to clear his head of all the troubled thoughts which were weighing heavily on his mind and his heart. Taking a moment to look around, Sango's own memories began returning to her; there was no mistaking it at this point. This was Minamo Village and this was the very inn where all of them had intended to stay the night at, but as much as Sango wanted to recall all of her own memories during their stay here; she was far more concerned with Michiru and so she just concentrated on following him to see what would happen later on. The Kururugi boy was walking very slowly, trying to find some comfort and enjoyment from the leisurely walk by pausing momentarily on the bridge to listen to the sound of the flowing water from the stream that passed through the village beneath him; Sango secretly wished that the two of them could enjoy such a relaxing occasion together sometime in the future when he eventually returned to her world someday.

Although everything around her felt so peaceful, Sango herself felt almost like a prisoner; being forced to witness someone else's memories one after the other with no indication of how many more she had to see before she could finally reunite with the Shikigami user she cared about so very much. However, she reminded herself that she had made the decision to do all that she could to try and save his life and that without her help; the Kururugi boy would eventually die in his sleep if he couldn't bear anymore torture that the Sounga was inflicting upon him. Up ahead, there was a young couple; a young man and a girl who were talking to each other while underneath the shade of a tree which stood in the middle of the dirt path Michiru was walking along. As they continued to engage in conversation, Sango could easily see the loneliness on Michiru's face; how he longed to be in a situation like that and have a beautiful girl at his side who no other man could steal away from him. They had no troubles, no worries or dangers to be concerned with; the two young lovers only had to focus on each other on this beautiful warm sunny day.

"What's it like spending time with someone you love?" Michiru pondered as he watched for a few more seconds. "I have no idea."

Not wanting to feel any lonelier than he already did, the young teenager continued on his way down the dirt path which lead to the outskirts of Minamo Village; passing by people who were admiring the lush green grass and the bushes of red flowers named azaleas that grew here and there on either side of the road. Another minute went by while Michiru continued to walk along the road, by now he had arrived at the village outskirts and all the inhabitants were some distance behind him; he was now far enough away so he couldn't be seen or heard by any of the village people which meant that it was very quiet except for the noises coming from animals hiding in the bushes. Upon taking a turn and walking around a small hill, Michiru came to a halt and this time; there was an unexpected appearance which even Sango could not have foreseen. Standing a short distance ahead on the same path that Michiru had been walking along, a sight which caught the demon slayer by surprise; Sango was looking at herself. Every detail was perfect, her clothes, face and her hair an exact match to her own physical appearance; making a frightening chill crawl up the warrior woman's spine.

"It's me, but that can't be; I'm back at the inn right now…aren't I?" She pondered inwardly as she watched and listened closely for what was about to happen. "I don't remember any of this, I never went out for a walk; I never saw Michiru alone outside in the village outskirts."

"So this is where you've been." Sango said after walking up to speak with Michiru, her beautiful chocolate brown hair blowing in the wind.

"Huh? Sango." Michiru stammered, stopping in his tracks as he was interrupted from his thoughts and brought back to reality; a look of hesitation and uncertainty clearly written on his face since he obviously wasn't ready or able to talk with the beautiful girl at a time like this. "I…actually have to go somewhere right now, I just remembered I need to get some water; we can talk later back at the inn when I return."

"Wait!" Sango replied, her voice sounding serious which forced the Shikigami user to remain where he was standing so that he wouldn't attempt to leave. "I need to talk to you about something, I followed you out here where we could be away from everyone else; it's very important so please stay."

"Something important?" Michiru asked. "What about?"

"I hate beating around the bush, so I'm just going to say it." Sango replied. "Michiru…how do you feel about me?"

"What do you mean?" Michiru asked curiously, not quite understanding what the question was.

"Well…what I'm trying to say is…" Sango stammered uncontrollably as a light blush appeared on her cheeks which eventually made her face pink with embarrassment as she tried to continue in front of the boy who waited patiently for her to finish what she had to say. "I know we haven't known each other for very long, but…I like you Michiru; more than just as a friend. Do you feel the same way about me?"

Michiru's eyes widened as he was completely unprepared for hearing those words from the beautiful young woman whom he lost his heart too, the hesitation and uncertainly on his face proved that his mind was now split in half; two sides nagging at him to respond one way or the other even though he couldn't afford to look foolish or afraid in front of her right here now that he finally had a chance to let her know how he truly felt about her and while they were both alone in privacy away from all of their friends as well. One half of his mind was urging him to take this one chance in a life time opportunity which would never come again while the other advised him to rethink everything first, for he already knew how this would affect everyone as a group afterwards; and especially Miroku who had also become attracted to the beautiful demon slayer. There was nothing else for it, he had already lost the chance of finding someone special whom he could call a girlfriend by staying quiet in order to avoid causing any further pain to himself and to others; he didn't want to make that same mistake a second time even though he knew he would be coming between Sango and Miroku by declaring his feelings openly like this.

"I…I….like…you…too." Michiru slowly replied until he regained enough mental control to speak normally. "It's been so hard to keep this to myself all this time, but I really like you Sango; you've become a very special person and you're more than just a friend to me as well."

"Why didn't you say anything sooner if you felt that way about me?" Sango asked with a look of concern as she moved closer to the boy.

"I couldn't tell you how I felt because…I was afraid of rejection and also because I didn't want to cause any pain for each of us by coming between you and Miroku." Michiru answered nervously. "Miroku's a friend of mine just like Inuyasha, Kagome and Shippo, but despite the way he sometimes acts; I know that you and Miroku are…you know…"

"Don't worry about any of that." Sango replied, closing the distance between them both and surprising the unprepared teenage boy by embracing him in a tender hug as she held him gently to ensure that everything would be perfectly alright and there was nothing to worry about anymore from this point onward. "I've put you through a lot of grieve and I can imagine how hard it was for you to keep your feelings bottled up inside of you for so long, but no matter what happens now; we're both going to be together from here on in."

After being held in the arms of the attractive athletic beauty for nearly a whole minute, Michiru's mind had become lost to everything else around him; this was truly a romantic experience he could only dream of which he never believed he himself would get to enjoy with a beautiful girl like Sango. He felt like he was in heaven, so long as the tender moment lasted anyway; at least all his fears were finally behind him now that the girl he loved also felt the same way about him. Just as things were looking up and Sango closed her eyes and inched forward in an effort to plant a gentle kiss on the boy's soft lips, she spoke again; but her words were never heard since the Kururugi boy was focused entirely on Sango's face instead of her voice. Wondering what she had said, Michiru let himself out of the young woman's arms and backed up a pace or two before asking her to repeat her last remark; but her response was entirely unexpected. Laughter erupted from inside of her and it stung him painfully as he desperately tried to figure out why she was doing so, for it didn't make sense to laugh at someone after telling them how you feel in person; there had to something else going on here.

"You fell for it! Honestly, young men are so gullible; so easy to fool and manipulate." She finally said after she had stopped laughing, her harsh choice of words stabbing into the Kururugi boy and inflicting an immense amount of internal emotional agony on him as he listened.

"Sango…what are you…talking about?" Michiru replied softly as his eyes watched the beautiful woman vanish in a cloud of black smoke which had engulfed her, but when the smoke lifted and eventually cleared; there was a large dangerous looking demon standing in her place.

Michiru tried to ignore his emotional pain in order to protect himself from this opponent who was obviously a threat to his life, the demon was an oversized orc looking creature and was dressed in an assortment of colourful clothes that either a trickster or rich person would wear; his feet were hoofed and his oversized head was round with two tiny ears at the top and a long horn protruding from each side of his face which made him look a bit like a cow. His ugly pig like snout stuck out from his face, making it difficult for his tiny eyes to be seen from a mere glance; he stood upright and moved around like a human being would normally do which was plain enough to see from his stance and also from the staff like weapon he was armed with. While the Kururugi boy was busy concentrating on his demonic enemy in order to find a way out of the dangerous situation he had unfortunately gotten himself into; the real Sango kept close by despite her inability to do anything since she couldn't be seen or heard by either of these two combatants.

"I'm not Sango, my real name is Mahoro; and I have the unique ability to transform and disguise myself as a person's object of affection." The demon boasted, revealing what had actually happened and thereby proving what had occurred only minutes ago was just an illusion.

"You mean that everything I thought I had experienced was all nothing but a lie?" Michiru asked, even though he already knew the answer; his heart already beginning to feel the sting and overwhelming burden of internal agony which made his body tremble slightly.

"Precisely! Ha! Ha! Ha!" Mahoro replied with a laughter, watching Michiru shake his head in disbelief as fresh tears poured out of his eyes and ran down his handsome face; the emotional pain clearly taking hold over him and making him hurt and vulnerable. "Aw, are you crying? Now that's an expression I especially enjoy seeing, and here you thought you were finally in the arms of the person you loved; such a pity it wasn't real like you wanted it to be even though you were having second thoughts because you'd be betraying your friend."

"That means you're the one who's responsible for all the disappearances, all the young people who's been spirited away were lured into a trap like this; just as I've been…" Michiru deduced after piecing everything together, staring back at Mahoro and waiting for a response; not caring that his own life was still in danger since his heart felt like it had been broken already and that death meant nothing at this point.

"Well aren't you a smart one, too bad you didn't figure this out sooner; you could have avoided being in such pain as you're in right now." Mahoro replied, wielding his weapon and preparing to deliver a killing blow to his human victim before his advantage was lost. "But don't worry, I shall kill you here and make your death a quick one; that should be mercy enough seeing as you're already in so much pain."

"Take that!" a voice shouted as a magic paper sutra shot passed from behind Michiru and struck Mahoro square in the face, the impact along with the spell being cast on him causing him to lose balance and stagger backwards; long enough for the unknown attacker to arrive. "Get away from him demon!"

The Shikigami user had managed to regain his composure once the outsider who had made his appearance was in fact his friend Miroku, the two of them could now combat this demon together; and it seemed as though the situation had turned around in their favour. But even as the brief battle began to unfold, the real Sango had already lost control of herself at this point ever since it was revealed that everything Michiru had thought to be real was nothing more than a lie to lure him into a trap as Mahoro had done numerous times before; which was confirmed by the news of the young inhabitants mysteriously disappearing without a trace from Minamo Village that they had heard shortly after their arrival. Sango's body shook uncontrollably as she held her hands to her face and cried after falling to the ground on her knees ever since Mahoro had revealed what had really happened, feeling all of the pain Michiru had felt and was undoubtedly still suffering from even though he had buried it within himself so he could stand and fight; she hadn't felt this much pain in such a long while and she desperately wanted it to be over so she could move on even though she had no control over what she was going through.

"T-This can't b-be real, this is just one o-of Sounga's h-hallucinations; it has to be." Sango choked out between breathes as she continued to cry, trying to convince herself that this was part of Michiru's nightmare; but her efforts were all but in vain as she already knew the truth of the whole matter. "T-This memory isn't mine, its M-Michiru's. So why do I feel all the hurt and pain that he's going through right now?"

As much as she didn't want to admit it, this was all very real; it had really happened and nothing could be done to erase it from Michiru's memory or his past. Sango's eyes continued to water and overflow with endless tears, creating two streams which poured down her beautiful face even though her hands were trying to intervene by rubbing them away; Sango also had to pause every several seconds or so and cup her hands over her open mouth to stop herself as a combination of small gasps and light hiccups tried escaping through her soft lips. After what felt like a long torturous experience even though she had only begun crying a few minutes ago, Sango held herself in her arms and lowered her upper body down so she could rest her head on the soft green grass she was sitting on; there wasn't much else she could do to deal with the amount of emotional pain weighing her down. About five minutes later, Sango had finally stopped crying and as she stood up from the ground now that she had recovered herself; she watched the two young men who had each found a place inside her heart which once again felt as though it was being torn in half. Rubbing her eyes to wipe away any remaining tears left, Sango noticed that it was now quiet again; the fighting was over which meant that Mahoro had been defeated and killed so at least there was no more danger to worry about. Sango was left looking at Miroku who appeared to be questioning Michiru about what had happened and so on, but she couldn't erase the emotionally hurt expression which she had seen on Michiru's face once he had started crying and when the lovely demon slayer looked at the Shikigami user; she could easily see through the façade he was now wearing in order to talk with Miroku while hiding his pain along with all the details of the previous experience which had caused it.

"I sensed that something was wrong, so I came to investigate; glad I arrived in time before that demon could attack you." Miroku stated until he noticed the confused look on his friend's face, indicating that the Kururugi boy wasn't able to find the words to respond or reply. "What's wrong Michiru? If you're worried about my recovery now that I've come outside and fought against a demon, I can assure you that I won't be anymore sick than I already am; just think of this as a quick means of exercise to keep myself in shape."

"Even though he's sick with a fever, Miroku still came outside to make sure I wasn't in danger; and all I've been doing since I left the Inn is thinking about Sango." Michiru thought silently to himself in his mind as a feeling of guilt took over him, adding to the painful memory of having been tricked and heartbroken by the demon Mahoro just over five minutes ago; making him feel low and ashamed despite Miroku having no knowledge of the Shikigami user's secret affection for the beautiful demon slayer that they were both attracted towards. "I can't get Sango off my mind, I can't watch them get closer together any longer; I have to leave and save myself from more suffering and pain."

"We should probably head back to the Inn, Sango and Kagome will be mad at me for leaving instead of staying in bed to rest; let's go." Miroku suggested, turning to walk back into Minamo village until he saw that Michiru hadn't moved from where he stood; this told the monk that something was troubling his Kururugi friend. "Are you feeling alright Michiru? There's no more danger now that we've defeated the demon that attacked you, if you're still shaken up by it; having a nice hot bath back at the Inn will help you to let it go and put all your worries behind you."

"I'm sorry Miroku, I can't go back; there's something I have to take care of." Michiru said stepping backwards while preparing to run off and leave. "Thanks for coming to my aid and helping to defeat the demon that attacked me, I appreciate it; goodbye."

"Goodbye?" Miroku whispered to himself after the Shikigami user had run off into the vast forests and vanished from sight. "What could have happened that would cause Michiru to run away like that all of a sudden? I can't figure it out, well I'd better head back and tell the others; perhaps we can all look for him together before Michiru finds himself attacked a second time. Now Sango will really be mad at me, one for being out of bed and two for not stopping Michiru from running away; I hope I don't get yelled at by her when I arrive at the Inn."

Once Miroku scurried back into the village to find and inform everybody of what had happened, Sango had run after Michiru now that she had recovered from her brief breakdown; her face and eyes still red from crying. The warrior women's mind suddenly clicked with activity, this was why Michiru had run away on his own without any hint or logical explanation for choosing to do so; everyone had wondered why and went out to look for him which lead them to the ruined remnants of Botan village where they eventually found Michiru along with Kikyo who was mysteriously present with him. Although none of them were given any explanation why Michiru had run away, they were all glad to see that he was safe; he had apparently recovered from what ever was troubling him at the time and so there was no need to pry into the matter any further. This of course is probably what Michiru wanted in order to avoid any more emotional pain, he had recovered enough from it and managed to bottle up the rest which was now nothing more than a memory; and a horrible one at that. It was getting dark now and the thick forest made it even darker by blocking out what little light the sun gave off as it continued to set, indicating that the day was nearly over; so Michiru would most likely arrive at Botan village by nightfall after the sun had fully set.

"I wonder how many more memories I'll have to witness before I find myself in one of Sounga's hallucinations." Sango thought as she kept pace with Michiru, the further she followed him; the more he gradually slowed down to a walk since he was tired of running and still saddened by the incident with Mahoro. "And when I find him, will he even know that it's really me instead of part of this horrible nightmare?

Oh, I wish I had a clue of what happened when Michiru tried to subdue the Sounga before he fell asleep."

"We can help you find that incident he experienced from his memory Sango, but I'm afraid we'll eventually use up the remaining portions of our spiritual entities that we've implanted inside of the amulet around your neck in the process; which means that you'll be entirely alone afterwards for the rest of the confrontation." Kakuju's voice echoed inside of Sango's mind, making the demon slayer stop in her tracks.

"Have both of you been with me the whole time?" Sango asked in shock, looking around and seeing no presence of either Utsugi or Kakuju around her. "Why can't I see either of you if you're here with me?"

"We are no longer living like you are and as a result, each of us could only implant a smaller portion of our souls into the amulet; much smaller than that of your own." Utsugi answered with an echoing voice as well. "As a result, we must conserve our power in order to accompany you like this in order to be of help to you when we can; otherwise we would dissolve much sooner and be no more which would leave you alone to find Michiru throughout this nightmarish void inside of Michiru's subconscious mind. Do you understand Sango?"

"Yes I do, if you and Kakuju have a limited amount of time to be here because of how small your soul implants are; than I must also have a limited amount of time since the majority of my soul in still inside of my own body while I'm lying asleep. If we don't hurry, than I won't find Michiru in time and he'll…" Sango panicked as she suddenly feared the worst. "How do I even know how much time I have left?"

"Do not be afraid Sango, you're a living person and you're also wearing the amulet around your neck while you're sleeping; your spiritual entity implant won't dissolve because of the spell we cast." Kakuju said soothingly, causing the demon slayer to breathe a sigh of relief. "Although we can't be with you all the way, we can use our knowledge from watching over Michiru to locate any memory of his that you wish to see if you belief it will help you save him; we'll start with the incident which shows you what happened with him and the Sounga."

"Very well." Sango said softly as everything around her vanished and turned to darkness, but then a giant circle of infinite lights similar to the appearance of a galaxy in outer space appeared before her; causing Sango's eyes to widen with awe at having never seen a sight such as this before. "How beautiful, what are those tiny lights? And why are they all gathered together in a giant slow spinning circle?

"Each and every one of those tiny lights is a single memory belonging to our great grandson Michiru, the circle grows larger as more memories are added; for only they can be taken with a soul once a person dies and has to ascend to the afterlife once they leave the mortal world of the living behind them. That one light flickering red is the memory we are seeing, you can see it right there just in front of you right below your feet; it's growing larger and glowing more brightly because it's going to engulf you so you can see it." Utsugi answered.

Sango shielded her face with her arms and shut her eyes to avoid being blinded as she found herself engulfed in the red light, she then found herself standing inside of a bedroom with five beds and various belongings scatter here and there throughout the room along with a few pieces of furniture; there was an enormous city outside with towering buildings many times bigger and taller than Sango had ever imagined. The demon slayer was so captivated by the sight of the modern world she could see outside that she failed to notice the running water coming from the bathroom that was just around the corner; until a young boy's voice caught her attention which forced her to turn around to see who it was. Sango rushed to the doorway of the bedroom and instantly came to a halt, bringing her hands to her mouth to stop herself from gasping as her eyes widened with shock; Michiru and Saya were both inside of the washroom and the Kururugi boy had only just come out of the shower having dried himself off and was merely half dressed with his upper body naked and exposed. Sango's face began to blush pink even though this was merely just a memory and she suddenly recalled the incident when Michiru had accidentally walked in on her when she had been bathing herself; the circumstances were a little different and the roles were reversed in this case however and luckily no one other than Sango would have any knowledge of this embarrassing situation or so she thought.

"I didn't realize that he had gotten stronger in just four and a half months or so." Sango said to herself, admiring Michiru's slightly improved physique. "I wonder how stronger he would have been at this age had he been trained from early childhood in demon slaying like I was?"

"Kakuju, this isn't the time for laughter; remember why we're here and focus on the task at hand." Utsugi declared in order to set an example after hearing Kakuju giggling to herself over Sango's words and noticing the demon slayer's face for seeing Michiru half naked like that.

"Shhh, be quiet so we can watch and listen." Kakuju countered quickly. "I'm sorry for giggling Sango; I couldn't help myself for a moment."

"It's fine, let's just keep watching and see what happens next." Sango replied, hoping that her blushing would gradually go away in time.

"Hey Michiru, have a nice shower after an afternoon of fighting against ghosts and other monsters?" Saya asked once Michiru came over to where his bed was in order to finish getting himself dressed into clean clothes now that work was all done for today, putting his socks and shoes on first in just a few seconds.

"Yeah, and believe me; I really needed it." Michiru answered as he ran the soft towel through his chestnut brown hair in order to dry it out. "I was sprayed with slime, attacked by ghosts and giant spiders; Egon and I were both forced into this cavernous lair to fight a freaky female node guardian by ourselves without Winston and Ray to help us. She went by the name of the Spider Witch and boy, did she ever look ugly and menacing; she nearly sunk her fangs into my neck once or twice during the battle until we finally managed to defeat her."

"Is that right? Well it sounds as though the mission was another success, just like the previous ones have been so far." Saya commented.

"Yeah, and I found more cursed artefacts as well; we'll have to look at them later on after supper sometime." Michiru stated, now on his feet and trying to put his shirt on; the piece of clothing was clinging to his body and not cooperating at all. "Ugh, I've got to straighten my shirt out, or else I won't be able to properly get my tie on either; I need to use the mirror inside of the washroom so I can see everything."

Sango followed Michiru into the washroom and watched him closely while the Kururugi boy kept buttoning up his uniform shirt as he talked with Saya; standing in front of the mirror the whole time. Once his shirt was dealt with and tucked in properly, Michiru placed his blue tie around his neck and tried tying it as he remembered how it was done; Sango watched his movements carefully once she realized how this was accomplished even though it took three attempts to finally get it done perfectly. Sango was standing right in front of Michiru which barely left a few inches between herself and the Kururugi boy with the sink and wall behind her, but there wasn't any discomfort or nervousness about the situation since Michiru would have no knowledge of Sango's presence in this memory; even though she was sure that he'd be completely uncomfortable about being in such close proximity with her had he been able to see her in person as easily as she could see him. Whether he knew or not, Sango just felt at ease with the Kururugi which is more than she could say for being in such close proximity with Miroku; and this was also proven by how easily they got along during together during their days off.

While the Shikigami user continued fiddling with his tie, Sango studied the movements of the item along with Michiru's hands; as if she was attempting to tie it around his neck for him. Once it was finally completed after the third try, Michiru stared into the mirror in silence without saying a word; becoming deep in thought for perhaps a minute or two. Because Sango was standing in front of him, from her perspective; it was as though Michiru was staring right into the depths of her eyes. Recalling how sad and hurt this young man had been from his incident involving the manipulative demon Mahoro, Sango found herself raising her hand out to gently caress Michiru's face; as if she was attempting to wipe away any imaginary tears from him. Without feeling any contact even though it looked like she was touching him, an inexplicable feeling arose from within the female warrior; one which caused her heart to beat more rapidly. Looking into the young boy's eyes, Sango found herself loosing control once more as she inched herself towards him until her lips nearly made contact with his; recalling his final words of farewell to her as Michiru openly revealed his true feelings for her a mere moment before he vanished from sight. There was no fear or worry about being taken advantage of since Michiru had his arms at his sides and hadn't moved since he was still looking at his reflection in the mirror, but more importantly because Sango knew he would never ever do something as low as Miroku would usually do; no matter how much the temptation would be given how attractive and beautiful the demon slayer was.

"Any idea of how to pass the time until everyone else comes back after shopping?" Saya replied casually, breaking the silence which brought an end to what might have been a beautiful one-sided moment of imaginary romance for Sango who was now back in reality just as Michiru was.

"We can play a round of pool." Michiru replied, turning around to see Saya and unaware of Sango's presence. "Unless you'd rather do something else instead?"

"You shoot, I'll watch; we can chat as you play along." Saya said as he and Michiru left the washroom and went to the pool table near the staircase off to the side of the immense room, with Sango following them. "Do you remember how to play the game Michiru?"

"Yeah, I remember from that night when we had our celebration party after returning from the Public Library." Michiru answered, before gathering all of the pieces together; making Sango's curiosity get the better of her as she became interested in this modern game.

"So what are your plans when we finally return home to Japan?" Saya asked curiously, trying to strike up a conversation as Michiru took his first shot using the long thin cue stick. "You must have thought about it given how much you want to return to the Feudal era?"

"Catch up on the homework I'll get from missing a week at school, helping Kagome with hers; returning the Sounga to Inuyasha instead of Kagome's Grandpa…" Michiru answered, getting lost in thought while carefully eyeing the pool table to choose with round coloured ball to shoot next now that they were all spilt up and scattered. "Apologizing to Kagome for ending our last talk on bad terms due to our argument while trying to make amends with her. And finally, returning to the Feudal era so I can finally see Sango…and everyone else as well."

"I'm glad you're planning to address all those other matters first Michiru, that will make it easier for each of us to resolve the issue involving ourselves and Miroku after you've set things right with Kagome; I only wish it will be that much easier for me to do when I have to face both you and…Miroku once you've returned to my world." Sango said softly, managing a weak smile as she continued watching over the Kururugi boy. "You were so brave when you said those last three words to me, first in Minamo village even though it wasn't really me you were talking to; and later on when you were being taken away back home to your own world. Despite the emotional pain you've experienced, despite your fear of being hurt and of hurting others; you somehow found the courage to finally tell me how you truly felt."

Now that everything was perfectly silent upstairs for a few seconds, Sango managed to hear some voices coming from below; revealing that it wasn't just Michiru and Saya who were still here with Ilyssa. When the demon slayer walked downstairs to investigate, she saw the bad people Inuyasha had told her about in his big explanation for her; the three thugs who were harassing Ilyssa. Sango continued to watch as events continued to escalate, but before the intruders could do anything further once they had restrained the woman; Michiru had slid down the pole and drove his ankles into the two hoodlums who had been forcefully holding Ilyssa against her will. The two older men each let go as they cried in agony from the injuries inflicted on them, giving the Shikigami user the chance to fight the third man who was supposedly their leader; Saya and another ghost Sango didn't know by name came to Michiru's aid and the fight went on until each of the thugs were eventually driven away one after the other. But when the Sounga had been released from the containment unit which had been smashed, that was the moment when Sango realized things were taking a turn for the worse; Michiru fell victim to the evil demonic sword just moments after he had managed to free his enemy from its horrible possession.

The Kururugi boy slowly sunk to the floor, trembling as the agony he felt became worse with each passing minute; Sounga's cruel voice speaking to him which Sango herself also heard out loud since this was from Michiru's perspective. Ilyssa had come over with the two ghosts to check on Michiru's condition now that the last of the thugs had been scared off, trying to help him out in anyway she possibly could; only to find that it was too late to change what had happened and that there was now nothing that could be done to save him from being a victim of the evil demonic sword. Once Michiru's eyes closed shut, Ilyssa cried softly as she held Michiru against her in a gentle hug, even while the poor boy still had the Sounga stuck in his hands; for there wasn't anything else in her power to do and the only hope she had was that the Kururugi boy was somehow still managing to stay alive. Sango suddenly noticed that the amulet was around Michiru's neck as Ilyssa pulled his upper body off of the floor, and remembering that it had been taken and given to her; it gave the demon slayer an idea of how it could help her out later on once she finally found Michiru inside of this nightmarish place. But moments after Michiru lost consciousness, the whole memory came to an end and vanished completely; leaving Sango inside of the darkness with the circle of tiny lights where she had been before.

"I have to find Michiru before its too late, no matter what horrible hallucinations I also have to face as well; I have to save him and beat the Sounga." Sango told herself, trying to figure out what to do and where to go from here; all while remembering that time was running out.

As the demons slayer continued through the memories of the special boy who's life she was trying to save, the unconscious soul of Michiru was forcefully reliving all the most precious and painful memories of his past; one experience at a time in order for the Sounga to use the knowledge it gained from them to create a nightmarish hallucination to place the Shikigami user in so that he could be mentally broken and brought to his knees. After looking over the last of his memories which was of course the very last incident of when Michiru was awake before losing consciousness, the Sounga would eventually subject his human victim to something horrible; for he wanted Michiru to be destroyed slowly in order to enjoy the sight of seeing his enemy suffer more and more until he either succumbed to Sounga's control or died in his sleep. In the meanwhile however, Michiru was already being offered a minor taste of what was to come each time he was forced to watch himself relive an important memory and during each one; there was someone else's presence who would torment him until the Sounga was finally ready to shatter the Kururugi boy's mind once it has pieced together a believable scenario of horror made especially for him. There was an exact duplicate of himself who accompanied Michiru on this endless journey through memory lane as one might call it, but he was considered to be the evil self of the true Shikigami user; for his eyes bore a frightening resemblance to Naraku's and his voice sounded especially cruel and poisonous.

"Don't close your eyes Michiru; we both need to see this together; for this event brought out your angry if you remember." The duplicate said tauntingly while restraining the real Michiru in front of him and forcing him to watch and listen, completely enjoying seeing his opposite suffering internally and becoming that much weaker with each new memory they both witnessed together. "You're jealous of Miroku aren't you?"

"Let go of me, I don't want to watch any more." Michiru pleaded, struggling in vain to free himself from his evil self who was unfortunately stronger than him.

"NO! Not until I've decided that you've had enough!" His evil self answered cruelly, twisting Michiru's right arm painfully. "Despite all the faults of that lecherous fool, who calls himself an honourable monk, he somehow manages to find a place in the heart of that girl you like; and you're still stuck being the role of nothing more than one of her friends. You could learn something from that monk you know, you need to take more action and use more force in order to get what you want out of life; regardless of who or what stands in your way."

"I don't want to hurt her or any of my other friends." Michiru said defensively, staying still in order to save his strength for another time.

"I think it's a little too late for that, listen to yourself on the phone with Kagome; sounds like the two of you are having a really great chat." His evil self countered, listening in carefully as the experience of Michiru's argument with Kagome came to life in front of him during his search underground with the Ghostbusters. "Oh, my mistake; it starts off as a really great chat and then it turns into an argument before you hang up on her."

"I couldn't take it anymore; she sounded so cross; until she apologized." Michiru replied before grinning in pain from more abuse.

"After you talk back to her in an attempt to defend yourself, you apologize to her as well; even after all of what she said to you." His evil self said angrily, completely displeased with the final outcome. "You had a backbone for a minute there and then you say sorry and revert back to your weak and hopeless self once more, what a disappointment you are; you can't even handle an argument with one of your friends over the phone let alone in person."

"I'm not weak!" Michiru countered, resulting in having his arm twisted from behind yet again.

"Really? Then what does that look like to you in front there?" His evil self replied cruelly once the memory of Michiru and Ilyssa up at the lab appeared in front of them, namely the one when the Shikigami user had broken down and cried after having explained to the older woman about his argument over the phone with Kagome and everything else he knew had happened or would happen as a result of it. "Look at you, crying your eyes out like a little girl over one little misunderstanding; imagine what your friends would think of you if they could see you now eh?"

"Leave me alone!" Michiru shouted desperately, his eyes growing heavily with pain as they begun slowly watering with fresh tears.

"But you are alone. Or have you merely forgotten that I am a part of you?" His evil self replied with a grin. "Its time you admit the truth and accept what I've been trying to tell you from the beginning of this little…lesson in life, if you want something or someone that badly; you'll have to use force in order to succeed. Its either that or you'll have to watch Sango and Miroku together from the sidelines for the rest of your miserable existence and we both know you don't want that now do you?"

"It doesn't matter what I want, as long as Sango is happy; then that's all I care about even if it means being alone for the rest of my life." Michiru mumbled.

"We both now that's not true, you desire her just as much as Miroku; and your desire will bring about your own downfall." Michiru's evil half answered in a tormenting tone with his voice. "I wonder just how far each of you would go in order to compete for her, one can only guess; but it would be a series of entertaining events worth watching since only one of you can win her heart which means that the loser is left all alone at the end. I can just imagine the look on your face at seeing Sango and Miroku together as one, you'll be crying like a little girl again for having your heart broken; you'll be even more hurt if it happens in front of all your other friends too. On the other hand, you could win and Miroku could lose which would shatter all his fantasies of having that female demon slayer in his bed with him; his reaction would also be priceless to see wouldn't it?"

"No matter which of us is chosen, one of us will still be left alone; and Sango herself will be burdened with guilt immediately afterwards." Michiru responded quietly. "That doesn't sound like an entertaining experience to watch, but you're nothing but a heartless double so you wouldn't understand the feelings of others; let alone feel pity for any of them."

"That's where you're wrong Michiru, I am a part of you after all; therefore I can fully understand everything that you do!" His evil half countered as the memory changed yet again all around them both. "Let me give you an example, one which you yourself will definitely remember; it involves pity after all."

The Shikigami user and his evil self were both standing on the bottom of the staircase at the Firehouse, watching the scene when Ilyssa had been harassed by the three street thugs which eventually led to the Sounga accidentally being set free during the fight; after Michiru's arrival anyway. The Kururugi boy tried looking away, but his evil self grasped his hair which kept his head from moving; forcing the young boy to reluctantly watch Ilyssa being restrained and made vulnerable by the inhuman scum who had walked in uninvited. Luckily the incident didn't last long and Michiru let out a sigh of relief once he saw himself make an appearance after sliding down the pole from above, striking two of the drunken men in the shoulder before delivering a powerful kick to the third man; breaking his nose and allowing Ilyssa to get free and run for safety. But once the brawl had escalated and the Sounga was let out of the now smashed up containment unit, that's when the Kururugi boy sealed his own fate by grabbing hold of the sword and freeing the frightened drunkard only to become a victim himself; this delighted the Sounga who now had an opportunity to exact its revenge against the boy who had subdued him once before.

"See what your pity has cost you?" Michiru's evil self said tauntingly. "You should have just let that worthless scum to suffer instead of taking his place, now your pity has gotten you in a dire predicament; but that's what happens when you try to play the part of the hero."

"For the last time…LEAVE ME ALONE!" Michiru yelled, unable to bear this torturous experience any longer; and his wish was granted once everything and everyone including his evil self who had been restraining him vanished from sight in a flash which left him in complete darkness.

Looking around for any sign or clue about what he was going to experience next, the depressed young man managed to brace himself for the worst; but nothing came and he was surrounded by darkness and in complete silence as well. Although he was finally alone and rid of his evil self who had subjected him to continuous interrogations during all of his flashbacks from the events of his past, Michiru ironically felt more vulnerable and afraid than he had before; he now wished more than anything to just wake up from his sleep and find himself in his own bed so that this long nightmare would be over. Michiru blinked his eyes open and noticed he was being held in Ilyssa's arms, he could hear her crying so he must have only blacked out for a moment or two; but a glance behind her showed that the three thugs had returned and that the leader was holding a cloth in one hand and a bottle of chloroform in the other. Before the Kururugi boy could do or say anything, Ilyssa was seized from behind by the three men and the leader grasped his hand with the cloth over the young woman's mouth; causing her to fall unconscious within a few seconds as she struggled to break free which sent a panicked cry erupting from inside of Michiru's throat.

"NO!" Michiru cried out, leaping up and finding himself in bed; it was the middle of the night and everyone was also asleep in their beds as well. "Oh, it was just a bad dream; thank goodness for that. Wait, but where's Ilyssa then and what happened to the sword Sounga? Perhaps I just imagined that last part along with everything else during that nightmare, all of it felt so real though; but that's always how dreams and nightmares feel until you finally wake up from them."

Not knowing exactly what was going on and feeling more confused than ever before, the Shikigami user crawled out of bed and tiptoed around the bedroom as quietly as possible to avoid waking his friends; he had no idea what had gone on while he had been asleep or even how long he had been sleeping for which lead him to believe that it was at least a day and a night later. Although everything and everyone looked peaceful and normal, the Sounga was still missing and Michiru had to find out where it had disappeared too; but he needed to see if Ilyssa was at least alright after that vision which had frightened him and forced him to wake up like that. Since he was far enough away from the bedroom, Michiru could hurry down the staircase without worrying about the noise waking up his friends; but he suddenly noticed something out of place after he arrived down on the first floor. The main door entrance had been forced open from the outside, and there was a trail of fresh footprints from the melted snow left behind by the intruder who had apparently broken in and gone down to the basement; this wasn't a good sign. Before following the trail, the Kururugi boy quickly grabbed a proton pack from Ecto-1 and carefully walked over to the entranceway which lead down to the basement; the lights were off and he couldn't see even though faint tinkering noises could be heard from below. In order to catch the culprit by surprise, Michiru would have to keep himself quiet to avoid sounding the alarm until he could identify who or what it was; so this forced the teenager to tiptoe downstairs in the dark until he arrived at the bottom. From the sounds he could hear, the culprit was nearby; and the continued tinkering noises told Michiru that he hadn't been noticed yet.

"Okay, time to count to three; then I'll turn on the lights and catch this culprit red handed at the scene of the crime." Michiru whispered faintly to himself, pulling out his positron collider to use as a weapon before preparing to flick the switch to turn on the lights. "One…two…three. FREEZE!"

Upon flicking the lights on with one hand and switching on his equipment with the other, Michiru achieved the element of surprise; but he was even more surprised to find who had broken into the Firehouse. Standing over by the containment unit, was Walter Peck; dressed in his fancy suit as usual. Although Michiru was furious with the man for doing such a dirty deed along with attempting to destroy the containment unit, the Kururugi boy didn't have time to react as a sudden earthquake shook the whole ground; opening up a giant crack in the floor. A possessor ghost emerged from Peck's body before the man unfortunately lost his balance and fell into the abyss, to make matters worse; the containment unit started falling apart piece by piece as the electrical power surged out of control now that all the ghosts and spiritual entities trapped inside found themselves an opportunity of breaking out of their prison and gaining their freedom.

"Oh no, not good." Michiru shouted, racing back upstairs and over to Janine's office desk where he slammed his fist on the alert button; sounding the alarm siren which echoed throughout the Firehouse and roused everyone from their beds to warn them of the danger. "Wake up! Wake up! The ghosts are escaping!"

"What?" Janine shouted as she and Ilyssa ran out of their bedroom from behind the office and stayed close to Michiru who was presently fighting with a possessor ghost that he had ensnared in his capture stream and was trying to pull into a trap he had tossed out. "Oh my God."

"Quick!" Michiru shouted, racing over to Ecto-1 and yanking the passenger door open; then heading to open the trunk. "Get in the car!"

"What about you Mitch?" Ilyssa asked worriedly as she tugged on the Japanese boy's arm, hoping that he'd accompany her and Janine.

"NOW!" Michiru replied loudly in a serious tone of voice which clearly indicated that he didn't want to argue and now was definitely not the time for it either.

"Holy Mary! WHAT'S GOIN ON HERE MITCH?" Winston asked after making his arrival by sliding down the fire pole from above, quickly followed by each of the other Ghostbusters, all of whom were still dressed in their nightclothes unlike Janine and Ilyssa who hadn't gotten ready for bed yet since they had both been reading for a couple of hours.

"Peck was possessed by a ghost, he broke in here and then there was an earthquake; that's when all the ghosts escaped from the containment unit from down in the basement!" Michiru answered, all while fighting frantically to keep his companions protected until they could strap on their proton packs from Ecto-1 as well as arm themselves for this unexpected battle occurring right inside of the Firehouse.

"NO KIDDING! WELL IF WE ALL MANAGE TO LIVE THROUGH THIS NIGHT, I'M GOING TO TEAR HIM A WHOLE NEW ASSHOLE ONCE THIS BATTLE IS ALL OVER!" Venkman declared angrily, firing a proton stream at another possessor ghost and slamming it to the ground.

"ARE THERE ANY MORE SLAM DUNK TRAPS INSIDE EGON?" Ray asked, powering up his proton pack and setting the calibrations.

"HALF A DOZEN OF THEM RAY!" Egon replied, discharging a stasis stream at a ghost and slowing it down. "HOW MANY DO YOU WANT?"

"ALL OF EM!" Ray answered, blasting a boson dart at a Hobo ghost as Slimer and Saya arrived to lend a hand where ever they could.

"WHAT CAN WE DO GUYS?" Saya asked, knowing that any help was better than none at all in a dangerous situation like this.

"LAY THE SLAM DUNK TRAPS AROUND ECTO-1, ONE AT EACH CORNER AND ONE ON EACH SIDE AT THE MIDDLE!" Ray yelled.

"BLAST EM BOYS! BLAST EM!" Winston shouted, firing a proton stream and aiming it as he turned in an effort to keep lots of ghosts away from them.

"ILYSSA, SEAL THE WINDOWS; I'M GOING TO GIVE ECTO-1 A CARWASH!" Michiru shouted, climbing on top of Ecto-1 and selecting his slime blower to spray a thin coating of positively charged slime all over the vehicle in an effort to keep any evil entities from entering by having their negative PKE cancelled out by the positive PKE that was contained in the slimy green liquid substance.

"HOLD THE PERIMETER! DON'T LET THEM NEAR THE CAR; NO MATTER WHAT IT TAKES!" Egon shouted, firing a boson dart.

"HOW DO I SWITCH ON THE SUPER SLAMMER?" Michiru asked, using his proton stream to keep some ghost at bay who was threatening to strike from above while others surrounded and attacked the Ghostbusters from all sides to keep them distracted.

"PRESS THE RED BUTTON, THEN THE YELLOW ONE; AND DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN!" Egon answered at the top of his lungs.

"GOT IT! THANKS! " The Kururugi boy replied back and did as the scientist had instructed, activated the advanced trap before ensnaring an attacking ghost and pulled it into proximity where it was swallowed up by the powerful device in a brilliant flash of light. "Now that was too close."

So while Egon and the other Ghostbusters held the outside perimeter, Michiru guarded their blind spot from above them along with Saya and Slimer doing what they could to help out; distracting any enemy entities as possible which allowed the five paranormal eliminators to heavily engage the vast majority of their foes in close combat. Ilyssa and Janine were safely inside of Ecto-1 which Michiru had lightly sprayed with positively charged slime to stop any evil foes from entering and attacking the two of them, Janine turned on the radio and Ilyssa opened the windows for a few moments to pass the hand radios out so everyone could stay in touch in the event that any of them had to split up or separate from one another; one could only wonder how many ghosts they had to recapture until the battle was finally over and done with. But amidst all of the fighting, the ground still shook from what felt like another earthquake; and it didn't look like a good sign to Michiru who guessed that there was something else going on and not just this hectic battle with all of the escaped ghosts.

"Janine, change the radio frequency for a minute and check the news for any paranormal activities throughout the city; I've got a bad feeling that there's more to worry about than just all of these escaped ghosts no thanks to this earthquake." Michiru said into his hand radio.

"Got it Mitch, we'll call you back in a minute and report what we've heard." Janine answered back from inside of the car before selecting another radio frequency on Ecto-1's radio.

"Egon, where is the Sounga?" Michiru asked, looking around and noticing that the containment unit wasn't on the floor where he remembered seeing it being smashed by the thug he was fighting with whom he had to save from the Sounga as well afterwards.

"I thought you subdued it and placed it back inside of the containment unit, it should still be upstairs in the laboratory." Egon answered, using a stasis stream to temporarily stop a cook ghost dead in its path before reeling it into his slam dunk trap with a slime tether.

"Keep the ghosts away from the car, I'm going to get the Sounga; stay alive until I come back!" Michiru replied, jumping off of Ecto-1's roof and racing upstairs as fast as humanly possible; all with a horde of ghosts fleeing after him which took some pressure off of his friends.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING MICHIRU?" Ilyssa's voice shouted over his hand radio as the young woman saw her teenage friend run away from the safety of his friends and straight into danger with more ghosts hot on his heels. "GET BACK OVER HERE RIGHT NOW YOUNG MAN! DON'T MAKE ME GET OUT AND HAVE TO CHASE AFTER YOU!"

"I can't hear the news from the radio while you're shouting Ilyssa, keep your voice down; Michiru will be back so sit tight." Janine complained, turning up the volume in order to hear everything clearly amidst all the noise from the battle taking place around them.

"I'm trying to find the Sounga Ilyssa, I'll be back down in a few minutes; just stay inside and I promise you I'll be just fine." Michiru answered back over his hand radio, looking around in the lab and then the bedroom for the Sounga or its containment unit and finding neither one of them.

"I'm going to call you again in five minutes from now and if you aren't downstairs by that time, I'm coming up to get you myself Michiru; regardless of all the dangerous ghosts outside." Ilyssa replied, having composed herself enough to talk normally without being worried.

Copy that, over and out." Michiru answered before slamming another ghost into the brick wall and leaving it stunned and motionless in midair. "Can this night possibly get any worse than it is already?"

"Michiru, the radio is flooding with news broadcasts which state that lots of disasters are occurring all over the place; earthquakes and ghost Sightings are causing the people of the city to panic and flee for their lives." Janine said using the car radio com, causing a look of serious concern to appear on each of the Ghostbusters; the situation was far bigger and more catastrophic than they had thought.

"Thanks Janine, I'll call you back when I'm on my way down; I just need to quickly check something first." Michiru answered back before invoking his Shikigami powers. "Oh brightly burning light! Give me your healing power! Protective light!"

The white Serpentine dragon appeared and used its massive familiar form to protect the Kururugi boy as it glowed brightly and nearly blinded both Michiru and all of his enemy entities that were trying to attack him, along with increasing the defensive energy and stamina of the young teen who used the advantage to slam lots of ghost one at a time and tire them out for a bit; giving him the chance to investigate something important. Once there was a lull in the danger upstairs, Michiru put his positron collider away and tried lifting the heavy rolled up Persian rug from the floor; the giant familiar growled humorously at the young boy's futile attempt to pick it up and decided to help him out again. The mythical creature gently clasped the object in its jaws without damaging the fabric and quickly followed Michiru to the other end of the second floor where the exit hatch to the roof of the Firehouse was, after the young boy climbed up to the roof; the familiar passed the rolled up rug to him since the poor spiritual familiar was too massive to even attempt to squeeze itself through the narrow passage way. After emitting a lonely growl of affection for not being able to follow its master any further, Michiru padded the Serpentine dragon's huge snout to show his appreciation for the invaluable assistance; telling the familiar that he was returning to his friends in a minute or so which put the creature's worries to rest.

"Okay, Oh overflowing blue sky! Bring to life this rug I ride and allow me to fly!" Michiru commanded after using his magic a second time, waiting for the green bird familiar to appear as the red glowing pentagram appeared beneath his feet; blasting and slamming any ghosts which came out of the exit through the roof with his paranormal weapon. "Please ascend straight upwards slowly when you are ready."

The green bird familiar dived down and implanted its spiritual entity inside of the Persian rug, causing the rolled out carpet to levitate off of the roof; going higher and higher above which gave the Shikigami user a better view of the surrounding area. After a few seconds, the Michiru had managed to clear the tallest buildings located next door to the Firehouse which obscured the teenager's view until he could see overtop of them; even though he was immensely afraid of heights. Once he had arrived at a point where he could see everywhere in all directions, Michiru looked around and saw a sight he thought he'd never see in his whole life; an entire city was in absolute chaos. As far as the eye could see whether it was night or day, the city was being reduced to rumble and ruins; buildings and houses were engulfed in flames while others were crumbling apart from earthquakes like the minor one which had occurred beneath the Firehouse. People were fleeing for their lives and in total panic, some had gone mad and were screaming while others were even scavenging amongst the ruined buildings for any usual possessions they could possibly lay their hands on in order to survive this paranormal hell as one might call it. Another look revealed that there weren't just people roaming around, but animated monsters as well; and there were both ghosts and stone gargoyles flying around in the night sky and striking terror in the hearts and minds of those whom they attacked.

And as if that wasn't bad enough, it looked as though the ghost world had already begun breaking through the dimensional wall and into this world which was the logical explanation for all of this calamity and devastation; at least from Michiru's point of view. But it was happening too early and that didn't seem right at all, not after all of the successes he and the Ghostbusters had achieved together up to this point; all but one of the mandala nodes had been sealed shut so none of it made sense. Looking above the burning sky scrapers which towered higher than the rest of the city buildings, Michiru could see black thunderclouds and giant bolts of green lightning; the flashes illuminating the sky just enough to show that it had the similar appearance as the sky did inside of that alternate dimension he and the Ghostbusters had travelled in during their mission at the Public Library. If events kept escalating like this, the city would eventually be split apart into massive chunks of debris which would be suspended above a paranormal abyss which mirrored the appearance of the sky that the Shikigami user could see now; and then there would be no escape for any living human being at all. Any one trapped within the city would eventually be killed by the animated monsters if they didn't die while the two worlds were becoming fused together, and even more catastrophic; this same occurrence could spread throughout the entire planet until it consumed the surface of earth as a whole.

"This can't be happening, there has to be another reason for all of this; but I'll have to find it later." Michiru told himself in order to keep a calm mind despite what he had just witnessed as he descended back down to the roof, rolling up the carpet and dropping it through the narrow passage before sliding down the ladder and getting swiftly back inside; now he had to contact the others and let them know he was still alright. "Hello guys, Michiru here; I'm still alive and I'm on my way back downstairs. How are the rest of you holding up right now?"

"Mitch, oh thank goodness; you had me worried to death." Ilyssa answered, breathing a sigh of relief that her young friend was still alive.

"How are things looking from Ecto-1 Ilyssa?" Michiru asked, rolling the rug along until he arrived at the fire poll where he dropped it down the hole before sliding down to the main floor himself; the rolled up rug striking three slime fiends before they could attack and squashing them like bugs.

"As you can see, we're managing to stay alive just as you are; but we could all use your help right now." Ilyssa answered with a smile.

"Were you able to find the Sounga up there Michiru?" Ray asked curiously; slam dunking a ghost into one of the six traps on the floor.

"No I wasn't, I'll have to look for it after we've finishing fighting all of these ghosts; your lives are more important to me that than sword." Michiru answered in a serious tone as he made it back to the group. "I don't know how, but I'm afraid that the ghost world has already broken through into ours; there's an army of monsters out there and the entire city is on fire and being reduced to ruins as we speak."

"No way." Winston replied turning to face Michiru with a look of disbelief on his face; his mind mentally processing the reality of the horrifying truth once he saw the Kururugi boy nod in response. "The entire city just like that, we were only one portal away from stopping all this from happening. What could have happened that would cause it to occur prematurely overnight without any warning signs?"

"Guys, we've got a big problem; I don't think that's the authorities who are knocking on our door from outside." Venkman commented after hearing the garage door being banged and struck from outside by numerous blows from who knows what. "It can't be customers either."

"Sounds like that army of animated monsters I saw outside swarming throughout the whole city." Michiru mentioned after glancing at it.

"They're trying to bust in on us; so much for only having to fight these escaped ghosts." Egon stated, as everyone miraculously managed to keep catching and trapping more ghosts over and over again; the repetitive sound causing each paranormal combatant the shudders.

"Speaking of escaped entities, where are the rest of ghosts going?" Winston asked, noticing how quiet everything suddenly became other than the bashing noises against the garage door from outside the main entrance of the Firehouse. "Have we tired all of them out already?"

"If you ask me, they're taking their shot at freedom; it's either that or getting recaptured again and being stuck inside of a trap for all eternity that's smaller than a shoe box." Ray guessed. "Unlike spiritual entities, animated monsters don't get imprisoned; they kill or get killed."

"Anyone got any bright ideas?" Winston asked. "Come on guys, there has to be something we can do in order to save the city from disaster."

"The final Mandala node, it's located somewhere in the Hudson River; we could always try to seal it up so that the ghost world can be forced back into the dimension from which it came." Michiru thought out loud, drawing a look from everyone. "Hey, it's just a thought."

"The city is on fire and falling apart as we speak, there are hundreds or thousands of ghosts and monsters roaming around and the ghost world as already broken through the dimensional wall which separates it from our world; it's way to late for that." Venkman responded.

"We've already sealed up three of the portals, only one is left; that's a chance I'm willing to take regardless of what dangers we'll have to face." Michiru countered, not being able to think of another alternate under the circumstances of the life threatening situation. "If the ghost world has already broken through, it's a pretty safe bet that the final location of the fourth mandala node will be revealed and easy to find."

"You're proposing that we race out of here, fight our way to the Hudson River; take down an army of enemy entities along with the node guardian and just hope that the whole burning city will be saved after we somehow seal the node shut?" Winston summed up quickly.

"Mitch, no offence; but what you're suggesting is absolute suicide." Venkman commented. "We don't even know if it'll even work."

"DO ANY OF YOU HAVE ANY BETTER SUGGESTIONS?" Michiru yelled back with an angry look on his face as he turned from one adult to the other. "BECAUSE I FOR ONE DO NOT WANT TO SEE THIS CITY OR THE WORLD WE LIVE IN DESTROYED!"

"If it's too dangerous, Mitch could always take us back in time to an earlier point before the city is devastated so it will be easier and safer to search for the location of the final Mandala node; if that sounds like a better idea." Ilyssa suggested, causing Michiru to calm down as everyone turned to look at her in the car. "If it doesn't work, at least we'll be at the river and can escape off of Manhattan Island; okay?"

A few moments of silence went by as everyone carefully pondered the course of action which Michiru had thought up along with the back up plan which Ilyssa proposed, there really wasn't any other course of action available to take and so with great reluctance; everyone nodded in agreement even though each of them were afraid of the consequences that would result from failing. Winston and Ray grabbed some wielding torches so they could cut and remove the inside rack which held all of the proton packs on, along with everything behind the front seats to make lots of room; turning Ecto-1 into an improvised armoured car as one would call it. The windows were opened all the way to allow passengers to aim and fire their weapons while on the go during the fast drive through the chaotic cluster of the debris covered roads, and all spare traps and tools were also loaded inside; for nothing could be left behind now that there was no coming back until if and after the city had been saved. While work was being done on the car, everyone else was frantically packing up any important supplies that they deemed important which were necessary along the dangerous journey; despite the astronomical odds of living through this hellish reality. Janine and Ilyssa quickly cleaned out any food and water supplies from the upstairs kitchen, Slimer and Saya helped Egon gather his maintenance tools in case any equipment needed repairing; Michiru and Venkman both carried the Persian rug and unrolled it behind the vehicle which was facing the garage door. Once they were all ready, everyone met at the car and quickly formulated the first step in the overall plan; breaking out and making a run for the Hudson River.

"Okay, I'm going to make this short and simple; Ilyssa is going to drive Ecto-1 while Janine navigates using the city map." Egon explained, handing a map and the car keys to each of the ladies as everyone gathered together to listen carefully. "I'll be in the right hand passenger seat at the front while the rest of us are in the back covering every open window so that we can fire our weapons at what ever attempts to attack us. Michiru, you along with Slimer and Saya will be flying above us using that magic carpet of yours; your task is to get a bird's eye view of the road ahead of us so that we'll know in advance whether or not it's safe for us to drive on. With all the destruction out there, it will be extremely hazardous for all of us, our objective is the river dock where all the boats are anchored at; and then we can commence our search for our final destination. According to the Mandala as all of you remember, the fourth and final node is located somewhere in the Hudson River; on an island or a land bridge of some sort which should be present now that the ghost world has already come broken through to ours. From then on, we fight our way until we face and defeat the node guardian; that will seal the final portal and theoretically the ghost world should be forced back inside of its own dimension before it can completely merge with our own if we make it in time."

"Or it will most likely collapse upon itself inside of our dimension since it hasn't fully entered yet, so our city and this world will be saved; theoretically speaking of course." Ray warned quickly. "If anyone has any questions or comments, now would be a splendid time; we'll be heading out in five minutes."

"That's nice to look forward too, thanks Ray." Venkman commented, causing Winston and Egon to grin momentarily at their partner's reply.

"I'd like to say something, no matter what happens out there; I've had a heck of a great time just being with all of you." Michiru said, holding his right hand out; sharing a handshake with Ray and next with Egon as everyone took turns doing the same as well.

"See you at the end of all this, we'll have ourselves another great party; twice as good as the last one." Venkman commented with a grin.

"Stay alert while you're up there above our heads Mitch, and be sure to give us all one big magic show in this final fight." Winston said humorously, shaking the Kururugi boy's hand.

"You bet Winston, you guys dish out your own hell too; I'll be watching." Michiru countered with a grin before sharing a handshake with Egon. "You're riding shot gun in the front Egon, keep Ilyssa and Janine safe and I'll do my part as well."

"I know I can count on you Michiru, watch yourself up there; we'll see you at the river." Egon replied with a proud expression on his face.

"Don't get lost up there in the sky, and be sure not to get hurt either; good luck to you Mitch." Janine said, giving the Japanese student a hug to show her concern before she gave Egon one was well.

"Were counting on you to navigate for us Janine, so do your best out there; and don't get scared." Michiru replied with chuckle before turning to Ilyssa who was trying to stop her eyes from becoming teary. "Don't worry Ilyssa, all of us will be protecting you so try and cheer up; a smiling face looks much better on you than a teary eyed face does."

"You be careful up there and don't stray far from us or the car, I really wish you were inside with the rest of us…" Ilyssa said, managing a weak smile on her face before taking the teenage boy in a huge hug; holding him for fifteen seconds until she reluctantly released him from her embrace. "You would make a great boyfriend for any lucky girl no matter which era they dwell in, this one or the Feudal era one; I'm sure Utsugi and Kakuju would be just as proud of you as all of us are. Make sure you stay alive until the end, when this is all over; we wouldn't be able to have a big party for saving the city if you weren't there to celebrate it with us. Saya, Slimer; watch out for him okay."

"Yes ma'am." Saya answered while Slimer grunted and gave a quick salute with his right arm, everyone except for Michiru and the two friendly ghosts then got inside the car; Ilyssa turned on the engine as all the lights and alarms bringing Ecto-1 to life.

"Radio check." Egon stated into his hand radio, easily hearing the sound from all the other receivers in the car; including Ecto-1's radio.

"Coming in loud and clear Egon." Ray answered as he along with the other male adults squatted down on their knees in the back of the car to get into suitable defensive positions. "I've got the rear covered, and am standing by with my proton pack switched on and ready."

"Copy that, keep calling in; departing in two minutes time counting down from right…now." Egon ordered as he checked his wristwatch.

"Venkman here, the right side of our assault car is covered; I am locked and loaded for battle." Venkman replied humorously with a grin.

"Winston here, covering the left side of our ride; ready to move out Egon." Winston replied, all serious and ready for what was to come.

"Michiru here, I'm airborne and ready to follow as soon as Ecto-1 leaves the building." Michiru responded, having already used his Shikigami powers to bring the magic carpet to life while everyone else was busy with their radio checks. "Saya and Slimer are ready too."

"Roger that Mitch, though I wouldn't exactly call you airborne seeing as how you're floating only three feet off the floor." Egon replied, getting chuckles from everyone whom Michiru could hear over his hand radio.

"Better than being crammed into the passenger side of a car with a bulky proton pack on my back." Michiru countered before asking. "How can you possibly sit inside there without being uncomfortable?"

"No need to worry Michiru, my proton back is sitting on the floor just between by legs so I can sit comfortably and still shoot; the positron collider has just enough slack to let me aim it freely inside which allows me to shoot at anything that attacks from my side." Egon answered before directing orders. "Alright Janine, we're at the Firehouse here and we need to drive to the nearest boating dock on the Hudson river using the shortest route available; but we might have to change course if the roads are too hazardous to drive on which is why we're relying on Michiru to give us a bird's eye view from above along the way."

"Got it Egon, let's first get on the road and head the direction of the Sedgewick Hotel; we can then turn at the river until we find the closest boating dock which also happens to be nearest to where your alignment mandala map shows the final node to be located." Janine instructed after looking over the map quickly. "I'll give you directions Ilyssa, you just have to floor it so we can get all the way there ASAP; I'll use the car radio and give Michiru directions so he knows where to look and where to go while he flies above us."

"Understood, make sure you keep talking to him so we can tell that he's alright up there; we'll only have his voice to rely on for that." Ilyssa replied. "Okay Egon, the door is now opening and we'll be heading out on the count of three; one…two…three. Ready or not, here we go!"

"Floor it!" Janine shouted as she become terrified from the sight of Venom crawlers and slime fiends which were now coming inside.

"This is going to get ugly!" Ilyssa warned as Ecto-1 drove out and rammed into the oncoming horde of animated monsters which blocked its path to get on the main road; gobs of black slime drenched all over the place from where they had been run over and crushed by the moving vehicle. "Alright, we're on the main road now; give me enough warning in advance so I can change direction from this point on."

"Gotcha Ilyssa, you're heading in the correct direction now so we won't need to turn until we reach the T intersection at the road which runs along the Hudson River; that's about five minutes or ten minutes away from where we are here." Janine replied with her instructions.

"How am I supposed to avoid hitting people while I'm driving in such a hurry?" Ilyssa asked with concern as she continued to drive, frantically turning right and left which caused Ecto-1 to fishtail; making the car ride for everyone to be a very bumpy experience. "Even with the high beams turned on, I can hardly tell the difference between people and monsters at in all this chaos."

"Get used to it Ilyssa, this is all just part of the job; we do it all the time when the situation depends it." Egon replied, looking ahead in an effort to help Ilyssa out even though he wouldn't be of much use given how fast they were driving at. "There are ghosts coming at us!"

"Alright guys come and get it; I've got a freshly charged proton stream just for you." Winston shouted, firing his weapon at an attacking Hobo ghost that darted over in an attempt to strike at Ilyssa; ensnaring the entity and flinging it away in the opposite direction behind them.

"How are we supposed to fight these ghosts without any traps to capture them in?" Venkman complained, suddenly aware of the disadvantages they were now forced to contend with during their speedy advance through the chaotic surroundings of a now ruined city.

"Just keep firing Venkman, slam the ghosts into the ground once you ensnare them guys; that's the best we can do under the circumstances." Egon replied over his hand radio after hearing Venkman's complaint.

"These guys just don't know when to quit and rest in peace do they?" Michiru asked sarcastically, glancing around while tailing behind Ecto-1; hovering about five feet above the road in an effort to see ahead in order to warn Ilyssa in advance of anything hazardous.

"Well manage Michiru, don't worry; we've been in tough spots before." Ray said encouragingly, trying to cheer up his young teenage friend. "Remember that we made a stand inside of the Firehouse against all those escaped ghosts we had imprisoned, those we didn't recapture flew away like frightened cowards; pretty sad considering that they're afraid even though their ghosts."

"I hate to ruin your recollection of glory during our stand at the Firehouse Ray, but I think some of those ghosts have returned for a second round." Michiru warned after spotting a massive horde of ghosts flying high up in the sky some distance ahead of where he and the others were currently driving towards.

"We see them Michiru, thanks for the heads up; just keep driving Ilyssa and we'll hold them off." Egon replied after spotting them as well.

"I hope you guys still have some fight left in you, because we're about to be swarmed and surrounded." Ilyssa warned as she accelerated the car by stepping down more on the gas pedal. "You be careful out there Michiru, remember that you've got a family and friends to go home too back in Japan."

"Thank you for reminding me…again." Michiru mumbled quietly to himself, making Slimer and Saya laugh at how annoyed the Kururugi boy was for being told to be careful over and over again despite how he managed to survive so many dangerous situations thus far.

"Geez! Keep these ghosts and monsters away from the car guys!" Ilyssa ordered in a loud voice as a ghost nearly came in through the left side of Ecto-1 before Winston managed to catch and slam it in the pavement just in the nick of time.

"Your crazy driving is making it difficult Ilyssa!" Venkman countered, dousing a slime fiend with his slime blower while being shaken about inside of the car with Ray and Winston who were in the back with him. "We can shoot and slam, but we can lessen the number of ghosts we're fighting unless we can imprison them; we don't have any traps!"

"Yes we do!" Michiru countered, an idea popping into his head as he used his Shikigami magic to make the flying carpet rise higher above the road while staying the same distance behind Ecto-1; causing Ray to become momentarily captivated by the young boy's achievement. "Ray, keep your eyes open and shoot anything that attacks either of us from behind; I've got a plan to even things up for all of us here."

"Got it Michiru, I'll cover you from down here; good luck to you." Ray replied into his hand radio as he positioned himself more comfortably in an effort to provide quick combat support for his Kururugi friend. "There are a couple of ghosts attacking you from behind, four from bellow and four from above; I'm going to fire at them so watch yourself."

"Slimer, Saya; take my positron collider." Michiru instructed, holding it out for the two friendly entities to take; Slimer holding the weapon and Saya standing by the firing trigger. "While I keep flying, you two need to aim and fire the weapon at any ghost that attacks us; then pull them into proximity of the Super Slammer trap on the roof of Ecto-1. Keep your eyes open, take your time and fire carefully."

"Got it Michiru." Saya answered while Slimer nodded. "Okay, time to see how well we do with this weapon; one round coming up now."

Michiru kept his hands holding on the edge of the flying carpet as he carefully observed his surroundings along with the terrain ahead of Ecto-1, Slimer aimed the positron collider and Saya fired it; ensnaring and slamming each ghost into the trap so long as they could pull their prey into proximity without accidentally striking the moving vehicle. Despite how clumsy and awkward the situation looked from Ray's perspective as he watched the three of them up in the air, the team was doing well and managed to successfully trap the ghosts that they were able to see and shoot at; Michiru vented the proton pack frequently so they could continue shooting at ghosts. It was a rather funny sight to see, Michiru on a flying carpet with two ghosts learning to shoot and capture other ghost; aiming the positron collider around as if it was a rotating gun turret on a bomber of some sort. In addition to shooting at ghosts that were attacking Michiru, they were also able to shoot at ghosts attacking Ecto-1 from above where the Ghostbusters couldn't aim their weapons at; Michiru also used his Shikigami magic to throw fire balls at attacking slime fiends before they could climb aboard of Ecto-1 in the event that they managed to avoid being run over when hit hard by a moving vehicle.

"Oh uh, Michiru; look out from behind!" Ray yelled into his hand radio, causing Ilyssa to hold her breath, fearing for the young boy's life.

"Ray, what's going on back there?" Janine asked into the radio com after taking notice of Ilyssa's uneasiness as the young woman drove.

"Uh, Michiru was attacked by a horde of ghosts from behind and well…he got the carpet pulled out from under him." Ray reluctantly answered, causing poor Ilyssa's eyes to widen with fear. "I can tell you he's alright; it's just that I can't see him from where I am in the car."

"Well enlighten us Ray, if you can't see Michiru; THEN WHERE IS HE?" Janine yelled into the radio com, making everyone cringe with pain at the loud echoing voice coming out of each person's hand radio; until a loud bang was heard against the roof of the car. "UH OH!"

"Don't worry everyone, it's just me." Michiru answered through his hand radio, causing everyone to exchange glances in utter disbelief.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING ON THE ROOF OF THE CAR MICHIRU?" Ilyssa asked loudly in a worried voice after snatching the radio com from Janine's hand.

"Catching a ride?" Michiru answered, causing everyone except for Ilyssa and Janine to laugh at the boy's humorous response. "Excuse me for putting you on hold, I've got some J walkers to take care of; just keep driving and please don't slam on the breaks without warning me first."

"Don't worry Ilyssa; you're doing fine; just like Michiru's doing." Janine said soothingly as Ilyssa continued to drive Ecto-1, striking individual slime fiends one after another; taking care of any that Michiru couldn't blast out of the way with some powerful boson darts.

"Michiru, look up ahead; there's a horde of slime fiends and gargoyles on the road we're supposed to be turning on at the river." Saya warned as Slimer gently shook the young man's shoulder to get his attention of the dangerous situation that they were driving towards.

"Okay, time to catch and smash; take my positron collider again guys." Michiru ordered, holding out the weapon for Slimer and Saya to take. "Shikigami fire, come forth in my hand!"

Once again, Slimer and Saya covered Michiru from behind and above by shooting and trapping attacking enemy entities into the Super Slammer while the Kururugi boy used his Shikigami magic to cause and throw fireballs one right after the other at any gargoyles that came close enough to hit. The Ghostbusters continued to do their part by covering the flanks and lower rear of the car, but when Ilyssa had to make a sharp turn to the left and get on to the road running by the river; it was one heck of an obstacle with so many opponents attacking from on the road and in the air. Since the stone gargoyles and Slime fiends were more dangerous than any of the ghosts were, Michiru took back his positron collider and sprayed a layer of positively charged slime over the engine hood at the front of the car; this made the hood slippery and also helped to stop Slime fiends from climbing aboard since they couldn't stand coming into contact with the freshly sprayed substance. Unfortunately that didn't stop the stone gargoyles from launching their attacks at Ecto-1, Michiru along with Saya and Slimer had their hands full; doing anything that they possibly could to keep them away. Michiru used his positron collider to ensnare and slam the stone monsters into the paved road where they smashed on contact while Saya and Slimer managed to taunt some of the gargoyles to fly within striking range of the other Ghostbusters who took advantage of the opportunity; bringing down more of the animated monsters in an effort to support their teenage friend who was still perched on top of Ecto-1's roof.

"How much farther do we have to drive now Janine?" Ilyssa asked curiously as she kept her full attention on the road in front of her.

"We should be arriving at the docks in a minute or two, we should be able to see them with lots of motor boats on our right side; take a look Egon." Janine asked just moments before a stone gargoyle suddenly landed on Ecto-1's engine hood with a loud impact, scaring the living daylights out of her and the others seated in the front of the car. "AHH! WE'RE BEING ATTACKED! GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!"

"I'M TRYING!" Michiru shouted back after firing a proton stream in an attempt to capture the monster so he could hoist it up off the car and slam it into the ground.

"IT'S TRYING TO BREAK THROUGH, COVER YOUR EYES AND FACE; THE WINDSHEILD'S CRACKING APART!" Egon shouted.

"How's Ilyssa supposed to see where she's driving if she can't see Egon?" Venkman cut in, not fully grasping the greater danger that they were now in.

"VENKMAN NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO BE JOKING AROUND!" Michiru countered loudly in response, finally hoisting the monster away and slamming it into the ground before another took its place. "YOUR SHOT EGON, COVER YOUR EYES LADIES; IT'LL BE BIG!"

"NOW!" Egon yelled, blasting away the stone gargoyle with a boson dart fired at point blank range; the shockwave causing any remaining fragments of glass to fall off leaving the space completely empty where the windshield had once been right in front of them. "PHEW!"

"Look Egon, there's an island in the middle of the river; and there's a powerful aura of green light coming from it." Janine pointed out.

"That must be the location of the final mandala node, makes sense to have it on an island since it's on the river." Egon exclaimed while looking at it. "Unfortunately for us, it looks as though all of the boats are wrecked; we won't be able to go to the island now."

"Mission scrubbed; let's drive across one of bridges and leave Manhattan Island while we still have a chance; that sounds like a good change of plans." Venkman responded, holding his free hand up. "All those in favour, please raise your hands."

"Oh brightly burning light! Hear my prayer!" Light of Judgement!" Michiru called out as he invoked his Shikigami magic, summoning his powerful Serpentine dragon familiar who appeared flying about five feet above the car; creating a blanket of orange and red light all around which warded off any attackers and simultaneously caught the attention of those who were looking outside of the car windows. "My friends and I need your help to safely see all of us over to the island in the middle of the river, please take us there my friend."

"What was that?" Janine asked, hearing a sudden noise echoing through the inside of Ecto-1 before everyone felt as though they had been lifted off the ground by some unknown force; throwing everyone off balance as they beheld what was happening. "Oh my god!"

"Holy cow guys, we're flying in a car! We're flying in a car!" Winston stammered in disbelief as he looked out the window and saw how high they were being carried.

"O-Okay everybody, j-just stay calm and we'll be fine; t-there's n-nothing to scared off." Ray mumbled as he tried to remain calm, despite the sight of stone gargoyles which were being slaughtered outside by the multiple multicoloured lightning bolts in addition to the flaming hot breath of the Serpentine dragon that was presently carrying Ecto-1 and its passengers over the Hudson River towards the island.

"What do you mean there's nothing to be scared of?" Janine shrieked, her eyes widening into ovals like spoons while Egon tried to calm her down by holding her in his arms.

"M-Michiru, what are you doing right now?" Ilyssa asked, too frightened to look down from her side door window. "A-Are you alright?"

"I'm fine Ilyssa, you can take your foot off of the gas pedal now; my friend and I have everything under control." Michiru replied back.

Once they were being born aloft and across the river, the mythical spiritual familiar descended downwards until it arrived at the island; setting down Ecto-1 on the rocky ground with a loud crashing noise that scared everyone inside as they came to their senses; receiving the gratitude of the Shikigami user before vanishing into thin air now that its task was accomplished. Venkman, Winston and Ray got out of the vehicle quickly; having had enough of being inside after such a dangerous road trip. Egon calmly got out, but he had to pull Janine out since she was still shaken up from the ordeal of flying through the air in a car; poor Ilyssa hadn't moved at all until Michiru gently pried her hands from the steering wheel and then she finally came to her senses as well. Before anyone could admire the scenery of the island or decide what to do next, a giant amount of concrete rumble rouse out of the water and connected the island with where the docks were located; creating a land bridge for the gathering army of animated monsters which now poured across to chase after the Ghostbusters who had so miraculously escaped thanks to the help of Michiru's Shikigami familiar.

"That army of monsters is pouring across that bridge; I suggest we get ourselves out of here!" Winston yelled sarcastically in alert.

"I can't believe what we just did, Mitch; look what happened to our car!" Ray stated, coming to his senses as he beheld the scratched paint marks all over Ecto-1's roof; along with the burn marks and other minor damages on the famous Ghostbusters's company car.

"Ray, Come ON!" Venkman stated, yanking the man by the arm in and effort to get him moving as everyone started running together.

Unfortunately, the ground was too rugged and impassable for Ecto-1 to drive on and so the company was forced to leave the famed company car behind in an effort to escape with their lives; along with all the provisions and equipment which had been packed inside as well. Without wasting a moment, the band of companions along with Slimer and Saya fled up the nearest hill so they could find a more defensible position to make a stand and fight; the ancient and haunted looking castle which was a mysterious surprise offered the perfect refuge for their immediate need; regardless of what dangers waited them inside of it. After about five minutes of running uphill using a stone path which tired out everyone's legs, the group finally arrived at the castle gates which were fifteen feet wide by twenty-five feet high; it was the only place to go under the circumstances. Once each of the exhausted individuals rushed inside, Egon and Michiru quickly pushed the massive doors closed from the inside; locking them together with a large wooden beam to brace them shut. A sudden impact from outside told them that the army of animated monsters had caught up to them and was now attempting to force open the doors so they could flood inside and attack. To make matters worse, another earthquake shook the castle and caused the ground to open up a twelve-foot wide gap between the group; isolating the majority of the Ghostbusters at an area in front of the castle gates and cutting them off from Michiru who was on the other side with Ilyssa and Janine.

"We're trapped here at the gates with an army outside trying to break in, there's no way we'll have enough time to find a way across; we'll have to make our stand right here." Egon said regretfully as he and Michiru backed away from the doors to take battle positions with the other Ghostbusters. "Michiru, use your magic to take Janine and Ilyssa with you back to an earlier point in time; then you can search out the node guardian and defeat it in order to save the city. The rest of us will keep the monsters at bay while you cast your spell, no arguments; that's my final order to you as your boss and employer. With any luck, the city will be saved and us along with it; get going."

"If I can use my magic to help carry a car over a river, I can certainly use it to get all of you across a mere chasm; you don't have to do this Egon!" Michiru objected before he was grabbed and dragged away by Janine and Ilyssa who were pulling him away from the edge of the chasm his fellow combatants whom he and befriended and fought beside over and over again. "Let go of me! I'm not leaving all of you behind to fight that army alone!"

"There isn't enough time, save your strength and your magic; you'll need them both to keep the ladies safe and to fight the node guardian." Ray stated. "Saya, Slimer; you two catch up to Michiru after you've helped us out here for a bit."

"Saya and Slimer!" Egon shouted, getting the attention of the two friendly spiritual entities as Michiru was fighting to free himself even though he was being dragged away against his will. "You may be ghosts, but you're both still part of this Ghostbusters team! We're counting on each of you to do your utmost in this battle against an army that awaits us on the other side of those close castle gates!"

"You don't have to ask Egon, we're both ready." Saya replied, floating beside Slimer who clenched his green fist and grinned eagerly.

"Ghosts, ladies and gentlemen! All of you are Ghostbusters! It's been an honour knowing you and working with you throughout the times we've had together!" Venkman shouted looking back, building up the morale of every combatant despite what they would have to face in a moment or two. "Are we going to let ourselves be defeated by an army of slimy, rotten monsters on a beautiful November night like tonight?"

"NO!" Everyone shouted in response, completely unfazed by the continued hammer blows by the army outside of the castle gates.

"Its now up to Michiru and the ladies to save the world, if that army of monsters wants to stop them; they have to come through us first!" Venkman shouted again.

"YEAH!" Everyone shouted as the massive doors were suddenly forced open and battered down; allowing the monsters; slime fiends and stone gargoyles alike to flood in and attack the outnumbered paranormal exterminators who welcomed them with a barrage of boson darts before using their other weapons which were equipped to the proton pack.

"YOU WANT A PIECE OF THIS? COME AND GET IT!" Winston yelled after discharging a proton stream and using it to slam an ensnared stone gargoyle into a horde of slime fiends; crushing them all with a powerful blow before they could attack him and his friends.

"POUR IT INTO EM GUYS!" Venkman shouted, blasting boson darts over and over again in an effort to destroy as many foes as possible and simultaneously using the shockwave of each single explosion to keep oncoming attackers away from where the Ghostbusters stood.

"KEEP AT EM! KEEP AT EM!" Egon ordered, amazed that the four of them could this long against an infinite force of deadly monsters.

"THE LONGER WE HOLD, THE MORE TIME WE BY FOR THE OTHERS!" Ray declared, hosing down numerous slime fiends with his Mark 2 slime blower; taking advantage of the deadly firepower of his other combatants who kept their enemies from getting close enough to overwhelm them in close quarters combat for now at least. "THE MORE WE KILL, THE LESS LEFT OVER FOR MICHIRU TO FIGHT!"

"I require your aid once again my friend." Michiru said weakly, being out of breath and close to exhaustion for using his magic so soon after casting his Light of Judgement spell when the Serpentine dragon familiar had carried Ecto-1 across the river and placed its passengers on the island. "I beg of you to go to the aid of my friends battling at the castle gates so they can be brought over to the other side here where I am, if they can't be rescued; then please give them as much aid as you can so they can hold out and fight a while longer. I know its a lot to ask of you after doing such a huge task a short while ago, but I value the lives of those I care about above everything else; in this world or the Feudal era."

"Let's go Michiru, we've got to hurry so come on." Janine said anxiously, despite not wanting to leave Egon or the others behind as the fire breathing familiar flew over and went to the aid of the Ghostbusters who were being forced back to the edge of the chasm; with a pool of hot molten lava at the bottom of the thirty-foot deep hole in the crack of the earth which had recently opened up inside of the castle.

"Look, there are dimensional portals in here; just like those that I saw and passed through in the alternate version of the Library just a few days ago." Michiru pointed out, stepping up to the closest one out of half a dozen of them that were located on each side of the huge hall that lead through to other chambers of the castle; capturing the teenager's curiosity. "I wonder if I could them to get…wooah!"

"Another earthquake!" Ilyssa warned as the ground shook and cracked yet again. "Look out! The ceiling is falling apart!"

"Get out of the way!" Janine shouted while losing balance and falling into a dimensional portal before it was crushed from falling debris.

"We can find her if we take a portal and get closer to where ever it is that she might have gone, come on Ilyssa; let's go." Michiru said, taking Ilyssa by the hand and running for another nearby portal. "I'm afraid we won't be able to contact her since she doesn't have a hand radio, we'll just have to keep our eyes open for a sign of her as we explore the castle's interior; provided we don't get ourselves lost."

"Michiru, you've used your Shikigami magic too much already; you're barely managing to stay on your own feet as it is." Ilyssa pointed out as she carefully examined the Kururugi boy from head to toe with her sharp eyes, slowing down to a halt just in front of the dimensional portal so she could continue talking before they went on any further. "Maybe I should carry your proton pack for you so it'll be easier for you to walk and run, I'm a tough girl and I'm nearly twice your age so I can manage it; now hurry and take it off so I can haul it."

"Very well Ilyssa, you win." Michiru reluctantly replied as he removed the bulky equipment from his back and helped the young woman strap it on her own, waiting for her to adjust the shoulder straps until she was wearing it comfortably; glad that she was still in a somewhat cheerful mood despite their current predicament. "Do you even know how to use that properly?"

"Well…no." Ilyssa answered, receiving a questionable look from Michiru until she gave him one of her devious smiles as they were about to enter it.. "But that's what I have you here for, I need someone how knows how it works so they can teach me to operate it properly."

"Lucky me, come on; we can learn on the move." Michiru replied as he walked through the portal with Ilyssa beside him; thinking how dangerous she now looked with a deadly proton pack on her back combined with her black leather clothes that she was dressed in.

"Wooah!" Ilyssa shrieked as she suddenly fell without warning, her cry alerting Michiru just in time before he found himself pulled to the edge of a very small ledge which the two of them had found themselves on after crossing through a portal and exiting out of another.

"AHH!" Michiru cried painfully upon impacting the stone floor, his head and heck along with his arms hanging over the edge of what had once been a stone bridge; a view below showed that the environment closely resembled the alternate dimension where he had been separated from the Ghostbusters and had to take various portals in an attempt to meet up with them again. "Are you alright Ilyssa?"

"Yes Michiru, I'm alright; sorry about your arm." Ilyssa answered, hanging on to the Kururugi boy's right hand with her left as she and Michiru each tried reaching out their other arms to take hold of their other hands; the weight of the proton pack disrupting her movements. "This is just like that night when we first met each other and we were both hanging thirty stories above the ground, only I'm the one who's now wearing a proton pack instead of you; but you're still the one who's saving my life as always."

"Don't kid around Ilyssa, we need to get out of this mess; starting with pulling you back up to the ledge." Michiru ordered, trying to lift his own body just a few inches off in order to move around easier so he could attempt to hoist Ilyssa up to the ledge with only his right arm.

"I don't think you can pull me back up this time Michiru, not with one arm; we both know you're tired out as it is." Ilyssa stated before looking down at the floor of another chamber where another portal stood directly underneath her which was thirty-feet below the ledge.

"I don't have a choice, there's no other way to pull you back up myself; I haven't enough energy to cast magic right now." Michiru replied, trying again to pull Ilyssa upwards; only managing a few inches before his strength gave out and forced him to catch his breath again.

"Michiru, I know how painful its going to be; but you have to let me fall." Ilyssa said softly, causing Michiru to jolt his head up and look down at her; his eyes widening in disbelief and what he had just heard her say. "I'll fall through the portal and go somewhere else inside of the castle, from the ledge; you should be able to see where I end up if I come out of one of the portals that you can see all around you."

"No, we stay together; either we both fall or no one falls." Michiru declared, trying to reason with Ilyssa who just hung below smiling back up at him; there wasn't any fear in her eyes at all while his eyes were completely filled with fear of losing her and having to watch her fall.

"Michiru please…you've already saved my life many times as you well remember; its time I've saved yours by letting go so that you can go on and try to set things right with the world." Ilyssa said soothingly, hiding the hurt that she felt for seeing Michiru's sad face as his eyes welled up with tears; tears which were now falling down from his cheeks and landing on her own. "I know you're afraid I'll die, but I'm not going to die because that portal below me will take me somewhere else once I pass through it; then you can meet up with me after you've found out where I've gone."

"If you fall, I'm coming after you; you can be sure of that." Michiru countered, hoping to change the mind of the leather clad beauty.

"No you won't, you need to stay there and watch all of the portals that you can see in case I come out of one of them; that will allow us to meet up together." Ilyssa replied while keeping her attention focused on Michiru's face and nothing else. "Besides that you need to rest yourself before you can go on any further, you said yourself that you don't have enough energy to cast magic right now; I can't just hang here while you rest and weaken the strength of your arm and body."

"I could cast a recovery spell which what little energy I have left, then I'll be strong enough to pull you up on my own." Michiru suggested. "Or I could cast the same spell I used to make the carpet fly, I could cause you to levitate and come back up to the ledge no problem."

"If you cast your magic again, you could overexert yourself and pass out now even if you could recover all your physical strength." Ilyssa warned, her very words hurting Michiru even more since he refused to let her fall even though he was tire. "The others are also relying on you, if you're too weak or take too long to recover than everything they've achieved will have all been for nothing; you have to let me go."

"I'm won't, I'm going to pull you to safety even if it drains me of everything I have left; and that's final." Michiru declared, using every single ounce of strength his arm could possibly give him while he pulled Ilyssa up with his right and balanced himself on the ledge with his left; until he was too tired to pull any longer. But before the young woman could say anything else to change his mind, he used his left hand to unravel his blue neck tie and let the fat end fall down to her while he held on to the thin end; effectively using it as an improvised rope. "Ilyssa, you can pull yourself up with my tie until you're close enough to climb back on to the ledge; I'll hold this end with both my hands."

After taking hold of the fat end of the blue tie, Ilyssa let go of Michiru's right hand and pulled herself up with both of her own; gradually getting closer with every few inches that she gained. While she slowly ascended, the Kururugi boy took a moment to move his right arm and hand about so that they'd be more comfortable and ready to grasp the tie; making sure he won't loose grip of it now that he held it firmly with both hands. However, as Ilyssa pulled herself up within reach of the ledge; a sudden sound broke the silence which alerted her that something was wrong. When she had an idea of what it was, she suddenly paused and kept still so she could listen for it more clearly if it continued; causing Michiru to look at her curiously as he was undoubtedly wondering why she was stopped all of a sudden. Once she had stopped, her head was almost level with Michiru's and she could look right into his eyes; their faces with barely about five inches apart from one another. The teenager also became aware of the faint sound as well, but his eyes suddenly widened with fear just as soon as he recognized it; for both of his hands were grasping the tie and he couldn't let go since it was wrapped around them to help him hold with a firm grip. Ilyssa wasn't close enough to the ledge to grab hold of it, so she pulled herself up just enough to look Michiru in the eyes and give him a beautiful smile before planting her mouth over his trembling lips; giving the teary eyed boy a soft and gentle kiss. For that brief moment when their lips touched together, Michiru's sensed shut off; causing reality to disappear entirely.

When Ilyssa broke contact almost fifteen seconds later, they switched back on like they were rebooting themselves; starting with his mind. After unravelling his right hand from the tie, Michiru shot out his right arm in a desperate attempt to grab hold of her arm; for it was within reach. But it was too late, the tiny tear in the blue tie had torn more and more from the weight it was suspending until it eventually snapped; causing Ilyssa to fall before the Shikigami user could grab hold of her arm with his hand. In absolute silence, Michiru helplessly watched Ilyssa all thirty-feet until she passed into the dimensional portal below; vanishing from sight in the blink of an eye. The traumatized teenager heaved himself back up until he was kneeling on the ledge without in danger of falling off of it, he then looked around frantically in all directions and far as he could see; checking each and every portal that was visible for a sign of the leather clad beauty. Another careful look around confirmed that his female friend was nowhere to be seen; she must have gone somewhere else in the castle far away from where he was located. It was possible that she had survived the fall, so long as she had a soft landing and if she didn't injure herself depending on what she had landed on and how; she also had the proton pack with her with enabled Ilyssa to defend herself against anything that might attack her or so Michiru hoped.

"Oh flowing mighty river, g-give me your blessing; great river blessing." Michiru said softly between sobs, trying to cast a Shikigami spell; the fish familiar that nearly looked like a red salmon with a pool of crystal clear water around it helping to heal the crying boy until his strength and energy had been completely recovered.

Although he had been told to take a brief rest, Michiru was already saddened enough after everything he had experienced thus far up to now; he couldn't just sit alone on a stone ledge and cry his eyes out because that would solve nothing. He wanted to go after Ilyssa now, remembering that some dimensional portals don't last for very long pressed him to continue on; for he couldn't follow or catch up to Ilyssa if the portal below him vanished and left him stranded. While there were plenty of other portals around, this was the only one he could reach; so there was nothing else for it. But in the event that he came out somewhere hazardous, he might arrive too late to be of any help to Ilyssa if she were injured or in some sort of danger; and he wouldn't know what the environment was until after he arrives which would be of little use to him. So if he wanted to be in a position to save Ilyssa, he would have to arrive at that location first before she did; which meant he would have to travel back in time by about ten minutes or so. Attempting to travel through time was a very risky move inside of a hazardous environment such as this, especially without any guarantee that this place would remain unchanged and uninhabited in certain areas; this castle couldn't possibly be devoid of paranormal activity and monsters which came from the ghost world.

"I suppose I have no choice if I want to arrive there first before Ilyssa does so I can be there for her, besides that; I need to see if I can travel through time anyway while I'm stuck in this place." Michiru pondered out loud before clearing his throat as he pulled out ten sutras from his pants' pocket. "Oh Shikigami, please help me overcome the flow of time while I cast this spell of mine."

Once he cast the ten sutras down below him, they all formed a perfect circle around him from where he was standing; the magical pieces of paper floating an inch off the ground on the edge of the ledge where the Kururugi boy was presently standing. Focusing his mind and concentrating carefully on what to do, Michiru breathed calmly as he stepped forward and off of the ledge; falling freely through the air as Ilyssa had a few minutes ago. But the circle along with the sutras followed Michiru and made sure that he always remained at their centre; the glowing star shaped pentagram also kept in perfect position as it continued spinning in a counter clockwise direction. The five sutras which represented the Chinese elements and the other five which represented the Japanese traditions began doing their work so that casting the spell would be a success, multiple Shikigami familiars appeared and soared around Michiru as they took their physical forms; standing out brilliantly thanks to the colourful light that radiated from them. The red fish surrounded by water while the lion surrounded by orange and red fire, the green bird surrounded by a green mist; and finally the golden white Serpentine dragon surrounded by multicoloured lightning bolts. In addition to the animal Shikigami familiars, there was also the lush Magatama tree glowing with its mysterious magical aura of green light as well as the giant black Serpentine rock with its golden sparkles blanketed on it; until it shattered into millions of fragments as Michiru remembered it doing when ever he cast this particular spell.

Although the means and methods for casting the spell remained unchanged, there was something different about this occasion which hadn't happened before during the first two tries Michiru had performed it at the Firehouse; something he had failed to notice until it was too late. On the previous occasions when Michiru had travelled through time, whether it was backwards or forwards; he had been standing still in the same spot throughout the entire experience. Unlike those occasions, he was falling through the air and although he was being slowed down to travel backwards in time; he continued to fall until he landed on his feet. But before he would land on his feet, he would first pass through the dimensional portal which Ilyssa had fallen through just a few minutes earlier; and that wasn't a good sign. The black vortex appeared beneath Michiru's feet, slowly engulfing him until he was fully swallowed up inside; inside is when he'd feel like being in outer space because of the awesome sight of infinite stars shining all around him. But before the black vortex could fully close itself, it along with Michiru passed through the dimensional portal which mysteriously became infused with the vortex he was already travelling inside of; causing a tremendous reaction of catastrophic proportions as massive paranormal energy surges and multicoloured lightning strikes surrounded the Shikigami user who was now forced to wait for the inevitable consequences until his journey had ended. After what seemed like a very long and unbearable minute of danger, everything eventually faded into darkness as Michiru suddenly landed with a crash on the ground; too tired to see the aftermath of what his altered or unaltered travel had done and where it had taken him.

"Ow, oh man. Where or when an earth am I?" Michiru asked quietly, slowly opening his eyes after feeling as though he had been asleep for at least several hours; he was surprised to find himself alone in complete darkness. "My feet, and legs feel so sore; must have been from that long fall. I can't see anything, it feels strangely claustrophobic in here for some reason; and its also unusually quiet as well. Hold on, what's this that I'm feeling here with my hands? What ever it is, it feels like brick; though I can't tell because my eyes haven't adjusted to look around in the dark yet. Well if I crawl slowly while I feel my way around, I might be able to figure out where I've landed myself; provided I'm lucky enough to find a clue."

Moving with extreme caution, Michiru slowly crawled around on his hands and knees; feeling what he thought was a brick wall and a brick floor which lead him to belief that he was still inside of the castle where he remembered he had been before travelling back in time. However, his thoughts caused him to change his mind after making several important observations which clearly indicated that he wasn't inside of a castle or the castle he had once been in; and this was a very serious turn of events. To start off, Ilyssa was nowhere to be found and second; he was inside of a very narrow space with brick walls on all sides. Looking upwards, all Michiru could see was darkness; for there was no dimensional portal which obviously meant he was entirely somewhere else. But before he could hazard any guesses as to where or when he could possibly be, the teenager made two more discoveries; one below and one above him. Unlike the wall which had nothing out of the ordinary from what Michiru could deduce with only his hands to rely on, the floor felt different in certain areas; for he could feel with his fingers that there wasn't just brick that made up the floor on which he was crawling along inside of what felt like a deep pit.

"There's brick along the walls, but something else is embedded in the floor; though I can't see what." Michiru said softly while examining what he could with his hands and fingers, moving ever so slowly to pick out as many details as possible; trying to paint a picture in his mind with his imagination. "The surfaces are smooth, soft when compared with the rock hard bricks; multiple pieces in various shapes and sizes altogether like…bones of a skeleton. Bricks and bones, wait a minute; no I must be wrong…it just isn't possible."

Raising his head to glance up, Michiru took a long careful look and realized that he couldn't see not only because he was inside of a confined space; but also because it was night time. Standing up, the determined Japanese student carefully gripped the sides of the narrow passage which lead up as he crawled slowly; eventually reaching the end at the top where he hung his arms over the side and inhaled a deep breath of clean fresh air. Looking around again, his eyes had somewhat adjusted to the darkness; he could make out that there was grass on the ground and trees all around him; the sky was obscured by the trees which meant that he was inside of a thick forest given that he could faintly hear the noises of animal life echoing on all sides. There was now no doubt in the Kururugi boy's mind about where he had landed, all the signs and sounds were more than enough to prove what he had now guessed despite the time and place he had left behind him; he had just climbed out of the Bone Eater's Well and was back home in Japan. Unfortunately however, Michiru didn't yet know precisely when he had come back; but it had to be the Feudal era since he was surrounded by forests inside of a wooden shed which sheltered the well in the modern world on Kagome's home property.

"This has to be Feudal Japan, though I don't know how I could have returned here; unless it happened when I passed through two different dimensional vortexes simultaneously as I cast my spell and travelled back through time." Michiru stated to himself in order to come up with a logical explanation for his unexpected return as he walked along towards where he remembered Kaede's village to be. "I'd better head for where Kaede's village is located and give it a search just to make sure I'm in the correct time period. Wait a minute, I can smell smoke; its after dark and way too late to have a bonfire going on at this time of night."

But closer look revealed that it wasn't a bonfire, for it was much too large for that; and the voices Michiru could hear were screaming instead of cheering which forced the Kururugi boy to break into a run. Coming out of the forest and into the open, Michiru was brought to a halt as his eyes beheld a second seen of havoc and destruction; Kaede's village was on fire and was being burned to the ground. The panicked inhabitants fleeing and running in all directions with only their clothes to take with them as they tried to escape from the flaming inferno, there was a horde of demons flying high above through the night sky; blocking out the moon and numerous stars with their massive aerial formation; giving Michiru even more reason to fear for the lives of his Feudal era friends as he ran down the path and entered into the village. Despite the dangers of the burning huts and houses which could suddenly fall apart without warning, the Kururugi boy searched inside of every shelter for any of his friends; but none of them could be found and most of the dwellings were empty of people. Deciding that he had to find one of the villagers who might be able to tell him where Kaede presently was, Michiru retraced his steps and went to the small merchant shop where he had purchased some items for his travels during his previous visit to Feudal Japan.

"Excuse me sir, have you by any chance seen Lady Kaede around? Do you happen to know where she is right now?" Michiru asked pleadingly, receiving a no from the man who was frantically trying to salvage any belongings he could carry with him before he ran away. "Surely Inuyasha would be here trying to help the some of the villagers put out these fires, either that or he'd be attacking that horde of demons with Miroku and Sango right about now; but none of these makes any kind of sense what so ever. Just where is everyone?"

Turning around as he was talking to himself out loud, Michiru's eyes suddenly picked out the nearby presence of a person who he had known as one of his friends; the young fox demon Shippo who was famous for performing tricks and illusions with various little toys and other items at his disposal. Although he was relieved to see Shippo alive which gave him some hope that the others were alive and well, Michiru noticed that his young fox demon friend was trembling with fear and couldn't speak or move from the spot he was standing at; which gave the teenager the impression that Shippo was too traumatized by seeing the whole village on fire with all the fear and panic taking place around him. But when Michiru stepped closer to try and talk with Shippo more easily, the frightened fox demon unexpectedly jumped back like a scared animal; his teary eyes looking up at Michiru as if he was entirely another person. Stopping in an effort to avoid scaring the young demon away, Michiru knelt down and tried talking to him again; using a softer voice and speaking much slower as well.

"What's wrong Shippo? Don't you recognize me? I'm Michiru, I was summoned here to your world by Utsugi who was allied with Naraku; we and all our other friends defeated Naraku after travelling through the lands and staying at different villages together. Please tell me that you remember all of that?" Michiru asked with a worried expression, holding out his hand for Shippo to grab; only to have the fox demon scurry away into the forest in fear. "Wait Shippo! Don't run away! I'm trying to find Inuyasha and the others, Miroku and Sango; I haven't seen any of them! Not even Kirara or Lady Kaede! Will someone please tell me what is going on here?"

"Don't act so innocent or surprised Michiru" An angry voice called out from behind the merchant shop which had now caught fire and crumbled into wreckage, causing the Kururugi boy to turn around and see who it was that had responded to him. "You already know what's happened here."

"Miroku!" Michiru replied with a sigh, relieved to see another of his friends safe and sound. "What happened here? Where are Inuyasha and Sango?"

"What's wrong Michiru?" Miroku asked sarcastically with a cold expression and an equally cold tone of voice. "Don't you remember it all?"

"Remember it all?" Michiru said in confusion, shaking his head for a moment. "I have been stuck over in a far away country thousands of miles away from my on home, I wake up and find an entire city in flames just like this village with people fleeing in fear for their very lives; all while hordes of evil spirits and deadly monsters roam around freely as they attack and destroy without being opposed or stopped! I had to leave my friends behind in a dire situation, for all I know; they could all be dead right now. I tried casting a spell to go back in time so I could prevent all of that from happening and instead of being in the same place, I unexplainably find myself back in my home country; and in your world of all places. You and Shippo are the first familiar faces I've seen since my arrival and all I want to know is if Inuyasha, Sango and everyone else are alright; and where they might be as well if you happen to know that answer too. Is that too much to ask?"

"Too much ask?" Miroku scoffed as he got into a fighting stance, holding his staff and charging forwards to attack Michiru who wasn't prepared to fight against one of his own friends; especially at a time like this. "Were you ever going to tell me why and when you found yourself becoming attracted to Sango or is THAT TOO MUCH for ME TO ASK?"

"H-How did you know Miroku?" Michiru asked, dodging to one side and using his arms to block the monk's staff from striking his body directly; despite the painful blows he was forced to take. "I-I never told you or anyone other than Sango, not even Inuyasha even though he somehow knew of my feelings for her according to what Kagome told me when we last talked together. Besides, I didn't do anything wrong, all I did was tell her that I loved her; and I told her as I was summoned back home to my own world. When did you find out?"

"Kagome informed me of your infatuation with Sango during her last visit to this world, she also went and told Sango about it claiming that she found out from talking with you and just afterwards; with Inuyasha." Miroku answered, causing Michiru's eyes to widen in shock. "Does that make you remember some of your memories? No? Well then, maybe I can give you a hit in the head to help you out! HERE!"

"Stop this Miroku!" Michiru shouted, blocking the staff with his left arm and using his right first to deliver a punch to the left side of Miroku's face; causing the monk to stagger backwards for a moment. "I don't want to fight! I want to talk and hear some answers to my questions!"

"Answers? Answers?" Miroku replied angrily as he launched himself at the Shikigami user, slamming Michiru on his back in the grassy field and pinning him down with his own body so he could attempt to punch the boy's face over and over again. "I'll give you answers! You had no right to set your sights on Sango, she was nearly ready move forward and start a relationship with me; not that it mattered to you!

"Of course it mattered to me!" Michiru replied, his own anger releasing itself from inside of where it had been bottled up and kept under control as he grabbed Miroku's wrists and used his legs to heave the teenage monk off of him so he could get back on his feet. "Ever since I came home from the Feudal era, I asked myself if sharing my feelings for Sango was a mistake; because I Knew she still had feelings for you as well. I've known that for the longest time, and I've been alone for the longest time; four and a half months in fact!"

"You weren't alone Michiru, you had both of your parents to live and enjoy life with; not to mention all the advantages and luxuries that your modern world has to offer." Miroku argued, getting back on his feet as well; waiting to speak his mind as he caught his breath. "I on the other hand, was raised alone; I never knew my mother and my fathered was taken away from me when I was very young because of the wind tunnel that Naraku had cursed my family with. All I want out of this world is to live out my life and share it with a beautiful woman whom I can call as my wife; now you and I both know that isn't a lot to ask."

"No it isn't, but even you have to admit that neither you nor I can control our feelings; that's why both of us have each have become drawn towards Sango and nothing can be said or done to change any of that." Michiru said calmly. "But regardless of what has been created, neither of us can resolve it on our own; we can only wait patiently until Sango comes to a decision herself over which of us she truly loves and wants to live out her life with."

"That's true, but its too late for that!" Miroku declared, as he swung his staff once more; attempting to strike Michiru in the head with it.

"Too late? Why is it too late for her to make a decision?" Michiru asked, blocking the brass circular end of Miroku's weapon with a closed fist and stopping it a few inches from hitting the side of his face; then he clasped it and the combined efforts of the two young men caused the staff to crack and break just below the Shikigami user's fist. "I don't want to be kept in the dark any longer Miroku! Tell me dawn it!"

"That decision was already made for her, no matter what choice she might have made for herself; that's why its too late!" Miroku answered after catching the broken piece of his weapon which Michiru had tossed at his face, using both pieces of his broken staff to fight until he found the opportunity he had been waiting for; breaking the smaller end down like a dagger and driving the sharp wooden end of the staff into Michiru's left shoulder.

"AHH!" Michiru cried out, keeping his left arm still to avoid further pain and injury as he dropped to his knees and remained stationary like a sitting target just waiting for the killing blow to finish him off; but the look on Miroku's face told him that the monk wasn't fully satisfied.

"Stand up Michiru!" Miroku demanded angrily as he paced from side to side, keeping his eyes fixed on the wounded warrior in front of him and waiting for his opponent to try and stand up or retaliate. "Stand up, use your powerful Shikigami magic and launch an attack spell at me; I want this to last long enough to satisfy my vengeance for all the pain you've caused me and the others!"

"If this is about me driving a wedge between you and Sango just because I told her how I felt for her, than I'm truly sorry for causing both you and her so much pain and suffering; I'm also sorry for any pain that I've caused for Kagome and the others as well." Michiru said weakly between breaths as his physical strength slowly drained from him little by little, the wound in his shoulder was now bleeding freely; soaking his white uniform shirt with fresh blood. "If vengeance means so much to you, then by all means take it; no one's here but us."

"That is not enough for me, not after everything you've done; not after the lives you've taken." Miroku stated, drawing Michiru's attention as the monk leaned in to address him face to face. "What you remember killing anyone? Well if you can't remember, let me give you a hint; I'll put it to you in the form of a question and maybe that will jog your memory a little. WHY DID YOU KILL HER MICHIRU? WHY DID YOU KILL HER? AHH!"

Without warning or time to answer a reply, Miroku was suddenly stabbed from behind; a demonic tentacle protruded through his left shoulder in the same place where the monk had stabbed Michiru with the sharp end of his broken wooden staff. As Miroku glanced down at the living appendance, he was lifted from the ground and carried back about five feet until he turned his head and saw who inflicted the injury on him; his eyes widening with fear and his mouth trembling uncontrollably. The enemy standing behind Miroku to which the demonic tentacle belonged was none other than Naraku, it was no illusion; for the evil being wore his familiar cruel expression which was especially frightening after everything that each of the young men had experienced thus far. Not wanting to ruin his moment of vengeance or prolong his schedule any further, Naraku swung one of the three massive tentacles which had extended from behind his back and snaked its way ahead of him; retracting itself from Miroku and tossing the wounded monk head first into the side of a burning hut which rendered him unconscious from the impact.

"W-When…H-How did you come back to life again?" Michiru asked, trying to ignore the pain from his injury as he tried to examine it with his right hand; unable to move since he was no match for an enemy like Naraku whether he was injured or not.

"Don't you remember? I supposed not, well then; I'll explain everything for you." Naraku said, his hideous eyes falling on the Kururugi boy's injured shoulder. "That looks really painful for you, here; let me return the favour."

"AHH! AH!" Michiru cried out loud as Naraku ripped out the sharp wooden spike from his shoulder in one swift yank, causing an unbearable amount of agony; the injury bleeding at a quicker rate now that the weapon had been removed from the boy's body.

"It hurts doesn't it? Well it won't hurt as much as the pain that you'll be feeling after I'm done telling you what happened here." Naraku began, getting the Shikigami user's attention as he talked; keeping an eye on his human victim so he could finish the story before the young boy died.

"I don't know how you brought yourself back from the dead Naraku, but I can easily guess that you're responsible for what's happened here; including what ever atrocities Miroku was accusing me of." Michiru stated, trying to keep a straight face even though he was in pain.

"You've guessed wrong Michiru, I'm innocent; for the most part anyway." Naraku said humorously with a satisfactory grin as he continued from where he had left off at. "And if you don't believe me, you might recall that Miroku failed to notice my presence until it was too late; for I instantly removed the wind tunnel curse from his hand in order to keep my resurrection a secret from him and the rest of your friends just as soon as I had returned. Why would Miroku point fingers at you for causing all of this chaos if he had known that I was alive again?"

"He didn't know and he couldn't have known as you just said because you removed the cursed right away, but that means you must have disguised yourself as me and attacked my friends one by one without fear of revealing your identity; just as you side when you manipulated Kikyo and Inuyasha to turn on each other more than fifty years ago." Michiru responded, using his right hand to put pressure on his injured left shoulder in order to stop the bleeding; waiting to gain enough energy to use his magic as he listened to Naraku talk.

"Although you're right about someone framing you for everything, I can assure you can it wasn't me; allow me to explain." Naraku continued. "Once I found myself brought back to life, the one who had done it presented me with an interesting proposition; I would get to exact my vengeance on Inuyasha and his friends in exchange for helping my new ally to achieve his own ultimate goal."

"If you didn't kill Sango, than who did?" Michiru said, forcing himself not to mentally break down since he needed to hear everything first.

"WE both set Kaede's village afire, WE both killed Inuyasha; but you're the one who killed Sango." Naraku said coldly, taking pleasure in watching Michiru's eyes widening; the reaction on his face even more enjoyable which gave the evil enemy immense satisfaction.

"N-No, y-you're lying; you have to be." Michiru said, shaking his head over and over as two streams of tears poured out of his eyes; an imaginary stabbing just like the one in his left shoulder felt as though it had just gone through his heart and come out again real quickly.

"You came back in time to this era to see Sango in the hopes that she would return the affection that you had for her, that was your goal ever since you vowed to return here; but she didn't have the same affection that you had for her because she was already in love with that lecherous fool of a monk named Miroku." Naraku explained, eager to spill everything to Michiru before the poor boy bled himself to death. "That's when you lost your temper, you swore that if you could not have her for yourself; than no other man would. And so you killed her, I saw everything; including Miroku who happened to be eavesdropping on the two of you at the time which is why he harboured so much hatred towards you afterwards. When Miroku raced out to try and kill you, you fought back and the two of you kept at it until Inuyasha managed to sniff out my presence; then it was both of us against the two of them. Inuyasha was killed as soon as Miroku fled like a coward after running out of strength, then you left to go back to your own world; for the time had arrived to accomplish your ultimate goal."

"And what kind of ultimate goal was that may I ask?" Michiru asked sarcastically, finding some details of Naraku's story rather sketchy.

"Why, to help bring about the destruction of every living being in the world from your era." Naraku answered, reaching behind his back and retrieving an item that made Michiru completely petrified with fear; for it was a belonging of his which he had been unable to locate after waking up in his bed from sleep shortly before he and the Ghostbusters discovered that the city was in flames. "Do you remember this?"

"T-The Sounga!" Michiru gasped in horror. "H-How did you come by it? It used to be in my hands when I fell unconscious and then it was gone when I woke up later at night."

"You're absolutely right, but let me fill you in on what you missed while you were asleep." Naraku boasted while holding the sword by its sheath so he didn't suffer the same agonizing fate that Michiru had been forced to endure. "The Sounga eventually took control over you, that's when you travelled back in time with it to this era and after you finished completing your errands here; you returned back to where and when you had been before without your absence being discovered. But you left the Sounga because the Sounga had to leave behind a piece of evidence I could use to back up the truth of everything I've now told you, and he needed to achieve his vengeance against you as well; that's why you were returned back so you could come here only to find that you're the one who's responsible for everything even though you had been possessed for the most part. I'm amazed that Miroku and Inuyasha were fooled so easily, but that was probably because you gave me the Sounga immediately after opening the door to the netherworld and summoning be back to the earth."

"You and the Sounga have both had your fun, so finish me off already; that's what you wanted after all." Michiru stated as he struggled to breath with each passing minute now that it was too late for him to do anything, he hadn't enough magical energy to heal himself; most of it had in fact already been used in his last spell when he had travelled back in time. "What are you waiting for? Take your vengeance."

"I'm afraid you're under the wrong impression about our idea of vengeance Michiru, we're enjoying the chaos and mayhem around us because we get to watch the last of our enemies destroy each other; both with their weapons and with their words." Naraku replied, glancing at Michiru's injured shoulder once more. "You probably only have a short while left to live until you die, because you involuntarily helped the Sounga and I to achieve our vengeance; I will grant you an act of mercy and leave you to sit out your last moments of life in privacy. I'm going off now to help the Sounga kill every living being on the face of the earth until nothing's left, that's a lot of lives to slay; but I'll manage it. Funny how much death a demonic sword can cause, especially in the hands of a helpless, human being like you."

"Sango, Inuyasha; Miroku…" Miroku said between sobs, crying his heart out as Naraku strode off with the sheathed Sounga in hand; leaving the mentally traumatized teenage boy behind alone to die from emotional heartbreak and his shoulder would which still bled freely. "I'm so sorry, I'm s-so very sorry; everything that's happened here has all been my fault. If only I had been able to subdue the Sounga a second time, then none of this would have happened; all of you and all of my other friends would still be alive."

Michiru's head was lowered in shame, looking at the ground as he continued crying; until a flicker of light suddenly appeared just a few feet in front of him which caught his attention and forced his head up. At first, the Kururugi boy thought it was an Air Spirit like the one he remembered seeing at the top of Mount Houoh which kept watch over the mysterious and magical Magatama tree; but it was rainbow coloured instead of a faint light blue. It was even more bright as well, so bright in fact; that Michiru had to close his eyes until the light faded away after a moment or two. Slowly opening his eyes, Michiru beheld an unexpected sight; something he never thought he would ever see after having just a horrific and torturous experience. Standing a mere five feet from in front of him was a beautiful young woman around his own age, maybe a year or more older if anyone dared to guess; she was blanketed by a faint heavenly light which radiated from her body. She suddenly gasped in pain for a moment as a pair of beautiful white feathered wings sprouted out from her back, giving her the appearance of an angel from heaven even though she was still dressed in her normal attire of a Japanese Kimono; she smiled back at the young boy who was momentarily too stunned to speak until he could find his voice again.

"Sango…" Michiru murmured under his breath, believing that she had come down to take him away from the earth since he had only a matter of minutes left to live until his body died; he was at a loss for words since he had so many things to say to her. "I'm so sorry for all the pain I caused you, I'm so sorry for what my actions have done to Miroku and everyone else; I'm sorry for…"

"Shush, just stay still and I'll tend to your shoulder; you've been through a lot." Sango interrupted as she knelt down to examine his shoulder would with her hands, tearing a piece of her kimono sleeve to use an a bandage; working carefully and quickly in order to stop the Kururugi boy from losing any more blood than he had already. "What are you staring at so intently?"

"Um, you…your angel wings." Michiru said as a light pink blush covered his face, causing Sango to turn her head back and forth; seeing for herself that she did have a pair of beautiful white feathered wings on her back. "Look behind you, Kagome's coming to see us."

"WAIT!" Sango shouted in alarm, standing up and facing Kagome just as the teary eyed reborn priestess loosed a purification arrow from her bow; continuing to fire more arrows one after another until her quiver was empty. "NO KAGOME! DON'T SHOOT MICHIRU!"

AHH!" Michiru cried as each of Kagome's shots struck him over and over until he had three arrows lodged him, one in his heart and one close to his stomach while the third embedded itself into the earlier wound he had received from Miroku; the pain forcing him to stay awake even though it was now just a matter of time before his life was finally taken.

"PLEASE STOP!" Sango yelled pleadingly while her eyes watered with tears, the arrows which had mysteriously passed through her body without doing any damage until they struck Michiru; giving the Kururugi boy some relief that Sango was unhurt even though she stood directly in Kagome's line of fire. "KAGOME! DON'T!"

"I had to kill him, for what he had done to you and all of us; but I had to bring this to an end." Kagome said as she walked over to Sango; startling the demon slayer who thought that Kagome wouldn't have done what she did. "Why are you looking at me like I'm a murderer?"

"Michiru isn't at fault for what happened Kagome, and on that subject; none of this has actually happened at all." Sango tried to explain in a calm voice, despite being saddened even more for seeing another of her friends inflict harm on Michiru once again; suddenly remembering that Michiru is the person she should be talking too right now instead of Kagome. "Lay still Michiru, I'm here for you now."

"He killed you Sango, he killed you for rejecting him and choosing Miroku instead; and then he conspired with Naraku and killed Inuyasha before travelling through time back and forth again." Kagome responded as she continued crying while the demon slayer tried patching up Michiru's injuries, doing what she could even though the arrows were making it difficult. "I know because Naraku told me enough of what happened before he left me alone because he knew I would suffer more by not dying; then he told where I could find Michiru and that's when I came and found you two."

"Michiru, its going to be hard for you to accept this; but you have to believe what I'm about to tell you. Do you remember falling unconscious with the Sounga in your hands?" Sango began as she leaned the boy down until he was resting on his back against the soft green grass; she received a nod once he was more comfortable. "You didn't wake up and experience all of what you just seen, you're still asleep in bed back in your world and none of this is real; your just having a nightmare and you have to wake up from it before its too late."

"B-But you're right here w-with me now, I can see you and speak with you; you know everything because you've already passed on ahead of me." Michiru said, not fully ready to accept what Sango was trying to tell him; looking at her lovely angel wings again. "You have angel wings which means that you must have passed on, you've only come back to see me now because I'm going to die."

"Shh…no Michiru, it isn't." Sango said, kneeling down closer to him as she place a finger over his lips to silence him so he would listen to her. "The Sounga has observed all of your most precious and painful memories in order to torment you and force you to experience a terrible nightmare which has been based on all of them, causing you to suffer horribly until you either become its host or die in your sleep; but you haven't died yet and that's why I'm here to save you so that you can wake up from this horrific hallucination. None of this is real, Naraku isn't real; Kagome isn't real because its all part of a scenario being created in your unconscious mind."

"I'm not real? Ha!" Kagome countered sarcastically, trying to convince Michiru otherwise and foil Sango's attempts to save him. "If I weren't real, I wouldn't have been able to shoot any of my arrows at you with my bow; and you wouldn't be bleeding to death either!"

"Don't listen to her Michiru!" Sango pleaded, recalling the warnings she had been told by Utsugi that the Sounga would try and prevent her from saving Michiru's life; by any and all available means necessary. "I can prove to you that everything you've just went through is nothing more than a bad dream, only your memories of the events from your past are factual; think carefully and try hard to remember."

"That's right Michiru, think back to when you killed Sango in cold blood for choosing Miroku instead of you as her boyfriend." Kagome teased sarcastically, causing Michiru to cry quietly as the emotional pain from hearing this once before already flooded into him again.

"SAFE IT SOUNGA!" Sango shouted, frightening Michiru momentarily as the poor boy thought about deciding which of these two girls he should trust. "She isn't Kagome, she's just an illusion like everything and everyone else here; but I'm real and I'm really here with you."

"H-How?" Michiru asked quietly, breathing ever so slowly to stay alive as he carefully listened to what Sango had to say to him.

"I've seen everything you've seen so I know everything there is to know about you because I got to see a glimpse of your past, I saw when you had been tricked at Minamo village by that demon Mahoro who disguised himself as me to lure you into a trap; just as he had done with many other people who had mysteriously been spirited away so suddenly." Sango explained, causing Michiru's eyes to overflow with more tears as he struggled to look away from her; unable to bear the shame or humiliation that had now resurfaced from that painful experience. "Don't look away Michiru, you need to hear this; and I need to know that you've heard it. Utsugi and Kakuju cast a spell on you to keep you alive, they implanted a part of your soul and each of their souls into it before they gave it to Inuyasha; then he travelled to my home village and gave it to me. I also had a part of my soul implanted into it, that's why I can contact you like this in your dreams while we're both asleep; so that I could convince you of the truth and save you from all the pain and hurt that you're suffering from now."

"He's too confused to believe you Sango, he think's you've already died which is why you've come back to earth as an angel with wings." Kagome pointed out.

"Because I'm aware of the truth and he's not; but also because I'm wearing Michiru's amulet." Sango answered, pulling out the golden piece of jewellery which Michiru immediately recognized as soon as he saw the tiny red ruby inside of the star at the centre of the circle. "I never died even though Michiru believes I have because of what he's been told, its only natural that his imagination created these angel wings on my back when I appeared so suddenly; Michiru created my angel wings just as Sounga created this nightmare which also proves I'm right."

"NOOOOOOO!" The voice bellowed angrily as it changed from Kagome's back to Sounga's upon realizing its mistake along with its failure to take Michiru's life, everything suddenly fell apart from all around Michiru and all he could see was Sango leaning over top of his body; all his injuries had healed and vanished as well so he wasn't going to die or succumb to the will of the evil demonic sword.

"You did it Sango, you of all people did it; entirely on your own too." Michiru said softly, holding his right hand up and running it through a strand of the lovely demon slayer's chocolate coloured hair; before she took it and held it gently against her cheek as she smiled down at him. "Without supernatural abilities or magical powers, you overcame thousands of miles and hundreds of years in time just to be here with me; I've missed you so much for such a long time. Four and a half months and a few days, who knew it would be that long of a wait."

"I've missed you a lot too Michiru, its been so lonely for me and Kirara without you; even though we finally have Kohaku back after so long." Sango replied crying happily for the first time since as long as she could remember, for she knew that her Kururugi friend was now safe at last; he only needed to wake up from asleep and everything would be alright again. "I really wish I could stay like this with you, but that's not why I came here; and now I have to go."

"Go?" Michiru asked, looking puzzled since he and Sango were surrounded by void of darkness. "Go where Sango?"

"Away, away so that you can wake up in bed and use your Shikigami powers to subdue the Sounga that's grasped in your hands." Sango answered, resisting the urge to laugh at Michiru for being so clueless all of a sudden; he really looked just like an innocent young child right now and so she lowered herself down and embraced him in a gentle hug that warmed each of them up inside. "Well see each other eventually once you find a way of returning home to your own country after your adventure with the Ghostbusters is over, I promise you as a demon slayer; but only if you promise me to wake up in bed after we say our goodbyes. Can you keep your promise to me Michiru?"

"Yes Sango, I promise you." Michiru said assuredly. "Sango, I'm so sorry for causing so you so much pain; it must be hard having to choose between Miroku and I. I want to tell you that no matter what happens, a part of me will always love you even if you don't love me back; and I…"

"Shhh…I know what you're going to say, I saw and heard you speaking as you looked up at the sky before joining your friends inside of the Sedgewick Hotel; nothing more needs to be said." Sango said, cutting Michiru off once more as she pressed his lip closed with the gentle touch of her finger a second time. "I haven't yet figured out my own feelings Michiru and so I haven't made up my mind either, but I promise you that by the time you return; I'll have reached a decision."

"I understand Sango." Michiru replied, turning away as his eyes watered again; but then Sango cupped the side of his face with her hand and turned him back to face her once more.

"Even if I was ready to chose now, I can't tell either of you until after all of us are together again in Kaede's village; but in the meanwhile." Sango added before she inched herself closer to Michiru's face and planted her lips over his, giving him a gentle kiss; one with enough passion and warmth to chase away all of the worried that the Shikigami user still had on his exhausted mind until she broke contact nearly half a minute later. "Remember this moment we shared together, I'll be waiting for you to return so make sure you return; goodbye Michiru."

"Goodbye…Sango." Michiru whispered to himself, smiling back a her retreating form with tears of joy in his eyes for the first time ever in his life; waving farewell and watching her fly with her disappear above him into an array of white light directly beyond as it engulfed him until there was no longer any darkness at all.

"Thank you for saving our great grandson Sango, we're both indebted to you; please ask for our help if you ever need us for anything." Kakuju stated gratefully as her voice echoed throughout the demon slayer's mind once Sango was alone once again and nearly ready to wake up from sleep.

"Well, there is something I would like you to help me with; something just as important." Sango replied with an awkward expression as she thought to herself. "If it isn't any trouble, please keep your soul implants inside of this amulet; there's someone else I'd really like to get to know better who I unfortunately won't be able to interact with unless I have your help."

"Certainly Sango." Utsugi replied curiously, his voice echoing in Sango's mind as well. "And who might this someone else be?"

"Someone who lives in that far away country, one of Michiru's new friends; her name is Ilyssa." Sango answered with a wonderful smile.

After what felt like an eternity of being bedridden, Michiru slowly opened his eyes and found himself lying on his back in his own bed with the Sounga clutched tightly in his hands; just as she said he had been the entire time during his unconscious state. Unfortunately, he found to his discomfort that he couldn't get out of bed because of the monitoring equipment he noticed he was hooked up too; so he proceeded to released himself by removing all of the wired medical sensors on his body before getting up. He noticed that all of the demonic veins in his arms were no longer causing him any pain, and more importantly; the Sounga was silent as a ghost which meant that it must have been significantly drained of its power after having read through his mind and created that long and horrible nightmare. That made it even more easy for Michiru to subdue the sword since he was now fully rested and recovered while the Sounga was weakened unlike his last attempt when the tables were reversed, and as he looked to his left; Michiru eyes saw a brand new and better equipped containment unit made especially for the demonic sword. In one move, Michiru swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up on his feet before walking over to Ray's bed where the device sat beside him; causing Saya and Slimer to wake up who had recently fallen asleep during their shift to watch over Michiru for a few hours.

"Shh!" Michiru warned before whispering quietly, not wanting to wake everyone up getting bear hugged to death. "Not so loud. Could you guys carry the containment unit outside to the pool table please? Thank you, now let's all just move nice and quietly; that's the way."

"Boy, there where times when none of us thought you'd ever wake up; but you sure pulled through just like always." Saya commented as he and Slimer gently set the monstrous device down on the pool table. "Good, now let us show you how this thing works, Ray and the guys made some interesting improvements; there are slime blowers that inject positively charged slime inside threw those little holes."

"Well I suggest we give this new toy a test, if you'll kindly wait for me to subdue this S.O.B. first." Michiru replied as he invoked his Shikigami magic without any verbal commands, the star shaped pentagram glowing red beneath him until the sword was drained of any evil power and strength it might have had left; having wasted most of it just to inflict harm on the Kururugi boy. "Okay, time to lock it up."

"Can I turn on the trap?" Slimer asked excitedly, holding his slimy green hands together as he begged. "Pretty pretty please?"

"Yeah okay, just wait a moment until I say when." Michiru replied while placing the Sounga inside and shutting the trap doors, he then placed his ear close to the device which made the two ghosts fellow his example until Michiru gave the signal with his hand for Slimer to press the green button; and that's when the three of them laughed quietly once they heard Sounga's ticked off cry until it was drowned out by the positively charged slime pumping its way inside at a continuously dead slow pace. "Ha. Ha. Ha. That'll teach Sounga a lesson."

And with that, Slimer and Saya returned the massive metallic prison back into the bedroom; placing it at Ray's bedside on the floor. Michiru went into the washroom and was delighted to finally brush off all the rotten demonic veins which had injected themselves all over his arms, healing any possible injuries he might have gotten from them with his Shikigami magic before giving them a good wash with lots of soap and water; making sure to scrub every single inch until his arms and hands were completely clean. Once that was done, Michiru checked the time and saw that it was 10:00 at night on Friday evening; everyone was asleep and it couldn't hurt for him to get some extra shut eye either after everything he had experienced so far. After quickly tiptoeing downstairs for a brief moment to check that Janine and Ilyssa were both safe and asleep in bed as everyone else was, Michiru crawled back into his own bed and relaxed himself until he fell asleep; knowing that only pleasant dreams would await him from this time forward. But Slimer and Saya hadn't gone to sleep just yet, they had been waiting for Michiru to do so first; giving them the opportunity to pull a fast one on the Ghostbusters in the morning. Without disturbing the unconscious Japanese student, they hooked up all the wired medical sensors which Michiru himself had unplugged before he got out of bed; this helped to keep up the appearance that he was still in a comatose state even though the sword was now gone from sight and that the monitoring equipment indicated Michiru was perfectly healthy without any concerns to be worried about. Before falling asleep, both of the spiritual entities quietly laughed to themselves; unable to wait for what would happen tomorrow morning.

Author's Note: My most sincerest apologies to all of you, for the long wait and also for how long this chapter was; it was especially difficult to write and I didn't want to cut it in half because of the fact that everything was all taking place inside of Michiru's unconsciousness. I wanted to start off with some memories to lengthen out the torturous experience since the nightmare couldn't possibly take up all of the time that Michiru spent unconscious, and also because the Sounga would first need to read enough of Michiru's memories before it could create a nightmare scenario which would seem believable and real from the Kururugi's point of view; until at the end when Sango is able to convince him otherwise. The scene when Sango makes an appearance inside of Michiru's bad dream with angel wings on her back was Greymon Leader's idea so please thank him for that if anyone liked it; and please also give thanks to Orionpax09 for giving me the idea of having Sango saving Michiru's life while he was being continuously tormented without mercy. I know I'm not that talented of a writer and this story has had its share of foul ups and disappointing bits, nevertheless; I hope that this chapter has been an entertaining and enjoyable one for those of you who took the time to read through it.

Orionpax09: This might sound ironic, but you unintentionally gave me the idea in your favourite character profile; you wrote that Sango's lack of paranormal abilities often leave her being overlooked which is a very big mistake and I fully agree with you on that. The inspiration was too good to pass up considering how separated Sango and Michiru both are across space and time, not to mentioned how much they care for each other; Sango's wits along with her gentle caring side helped to save Michiru in the end which was a miraculous achievement for her. I don't know about you, but I think it worked out well for the chapter; I'll send you a message so we can to discuss the new spell with the new Shikigami familiar I have in mind once the chapter involving Shandor Island is almost completed. On the subject of Sango and Ilyssa getting in touch with each other later on, I'm sure you've already clued in too Sango's request involving the amulet she still has in her possession; it will be returned to the Firehouse and place around Ilyssa's neck so that both female heroines can have a nice long talk together about themselves and about Michiru who has already become such an important person to each of these two lasses. Thank you again for all your inspirations, support and advice thus far; I greatly appreciate it.

Greymon Leader: Thanks for the idea of Sango making contact with Michiru in the middle of his nightmare with angel wings on her back, I really think it turned out well; hope you enjoyed reading it and the full chapter as a whole. Just to give you a heads up, I'm planning on starting up a few more Inuyasha cursed mask crossovers in the near future; I could use some advice about bringing them to life if you're interested. No way to tell when I'll start, my main concern is just to get them up before the ideas are taken or used by someone else; the downer is that I'll also have more stories to write with various conflicting ideas to choose from and use in certain stories depending on the plot and so on. Life sure is tough for an amateur writer, especially when trying to write multiple stories at the same time; what a challenge.

Rajvir: Sorry for the long delay, I hope this chapter was worth the wait; please let me know what you thought of the moments when Sango and Michiru were finally together at the end until each of them were forced to wake up from sleep. For the record, I eventually plan on writing some brand new crossover stories which are still on hold for the time being and not all of them are anime either; so keep your eyes open for when they're finally started in case you're interested in reading something else besides the Inuyasha/Ghostbusters crossover.


	16. Relief and Recuperation

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, Ghostbusters; or anything associated with either of them. This story is being written just for fun and enjoyment.

Chapter #16: Relief and Recuperation

After a period of long hours which felt more like a day and a fortnight, Sango slowly opened her eyes and found herself in bed where she had fallen asleep late yesterday evening; a brief look around told her that it was now morning since the sunshine from outside had lit up the interior of the hut where she and Kohaku were both sleeping. Kohaku was still asleep at the other end of the hut, Sango usually slept beside him with her bed next to his so she could see that he was safe; but she moved her bed to the other end of the hut in order to avoid waking him accidentally in the event that she cried or called out in her sleep while she was attempting to save Michiru from the Sounga. The female demon slayer's heart suddenly skipped a beat as a gasp escaped from her lips, her mind recalling everything her unconscious state had witnessed from beginning to end ever since she had fallen asleep; causing her eyes to water. Despite her success at convincing Michiru that none of the nightmarish events were actually real and that they had all been created by the Sounga, Sango didn't know for sure if the Kururugi boy she cherished so much had actually woken up from sleep after she broke contact with his unconsciousness; and she had nothing but his word to rely on which lead her to assume that he had even though that wasn't real proof.

Although Sango was able to dispel her fear of losing Michiru by reminding herself that she had won and outsmarted the Sounga, the warrior woman was still burdened with a heavy amount of emotional pain which had built up during the unbearable experience when she had been forced to witness Michiru's memories; those that were sad had especially burned their way into Sango's mind which made her feel all the hurt and suffering Michiru himself had been subjected too during each individual event he experienced. While it was true that these memories were not her own, the fact that they belonged to someone very important and precious to her was enough to place such a heavy burden inside of her; one which wouldn't be easy to let go of until she was able to talk with Michiru again when he eventually returned to the Feudal era. It wasn't just the sad memories of this special boy which were making Sango hurt, but also the love triangle which she had to deal which involved herself along with Michiru and Miroku; and then the aftermath which would affect all three of them for the rest of their lives no matter who she chose between the two of them. For a while, the female fighter had managed to keep her emotions and worries sealed up and under control so she could put the matter of the love triangle aside until the appropriate time was right to address it; but the unbearable experience with witnessing Michiru's memories and saving him from the Sounga had caused these to pour out like an unstoppable flood bursting through a ruptured dam.

"W-Why do I-I feel so hurt inside?" Sango whispered quietly to herself as she cried softly with fresh tears pouring down her face, forcing her to hold her hands to her face in an effort to wipe them away; her body shaking slightly from her saddened state. "Michiru is safe and alive, so why? Why?"

"Sango?" A voice called from outside the wooden hut, causing Sango who was presently sitting up in bed to gasp and turn to face the door where she had heard the voice from outside; her half demon friend stepped inside with a look of concern as he came over to see how she was doing now that she had woken up. "Its now midday, you've been asleep for a very long while. Are you feeling okay?"

"Inuyasha…" Sango cried as the half demon crouched down beside her, grabbing him in a desperate hug and crying into his fire-rat robe; causing it to dampen with her wet tears even though Inuyasha himself didn't care since he knew his female friend needed comforting.

"I…uh, okay then; just let it all out and we'll talk when you feel better." Inuyasha said quietly, feeling a little odd in this situation right now since providing comfort wasn't something he usually did; he wished that Michiru could be here instead since that would instantaneously make Sango feel so much better given how much she missed the Kururugi boy as well as the fact that Michiru could probably do a better job at consoling Sango than Inuyasha could. Inuyasha eventually hugged Sango back and just bore with it as best as he could, staying still as he waited for the female demon slayer to recover herself so they could talk once she was better; the two of them stayed like this for a few minutes until Sango had eventually stopped crying and quieted down. "Do you feel any better at all now that you're done?"

"Y-Yes, thank you Inuyasha." Sango answered before she released the half demon from her hold and backed away so they could talk face to face, her eyes noticed the wet area on Inuyasha's kimono and caused a weak smile to form on her face. "Sorry for soaking your robe like that, I can wash it for you after we've had breakfast if you like."

"No need Sango, the spot will dry out from the hot sun and besides; it's only my fire-rat robe." Inuyasha replied with a wave of his hand as he sat down beside the warrior woman so he would be more comfortable. "What happened while you were asleep last night by the way?"

"I…I'd rather not talk about it if you don't mind, but I can tell you that I managed to convince Michiru that he was only experiencing a nightmare and that he had to wake up so he could free himself by subduing the Sounga; I made him promise to wake up just before I left him alone once I succeeded so he must be alive and free from the sword's hold on him."

"That's good to hear, but I don't understand why you're crying if he's alright. Was there something that made you sad?" Inuyasha asked as he instantly regretted his words when Sango looked as though she would start crying again. "Sorry, I shouldn't have asked you that."

"No, it's alright Inuyasha." Sango said as she wiped away her tears before standing up from the bed. "Why don't we go outside and talk?"

"Alright, if that'll make you feel better." Inuyasha said, following the female demon slayer out of the hut and over to the graves of her family which had the beautiful flowers planted on them; the warm sunshine beaming down on both of them as they sat down together.

"You already know that the Sounga put Michiru through a bunch of horrific hallucinations, let's just say I don't ever want to have to see anything so horrible again; I also saw a large amount of Michiru's memories and some of them were…very sad." Sango replied as she managed to stay calm. "Inuyasha? There's something I have to ask you, something I shouldn't be asking even though I have to ask it anyway. How would you define your relationship with Kagome? I'm asking you because I need to know how the two of you manage to keep your relationship going even though you both live in different worlds, I know that the two of you can see each other when ever you can by using the Bone Eater's Well to travel back and forth; but I want to know how you can adapt to Kagome's world when you visit her."

"Well…come to think of it, I honestly don't know how to fully answer that; it doesn't take much to adapt since there aren't any demons or monsters existing in Kagome's world. But I don't really know how to describe our relationship…" Inuyasha answered until he noticed Sango's goofy smile which made him lose his train of thought. "What are you giving me that look for? Do you find something funny about all of this?"

"S-Sorry Inuyasha, I couldn't help it when I saw the light blush on your face." Sango pointed out, causing Inuyasha's eyes to widen which made him look even more embarrassed no matter how he tried to cover it up with an angry glare as he snarled. "Its okay to blush Inuyasha, everyone does it now and then when they feel embarrassed or uncomfortable about something; so don't get so angry about it."

"I'm NOT angry." Inuyasha growled, turning his head to the side in order to hide his face from Sango who was trying to suppress a giggle that wanted to come out since she had never seen the half demon in such a state before; a pity that Kagome wasn't here to see it too.

"Well if I've made you angry by asking you those questions, then I'll drop the subject if you'd like." Sango replied politely.

"We can keep talking about it as long as you don't give me any more of those weird girly looks like Kagome likes to use." Inuyasha declared once he composed himself. "Relationships aren't something I know a whole lot about, that's a subject you should be discussing with Kagome instead of me; she's the one who likes to play matchmaker by trying to set you up with Miroku time and time again after all."

"I…I would discuss it with her if I could Inuyasha, but she's not here and besides…after our last talk; I don't know if she'd be willing to speak with me about something as personal as that." Sango replied softly while looking at the beautiful yellow and white coloured flowers which were placed on each individual grave just in front of where she and Inuyasha were sitting. "I didn't part on good terms when I left."

"Ha!" Inuyasha countered, causing the warrior woman to turn and look at him suddenly with surprise. "After Kagome came here and questioned you about Michiru and all the matchmaking she's tried to do, I'd say she's entitled to have a taste of her own medicine if you want my opinion Sango; especially since it isn't fair if she can question you as well as Michiru and I, but none of us can't question her."

"Well you have more right to question her than I do since she sees you as her boyfriend, if you don't know how to define your relationship with her; then I believe you have reason enough to ask her about what she thinks about it." Sango replied until she noticed an odd expression on Inuyasha's face. "What's wrong Inuyasha? Did I say something that upset you?"

"No Sango, but since when has Kagome ever hinted that she sees me as HER boyfriend?" Inuyasha asked with a puzzled look which in turn made Sango puzzled as well. "She's never said anything or done anything to declare that we're anything more than just friends."

"Well…she might not admit it openly, but I think she still sees you in that way; even though she gets carried away with taking advantage of using her sit commands on you thanks to those enchanted beads around your neck." Sango answered as she recalled all of her experiences with the reborn priestess. "But that's how she is and like it or not, neither of us can change that; even with good intentions."

"Sango?" Inuyasha asked, getting the young woman's attention. "Why are you asking me all of these questions anyway? You've never before shown any interest or curiosity about life in Kagome's world or of the relationship between her and I. Why the sudden interest?"

"I…I wanted to know more so I could…I could try and imagine what life would be like for me if I were to leave this world and go live in Kagome's world with…Michiru." Sango answered quietly after focusing her gaze on some of the flowers she picked for the gravesites. "I wondered if I could adapt to all the innumerable changes so that Michiru wouldn't be forced to leave his family behind in the modern world just so he could live with me in the event that I chose him over Miroku. If I chose to live in Michiru's world, Kohaku and Kirara would also have to live with me as well, I don't know how easy it would be for each of them to adapt and leave your world behind; that's why."

"I…understand." Inuyasha mumbled, trying to contain his inner joy at the ever increasing chance that his friend Michiru was going to be chosen by Sango which dispelled his worries that Miroku would somehow reap the victory of gaining Sango's love and affection instead.

"Do you suppose you could ask her what she thinks of your relationship with you and how she thinks it stays strong even though the two of you are separated by living in two different worlds?" Sango asked. "You don't have to mention that you're asking on my behalf though."

"I already know that Sango, if I suddenly say you were the one who actually wanted these answers instead of me; she'd immediately figure out why you were curious in the first place." Inuyasha replied, drawing Sango's attention. "And she'd be really mad at me as well."

"Well I for one would be very cross with her if she even thinks about taking her anger out on you with her sit commands just because you were trying to help me out, and I would definitely have something to say if she ever did anything like that to you." Sango commented.

"Thanks, but I doubt she would go that overboard after seeing her reaction when I told her of Michiru's predicament; I've got a suspicion that she's finally wised up after making the mistakes of questioning all of us about Michiru's hidden feelings for you." Inuyasha mentioned before asking. "By the way Sango, did Kagome ever mention whether or not she told Miroku about all this when she questioned you?"

"Yes she did, they talked with each other briefly before Kagome came to see me; it was just as I was planning to leave with Kohaku and Kirara to travel back here to our village." Sango answered quietly with a sigh, this confirmed Inuyasha's fear of Kagome escalating everything which made him angry. "When I found out she had told Miroku of everything, I was just suddenly very angry because she had done enough damage already by questioning you and Michiru; I reacted without thinking ahead first and I slapped her across the face."

"You did what?" Inuyasha asked with a look of disbelief written on his face, he never expected Sango of all people to ever strike one of her companions; unless of course if it was Miroku that was on the receiving end of her assault which was always justified. "You really…"

"I'm sorry Inuyasha, I shouldn't have done that; but I couldn't help myself at the time." Sango said with an apologetic expression which pleaded for forgiveness when she looked at him, her eyes threatening to water again as a tiny amount of shame built up inside of her. "I was in so much pain and stress already, but all of that hurt even more when I found out Miroku now knew everything too and I just…"

"I didn't say anything Sango, and I'm not mad at you for what went on between you and Kagome either because I warned her before hand that her actions would only make things worse; she didn't listen to my warnings so the consequences are her own fault and not yours." Inuyasha interrupted in an effort to dispel Sango's feelings of guilt and stop her from crying again. "So what made you decide to come back here anyway? Shippo told me Miroku must have groped you while you were having a walk together. Is that what happened?"

"Yes, but he didn't just grope me like he usually does; he was embracing me from behind and he also tried to kiss me as well." Sango answered with a hint of disgust in her voice. "It made me feel so uncomfortable and that's when I remembered what you said about telling him off, so I freed myself from Miroku's embrace and slapped him across the face before telling him never to touch me like that ever again; I felt I needed to put some distance between us after what happened and that's why I decided to return here for a break."

"I don't blame you, after having to put up with Miroku like that; you made the right decision coming back here to distance yourself from him." Inuyasha said in understanding, knowing that the lecherous monk had seriously crossed a line and fouled things up back then.

"Inuyasha?" Sango asked, getting the half demon's attention. "When you go back to revisit the modern world and talk with Michiru over the phone, please ask him how he thinks he and I could possibly share a relationship together even though we both live in different worlds. I really need to know what sort of solutions he could possibly devise since he has enough knowledge to know how life in in his own era, it would be helpful to see whether or not a relationship can truly work for us just as it does for you and Kagome; I can't travel through time between eras like the three of you can so I already know how difficult this is going to be in the event that I choose Michiru."

"I'll have to make sure Kagome doesn't overhear our conversation, but if she does; I can always ask him those sorts of questions out of my own curiosity to cover up the fact that I'm asking on your behalf." Inuyasha deduced as he pondered the matter of Sango's request. "The two of us need to talk anyway since I need to explain how I managed to overhear him saying that he loves you as he was being summoned back home, I know he'll be curious to find that out since he had no idea that I found out about his feelings for you on my own without you or him telling me; its been a while since we've had a long talk together so I know we'll have a lot to catch up on."

"Aren't you worried at all about how he'll feel now that he knows you've known all this time about his confession to me?" Sango asked.

"Yeah, a little bit; but we've been friends for a long while so I'm sure we'll be able to work it all out." Inuyasha answered. "Michiru will probably want to know how you're doing and how you feel after everything you've experienced so far, I'll tell him if you're okay with it."

"Yes, I'm fine with that as long as you leave out everything regarding the matter between the two of us and Miroku; I don't want Michiru to worry about that until after he's found his way back home." Sango replied. "The last thing any of us want is a repeat of what happened when Kagome interrogated each of us and told Miroku about Michiru's confession to me just before he was summoned back home, I told Kagome that I wouldn't choose between Miroku and Michiru until after Michiru's returned to see us; that would allow me the time to sort out my own feelings for each of them so I can make my final decision. I'm sure Michiru will understand that, I just hope Kagome and Miroku do too; I'm worried how each of them are doing ever since I left Kaede's village so suddenly in the middle of the night like that."

"I'm sure they've gotten used to it, you had every reason to do so after what you went through and they both know that; regardless of how your last encounter with each of them ended on bad terms." Inuyasha stated. "They both had it coming, the slap in the face I mean."

"Miroku certainly did, but Kagome didn't even though she made things worse by questioning us and telling Miroku of everything." Sango commented. "Would you do me a favour and tell Kagome how sorry I am for slapping her across the face during our argument? I never should have done that even after what she did, I need to know if she'll forgive me or else I can't ever be comfortable talking with her again."

"I'm sure she's already let it go and put it behind her, but I'll mention it when I see her if that'll put you at ease; she'll probably forgive you anyway even if I'm the one apologizing in person on your behalf." Inuyasha replied reassuringly. "I guess I'd better return to Kaede's village if I'm going to talk with Kagome and Michiru, but before I leave; I'll have to wake up Shippo and Hachi since they're still asleep."

"No Inuyasha, let them sleep a while longer; at least have some breakfast before heading back." Sango protested as she stood up to stop the half demon from waking up their other friends who were still asleep snoring away by the burned out cooking fire. "They don't have to leave with you, they can stay here a while longer; you can leave alone if you'd like and they can catch up to you after they eat."

"Good point, I won't have to carry both of them either like I did during most of the trip to come here; which means I'll be able to move more freely and much faster over greater distances too." Inuyasha remarked after thinking the matter through.

"Very well then, I'm just going behind the hut to have a quick bath and wash up; I'll gather some water and roast boar meat so we can eat breakfast together once I'm done." Sango said as she made her way back over to the hut where she and Kohaku had been sleeping in. "You can stay here and relax for a short while, but if you want to walk around; just don't wander over where I'm having my bath or else…"

"What that's supposed to mean?" Inuyasha asked in utter surprise as he turned around to look at Sango "I am not a peeping tom okay!"

"Just kidding, see you in a little while Inuyasha." Sango said cheerfully with a few giggles before resuming her walk, causing Inuyasha's momentary anger to be replaced with relief that his demon slayer friend was now a great deal happier than she had been before.

As soon as Sango was gone and Inuyasha found himself alone, the half demon took a moment to smile with delight; it was now all too clear that the demon slayer had made up her mind about which young man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. Despite the challenging obstacle of trying to start a relationship with someone who lived in a different world separated across time, the mere fact that Sango was willing to consider that possibility was proof enough that she was gradually becoming interested in returning those same feelings of love and affection which the Shikigami user had confessed to her on that fateful day during his unexpected return back home. But Inuyasha wasn't about to open his mouth and jump to conclusions or make things worse like Kagome had recently done, he chose to remain quiet in order to help Sango out as best as he could as a friend so that she would be spared any further emotional pain than what she had been forced to endure already and to that end; he could keep a lid on the affair even though he might be asked about it by Miroku upon his return back to Kaede's village as well as when ever he visited the modern world where Michiru and Kagome were presently dwelling in.

"Well Michiru, it looks as though things are finally looking up for you and Sango; all you have to do is return home." Inuyasha said softly.

Back in the modern era at the Higurashi residence, it was now 12:45 Saturday afternoon on November the 24th; Kagome was presently in her bedroom and sitting at her desk where she was catching up on more of her school work. She had arisen early in the morning in order to get a jump start with as much time ahead of her as possible, the fact that it was a Saturday gave her an advantage to do as much of her schoolwork as possible without the need to worry about her younger brother Sota giving her more of it from school since this was the weekend and not a week day; that was something to look forward too since additional homework from each day at school put Kagome behind which was really aggravating. Luckily after five long hours, the reborn priestess had accomplished quite a lot and she still had a full day and a half ahead of her until the weekend was over so that was a good sign from her perspective; at least as long as her marks and grades went up and not down.

"Kagome?" Mrs. Higurashi called from downstairs, her voice echoing into Kagome's bedroom through the open doorway. "Lunch is almost ready, wash hands and come join us at the table before all the food is gone."

"Coming Mom! I'll be down in a minute!" Kagome shouted as she stood up from her chair and made her way to the bathroom so she could wash her hands before heading downstairs.

Several minutes later, Kagome arrived at the kitchen and sat down with her family; the table was covered with bowls full of hot soup and plates of sandwiches. A pot which the soup had been cooked in sat in the middle of the table on top of the breadboard, the aroma rising from it along with the steam which filled the kitchen with a fresh scent of warm home cooking which was very nice given that it was winter outside; so a hot meal was always a welcome sight at the table. Kagome's Mom had poured glasses of milk for everyone and she also placed a small pot of hot tea in case anyone wanted a hot drink instead of a cold one even though the hot soup was probably plenty to warm everyone up once each of them had eaten a bowl of it. Kagome sat down and briefly surveyed the food on the table as she turn in the aroma coming from the bowl of hot soup sitting in front of her, the warm scent filling her nostrils and awakening her senses which had gotten tired after the long hours she had spent doing homework; she knew her energy would be recharged after eating a nice lunch.

"So how's your homework coming along Kagome?" Her mother asked curiously once she sat down to eat with everyone as well.

"Good, with any luck; I should have it all done before or by Christmas." Kagome said confidently with a cheerful smile.

"This upcoming Christmas or the one after?" Sota asked sarcastically with a funny looking grin on his face. "Ah! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!"

"Oh very funny, you wouldn't be laughing if you were in my position and had a ton of homework to catch up on; consider yourself lucky Sota." Kagome said with a pout, trying not to get angry from her younger brother's sarcastic remark.

"Lucky?" Sota replied. "You're the one who's lucky Kagome, you get to visit and travel throughout the world that Inuyasha comes from and even though you're gone for a long time; you still manage to get away with missing school and all your homework. You sure have life easy, way easier than anyone else; especially with your teachers letting you catch up despite the ton of homework you're behind on along with all the days you've been absent from school."

"Hey, there are problems my friends and I have to deal with in Inuyasha's world that none of you can ever imagine; I'd just like to see you try and survive one battle against some evil and powerful demon monster like Naraku." Kagome countered in a ticked off tone.

"Yeah, its so easy when you have Inuyasha there to protect you; I'll bet he does all the fighting for you too." Sota joked, making Kagome fume even more.

"Take that back Sota!" Kagome demanded angrily as she glared across the table at her younger brother. "I have my bow and arrows and I can fight just as well as Inuyasha and my other friends can, my marksmanship at archery is really great; I can hit anything I shoot at."

"Really? Can you hit the moon?" Sota asked sarcastically, causing Kagome's glare to get even worse. "No? So much for I can it anything I shoot at. Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!"

"Alright now, that's enough arguing for today." Mrs. Higurashi ordered. "Sota? Be nice to your sister, Kagome has had a lot on her mind and it isn't easy for her to cope with all the difficulties she'd had to put up with over the passed couple of months; so give her a break."

"Aw come on Mom, you always take her side when…" Sota complained before he was interrupted when the phone suddenly rang.

"Everyone hush and keep quiet so I can find out who's calling." Mrs. Higurashi ordered as she got up from her chair and walked over to answer the phone, picking it up and holding it to the side of her face. "Hello? Yes, Kagome's here. Who am I speaking too? Michiru?"

Upon hearing Michiru's name, Kagome immediately spat out her half empty hot cup of tea; making a fool of herself and causing Sota to suppress a huge amount of laughter from seeing his sister's clumsiness. Kagome's eyes widened in shock and surprise as she turned and looked at her mother who was presently talking on the phone with the Kururugi boy who she last heard of was in an unconscious state and near death because of the evil sword Sounga, while she had hoped and prayed that her Kururugi friend would survive the ordeal and get better afterwards; she never expected him to call her house given that it was late in the evening where he was in the United States which was well past bed time for him and the Ghostbusters. Despite her worries over how she would repair the damage done to the friendship which existed between the two of them, she was relieved and happy that Michiru was alive and alright again; its too bad that Inuyasha wasn't here to find out the good news.

"So are you feeling any better now Michiru? You gave Kagome quite a scare and made her really worried when she found out what happened to you yesterday morning." Mrs. Higurashi continued. "Its nearly 11:00 in the evening where you are, shouldn't you be in bed getting your rest at such a late hour; you'll get in trouble with the Ghostbusters if they find out you're up late after what you went through."

"Mom!" Kagome whined, she felt bad enough about what she put Michiru through and she didn't what to feel any worse than she did now by being embarrassed over the phone by her own mother; this prompted Kagome to get up and ask for the phone. "Give me the phone."

"I'm sorry Mrs. Higurashi, I didn't mean to make Kagome worry; I assure you that I'm alright now." Michiru answered, hearing Kagome's voice in the background as he talked over the phone which he was using from Janine's reception desk, he had also turned on a lamp to give him enough light to see in the dark. "I've been asleep in bed for over a day and although I still need some rest, I couldn't fall back asleep right away so I thought I'd pass the time by catching up with Kagome over the phone; I hope you don't have a problem with it."

"No I don't, but please make it a short talk; she needs to carry on with her homework and you need to get yourself a good rest." Mrs. Higurashi replied while looking Kagome in the face as if she was ordering her to do the same so that the two of them wouldn't get carried away over the phone. "Alright, Kagome wants to speak to you now; take care and good bye for now Michiru."

"Good bye Mrs. Higurashi." Michiru answered before Kagome took her turn with the phone. "Kagome? Hello? Kagome?"

"Kagome's gone downstairs to use the phone in the basement Michiru, just give her a minute; I'll hang up once she starts talking and then the two of you can talk in privacy." Mrs. Higurashi answered, waiting for Kagome to arrive in the basement of the house.

"Okay, thank you." Michiru replied as he waited patiently for Kagome to pick up the phone so they could talk, he begun to look around the room for any sign of movement just in case one of his friends was up and about like he was; he didn't want to get caught after all.

"Michiru?" Kagome asked, holding the phone to the side of her face once she sat down on the stairs with her back to the basement door which was closed shut so she could talk in privacy; her mother hung up the kitchen phone as soon as she heard her daughter's voice.

"Hmm?" Michiru responded, concentrating his full attention back on the phone. "Oh sorry Kagome, I was glancing around to make sure I was alone, its late where I am and I want to make sure I don't get caught by any of my friends; I've got a feeling I'll be tied to the bed and left there until they're satisfied that I've had enough rest even though I've been asleep in bed for more than a full day."

"I can see where you're coming from, but just the same; we'll have to keep our chat short just like my Mom said so I can return to my homework and you can get some more sleep." Kagome replied, glad to hear her friend's voice after long hours of fearing that Michiru might not ever wake up again or live because of what the Sounga had put him through. "How are you feeling after what happened?"

"Well, I only had some minor injuries on my arms, but I healed them all with my Shikigami magic after I had subdued the Sounga and locked it up inside of the new containment unit; it shouldn't be able to cause anyone harm now." Michiru answered.

"That isn't quite what I meant, I mean how do you feel after having that demonic sword nearly killing you in your sleep?" Kagome asked.

"Well…I'd rather not talk about it if you don't mind, its too painful to discuss; maybe another time after I've gotten over it." Michiru answered. "All I can tell you is that the Sounga used its evil power to read my mind in order to create a horrific series of hallucinations so it could put me through a nightmare while I was asleep all that time with the sword clutched in my hands, I was fortunate that I was saved in time; otherwise I don't know what would have happened."

"I see…" Kagome answered, the sheer horror of this discovery making her shudder with fear at having to suffer from such an experience as that; now she was more relieved than ever and happy that Inuyasha had apparently succeeded in his errand to save Michiru's life. "I guess Inuyasha came through for you and that his plan worked to save you from that horrible fate that the Sounga was putting you through."

"Inuyasha?" Michiru replied in confusion, until he remembered from Sango telling him that it was Inuyasha who had travelled to the remnants of Demon Slayer Village in order to give Sango the amulet which had been infused with the souls of Utsugi and Kakuju; this memory made Michiru keep the matter of Sango's involvement to himself for now and so he just agreed with Kagome to end the matter there to avoid any unwanted trouble. "Oh, right; I'll have to thank him later the next time we're both chatting over the phone together."

"I honestly didn't know how he would be able to help you given that you were on the other side of the world, but what ever the plan was that Utsugi and Kakuju devised; it obviously worked even though Inuyasha went back to his world in order to carry it out." Kagome said.

"Is Inuyasha back yet by any chance?" Michiru asked, hoping that he could have a talk with his half demon friend and let him know he had recovered from the life threatening predicament that he had recently been saved from thanks to the efforts of Inuyasha and Sango.

"No he isn't, I don't know what could possibly be keeping him and I can't go to find out since I'm grounded; although…" Kagome replied just before a thought suddenly came into her mind and made her stop in mid sentence.

"What is it Kagome?" Michiru asked curiously. "What were you going to say?"

"Maybe he went to Sango's home village, I found out that Sango went there about a day and a half ago because she needed a break; she along with Kirara and her brother Kohaku left together so its possible that he travelled there to visit her." Kagome answered, reminding herself of the events when she had snuck out to go briefly visit the Feudal era shortly after she had questioned both Michiru and Inuyasha about the secret love triangle which she had recently stumbled across a few days ago. "That's my best guess anyway."

"I see…" Michiru said softly as he felt the pain from his previous conversation with Kagome gradually resurfacing inside of him since he could see where this next one was eventually going. "Did you by any chance get to talk with Inuyasha after you finished talking with me?"

"Yes I did, I-I asked him about how he knew about your confession to Sango and he said that he happened to overhear you because of his good hearing from being a half demon." Kagome answered, taking a deep breath since she also knew were this conversation was leading even though it couldn't be helped at this point. "He also said that he chose to keep it to himself because he didn't want to cause you any stress since you had enough to worry about with trying to find your way back home from America as well as the fact that he didn't want to cause a commotion by revealing it to anyone other than Sango, but then I managed to piece everything together on that day when I was eavesdropping on the two of you."

"Is this why Sango went back to her home village for a break to get away from everyone?" Michiru asked softly as he tried to stay calm.

"Yes, I caught her as she was going to leave and…" Kagome answered before pausing in mid sentence when she realized her mistake of letting Michiru know that she had actually spoken with the demon slayer.

"Hold on Kagome, you don't mean to say that you actually talked with Sango; you would have had to leave home and visit the Feudal era in order to do that." Michiru deduced, making Kagome silent and guilty on the other end of the line. "Kagome, you can't just sneak out like that when you've got a ton of homework to catch up on; you're already grounded and I don't want you to get in any more trouble. How are we supposed to visit together when I return if your mother grounds you for life? It wouldn't be fun to go back to the Feudal era without you and it would be unfortunate if all of us can't get together again after such a long time, think how the others would feel."

"I know it was wrong, but I couldn't help myself." Kagome answered with guilt weighing heavily on her. "Please don't tell my mom okay?"

"I won't, but you have to promise me you won't go sneaking out ever again; not until you finished all that homework of yours." Michiru replied.

"I promise." Kagome said, feeling a little better than she did before.

"How did your talk go with Sango by the way?" Michiru asked, already guessing what the subject of Kagome's discussion had been.

"I'd rather not talk about it if you don't mind, it didn't go very well." Kagome answered, knowing Michiru would be angry with her for that.

"Why was she in the process of leaving if you said you only caught her before you had a chat with her?" Michiru asked in confusion. "She must have had a reason for leaving before you spoke with her, she couldn't have just decided to suddenly leave without a valid reason."

"She needed to distance herself from the rest of us so she could figure out her feelings and also because of Miroku." Kagome answered.

"Because of Miroku?" Michiru responded in surprise, causing the Shikigami user to worry with fear. "Please tell me what happened Kagome."

"There's nothing much to tell, he couldn't keep his hands to himself; simple as that." Kagome answered, feeling her inner anger towards Miroku for having screwed up so royally which further damaged his relationship with Sango and forced her to distance herself from him.

"Is Sango alright?" Michiru asked worriedly, praying that this had just been one of Miroku's groping incidents instead of something worse.

"Of course she's alright, all Miroku did was grope her like he usually does; nothing beyond that!" Kagome answered back, figuring out that Michiru had feared the worst and gotten the wrong idea altogether. "Miroku might be a perverted idiot, but he's not a rapist or anything!"

"I didn't say so!" Michiru countered before lowering his voice since he had to came quiet. "I'm sorry Kagome, its just Sango has never felt the need to distance herself from Miroku before when ever he rudely groped her so I thought something really serious had happened."

"Well there's no need to worry, I had a talk with Miroku and told him to smarten up so he'd stop acting like a lecherous pervert if it makes you feel any better; I had to yell at his face in order for my warning to sink in." Kagome replied, hoping this would relieve Michiru's fears.

"Is that all?" Michiru asked suddenly, completely catching the reborn priestess off guard with his next question.

"Is that all?" Kagome replied in confusion.

"Is that all you talked about with Miroku when you visited the Feudal era?" Michiru asked after rewording his question.

"Well…no." Kagome murmured, already aware that she had been found out for yet another screw up which would further damage her friendship with the Kururugi boy.

"What else did the two of you talk about Kagome?" Michiru asked quietly in a slow, yet demanding voice which increased Kagome's guilt.

All it took was the silence caused by Kagome's hesitation which allowed Michiru to figure out the answer, an answer which in turn also summed up why Kagome's talk with Sango didn't go very well; she had revealed the matter of Michiru's confession to Miroku and now everything had changed completely which gave Sango another reason to return to her home village for a break so she could distance herself from the monk and save herself the pain of being questioned by him even though it hadn't been the primary reason from the start. This is why Inuyasha hadn't returned yet because in order to give Sango Kakuju's amulet so she could save Michiru's life from the Sounga, he first had to find her and she had left to go back to her home village which was far away; which also meant that it would take a day or so for the half demon to return in the event that he left once his task was completed. Michiru finally understood everything, Sango also probably found out during her talk with Kagome that the modern Japanese girl had informed Miroku of Michiru's confession which undoubtedly turned the talk into a heated argument which is why Kagome didn't want to bring it up; it was also apparent that Kagome had told Miroku to wise up so he could make amends to Sango now that the demon slayer had to choose between two young men who were attracted to the same woman and she also probably tried talking Sango into giving Miroku another chance before making up her mind over choosing between Michiru and Miroku.

"Are you still there Kagome?" Michiru asked politely in a soft voice, hoping to get any sort of reply from his female friend. "Please answer."

"Y-Yes." Kagome croaked out lightly, afraid of what Michiru would say next even though he had every right to be angry at her right now.

"Kagome…I know you don't normally screw up and do something wrong like Miroku seems to do from time to time, but that was low; especially for you." Michiru let out, trying to be the voice of reason while doing his best to control the emotional pain boiling from inside of himself. "You crossed the line Kagome, this was far worse than interrogating me earlier or eavesdropping on Inuyasha and I; telling Miroku and then interrogating Sango was down right inexcusable. I understand that Sango has feelings for Miroku which is why I kept my mouth shut for so long until the very last moment before I was summoned back home, and whether she loves him back or not; its her decision to make and no one else's. I thought you of all people would have respected that and stayed out of the whole affair, but I guess I was wrong. Why couldn't you just mind your own business Kagome? You must have known how worse things would get by involving yourself and yet you kept prying into the matter anyway, regardless of who would get hurt in the process. Why did you do that Kagome?"

"I told Miroku because I wanted to properly motivate him so that he would stop mistreating Sango like he's been doing for so long, I thought it would force him to come to grips with reality and change himself for the better so Sango wouldn't suffer as much." Kagome answered, already aware that the Kururugi boy on the other end of the line was breaking down and close to crying from his tone of voice.

"Look, I already know you want to see Sango and Miroku together; you don't have to hide it because everyone knows how much you like playing the matchmaker and that you've tried setting them up during our adventures throughout the Feudal era." Michiru replied as he desperately tried holding back the tears which were threatening to water inside his eyes. "But regardless of your reasons or good intentions, you had no right to say who Sango should choose as a boyfriend; and you especially had no right to discourage each of us from advancing our relationship. You wouldn't be happy if someone suddenly tried to discourage you from starting a relationship with a person you love, I'm not saying Sango loves me back even though I love her; but I'm sure you understand what I mean."

"Leave my relationship with Inuyasha out of this Michiru, that's my business and not yours." Kagome countered harshly. "We're talking about Sango's relationship, not mine so don't try and change the subject; that's different from this one."

"No, I consider it the same; you're in love with Inuyasha even though he still has feelings for Kikyo and that's no different from the situation involving Sango, Miroku and I." Michiru replied. "How can you call yourself our friend after enflaming the situation between the three of us?"

"I was trying to patch things up between Miroku and Sango so that Sango wouldn't make a hasty decision." Kagome answered weakly as she felt the pain from Michiru's last remark stab into her.

"That's no excuse Kagome, and we both know Sango hasn't made a decision yet so drop the innocent act already." Michiru replied.

"How can you call yourself Miroku's friend by seeking a relationship with Sango when he has feelings for her?" Kagome countered cruelly. "You knew that Sango also has feelings for Miroku long before you had yours for her, and yet you confessed to her anyway."

"There's nothing wrong with what I've done Kagome, Sango and Miroku aren't a couple and besides; I find it immensely hard to believe that they ever were one to begin with after seeing him physically harass her and flirt with other girls over the course of our travels together." Michiru answered, managing to remain calm even though his heart felt heavier with more emotional pain as he continued. "Regardless of the tension that know exists between us, at least we haven't discouraged one another from taking a romantic interest in Sango which is more than I can say for you after everything that you've said and done; I'm sorry for having to say these things Kagome."

Kagome could now only sit still in silence as she was unable to find any more words to counter the accusations against her; despite her own personal feelings; the truth was plain as day and she could no longer ignore it. Michiru was right and she was wrong, Inuyasha had warned her of this and she had found out the hard way by informing Miroku of the whole affair before questioning Sango; and now her attempts at repairing the damage she had done were being seriously threatened by her own personal reasons for justifying her desire to see Sango and Miroku together as a romantic couple. Although she was relieved and happy that Michiru had been saved from the Sounga, she had made the mistake of trying to discourage him from pursuing Sango yet again which caused another verbal argument between herself and the Kururugi boy; she only hoped that the worst of all this was over and behind her so things would get better as time wore on. Her guilt was now causing her to fear what Inuyasha would have to say to her for trying to discourage Michiru a second time, Sango as well; and then there was another fear for what would befall everyone once Michiru finally returned to the Feudal era and how Sango's decision would affect everyone. Before Kagome's mind could ponder any further, Michiru's voice brought her back.

"Kagome? I don't know if you're still listening, but if you are; I want you to know that I'm sorry for saying anything that might have hurt you." Michiru asked softly which made Kagome's watery eyes blink in disbelief as she listened more closely after thinking she had heard wrong. "This isn't easy for me to say, but if you can give me your word that you'll stay out of the matter involving Sango, Miroku and I from now on; than I'll find it in me to forgive you for everything you've done wrong and we can still be friends. I should probably get to bed now and you need to get on with your homework, I'll try calling again later so we can continue this conversation at another time; goodbye Kagome."

"Goodbye…" Kagome replied automatically, unable to get anymore words out as her lips were opening and closing until she heard the phone hang up from Michiru's end of the line which indicated that their talk was now over; it was too late by the time she had recovered herself. "I guess I'd better head upstairs to my room and get back to my homework, I only hope the worst of this is now behind me."

After taking several minutes to pause and think about what had transpired, he was about to head back upstairs and go to bed when the door just a little ways behind him opened up; making him turn around in the process to see who was opening it. Upon walking through the doorway, Ilyssa came to a halt and put her hands to her mouth as she gasped in surprise; she obviously wasn't expecting to see the young Japanese student up and about after he had been bedridden for so long. The two friends stood quietly for a few moments, neither of them saying anything as they stared back at one another; for each of them were totally unprepared for this which meant that they couldn't decide what to do next until their minds had rebooted and recovered from the shock of this unexpected midnight reunion.

"Uh, hey Ilyssa." Michiru said quietly with a slightly embarrassed tone of voice for having been caught out of bed so late at night just before the young woman rushed over and all but took him in her arms, being relieved to see the Japanese boy alive and free from the Sounga after so many unbearable hours; her soft crying immediately caused Michiru to feel bad that he had been responsible for making her so sad and worried. "Ilyssa, please don't cry; it makes me sad to see you cry. I'm sorry I couldn't subdue the Sounga during that afternoon, I would have saved you all that pain from worrying about me for so long; I guess I'll have to try and make up for all that."

The Shikigami user usually wasn't so bold when it came to being in close physical contact with an attractive female, nor was he ever one to touch a female in such a way for fear of being labelled as a lecherous pervert; but he had to try something in order to try and cheer up his female friend since she had been crying for several minutes now. And so with great reluctance, Michiru relaxed his hold around Ilyssa and lowered his hands until they reached her hips; his fingertips brushing the fabric of her pyjama shirt until they slipped underneath and touched the bare skin of her waist. Although Ilyssa was still lightly crying, she had still noticed his actions even though she wasn't yet ready to release her young friend from the bear hug and she was inwardly wondering what had suddenly come over the Kururugi boy which made him so bold; making her curious to find out what he was up too. The female curator suddenly began to giggle as Michiru's hands were gently tickling her bare waist, she used a hand to playfully smack Michiru on the back of the head to discourage him; but that didn't work and she continued to giggle even more which successfully cheered her up and brought an end to her crying.

"Glad to see you happy again, now let's clean you up so you don't look depressed; remember what I said that crying ruins your pretty face." Michiru said with a smile as he removed his right hand and grabbed a tissue from the tissue box on Janine's desk, he had stopped tickling Ilyssa now and she finally released herself and backed up so she could see him; giving the Kururugi boy the opportunity to wipe away the tears from her eyes and face until they were dry. "There, that's better. Now where's that cheerful smile of yours I like so much?"

"You really are something Michiru, you always manage to cheer me up again no matter how depressed and sad I've become." Ilyssa responded before she placed her hands behind Michiru's neck and leaned in closely, her lips brushing against the side of his face as she gave him a light peck on the cheek; causing the Shikigami user to blush a deep red which made the woman smile sweetly in satisfaction.

"I-I just w-wanted to you to stop crying, that's all; I subdued the Sounga and locked it up in that new containment unit so it won't cause another incident like that again." Michiru said, suddenly remembering his left hand was still on Ilyssa's waist; removing it quickly before tossing the piece of tissue into a waste bucket. "I went back to bed, but I couldn't fall asleep so I thought I'd pass the time by calling Kagome's house and talking with her for a short while; even though our second conversation didn't go so well."

"I see, all of us found out that the Sounga was reading your memories and using them to create hallucinations in order to try and break your will. What kind of nightmarish events did the Sounga put you through and how did Sango manage to save you at the end?" Ilyssa replied quietly after she recalled all the information from the letter given to her from Utsugi and Kakuju along with their plan which they were implementing in order to save Michiru's life, causing Michiru's face to turn to into a terrified expression as he recalled everything from beginning to end; his eyes suddenly watering which forced Ilyssa to hug the boy once more in an effort to comfort him. "Its alright Michiru, you don't have to tell me if you don't want too; I just thought it would be easier for you to recuperate if you let it all out, that's all."

"No, I do want to let it all out; its just that its very painful and it'll take a while to tell you everything that happened." Michiru answered softly, letting out a few sniffles as he used his right hand to wipe his eyes before the tears could run down his face. "Its just after midnight."

"Why don't we go over to the couch where we can sit more comfortably?" Ilyssa suggested as she grabbed the tissue box since she knew the Japanese boy would have more need of it than ever now over the painful process of telling her everything he had dreamt. "I know its passed midnight and both of us should be in bed right now, but I'm going to go upstairs and quickly made some hot chocolate; I'll be sure not to wake everyone and I'll come right back down when I'm done. Would you like that Michiru?"

"Yeah, yes please; thanks Ilyssa." Michiru replied gratefully with a weak smile before they both walked over to the couch, once he sat down; Ilyssa headed over to the staircase so she could go up to the kitchen and prepare the hot chocolate for them both. "Oh boy…"

Meanwhile in the Feudal era at the remnants of Demon Slayer village, Sango and Inuyasha were just eating up the last of their breakfast together with Kirara and Kohaku who were also eating with them; Shippo and Hachi were still asleep which was rather odd given it was the middle of the day along with the fact that the smell of hot food was usually enough to arouse them from unconsciousness. But then again, they had travelled all day with Inuyasha and neither of them have even half the strength and stamina that he possesses so it was understandable that they were sleeping in because they were so tired from last night. Inuyasha and Kirara were both feasting on some large amount of roast boar meat slices, they also had some water served to each of them as well; Sango had eaten her fill for the moment and she was now helping to feed Kohaku who was sitting comfortably on an upside down wooden bucket which was used as a stool.

"You didn't eat very much Sango, I know its midday at all; but you need to eat more than that if you want to retain your energy." Inuyasha commented as he kept eating the immense amount of food which the Demon Slayer had heated up for him. "You can't fight without lots of energy and to get energy, you have to eat."

"I've only taken a break from eating my breakfast so I can help Kohaku eat his, I'll eat more later Inuyasha; there's no need to worry." Sango replied before her eyes glanced passed Inuyasha and brought a mischievous smile to her face. "You should be worrying about eating your own breakfast instead, you've got a long journey ahead of you; it would be unfortunate if your own breakfast was stolen."

"Huh? HEY! GIVE THAT BACK KIRARA! THAT SLICE OF MEAT WAS MINE!" Inuyasha yelled angrily after just noticing that the tiny two-tail had managed sneak over and snag the biggest remaining meat slice from his plate whilst he was distracted by talking with Sango, he uses his free hand to grab it but Kirara then transformed into her fighting form and deprived the half demon from yanking it back; turning the event into a tug of war which the now giant two-tail won due to her unexpected transformation as she dragged Inuyasha until he lost balance and was forced to let go. "WHAT ARE YOU LAUGHING FOR SANGO? YOU THINK THIS IS FUNNY?"

"Kirara only wants to play with you Inuyasha, she hasn't eaten that slice of meat; its still hanging from her mouth." Sango pointed out with a few giggles which made Inuyasha look back in disbelief at the giant cat demon who was standing still looking intently at him with the slice of meat held lightly by her teeth. "She wants you play catch with you, a few days ago; I tossed some fish at her one at a time to see if she could catch them and it was a very enjoyable game."

"A game huh?" Inuyasha said, raising an eyebrow as Kirara swung her head up and released the meat slice so it soared back to him.

"See?" Sango said once the half demon caught it in the air without having to move from where he was standing. "Now you have to throw it back to her, go ahead and play; I can always give you more food if you're still hungry so use the slices that the two of you have already."

"Okay, here you go Kirara; catch." Inuyasha replied, throwing the meat slice back at Kirara who caught it in her open mouth and chewed it quickly before swallowing it; licking her lips and waiting for the half demon to give her more as she eyed him with her full attention.

"Good, now keep throwing one at a time and see how many Kirara can catch in her mouth before they hit the ground; that's how you keep score." Sango instructed as she handed another plate of meat slices to Inuyasha who was now getting used to this new game.

"Here comes the second slice Kirara. Ready? Catch." Inuyasha said, throwing the second slice with more force than the first one which caused Kirara to trot a little to her right to intercept the target so she could catch it before it struck the ground. "Good, now for the third."

"Try tossing some of them high in the air and see if she can catch them as they fall back down Inuyasha." Sango suggested as she gave Kohaku a cup of warm medicinal broth to drink after he had eaten enough roast boar for this very late breakfast.

"Here comes a high one, you'll have to catch it when it falls down again Kirara so keep your eyes on it." Inuyasha warned before hurling another meat slice up the air, watching Kirara wait for it to fall within range until she snapped at it; her huge nose unfortunately struck it before she could catch it between her teeth which caused it to bounce away and land on the ground just in front of her. "Oh, nice try."

"Hmm? Who's making all that noise?" Hachi murmured, letting out a big yawn until he was wake enough to get up. "Oh, hello Sango. What are Inuyasha and Kirara doing over there?"

"Hello Hachi, they're just playing a game of catch with some food." Sango answered as she poured a bowl of warm broth for the raccoon dog to drink before gathering up some more wild boar meat. "Here you are, this will help wake you up; the rest of your breakfast will be ready shortly."

"Thank you." Hachi said gratefully as he accepted the bowl, taking a few sniffs of the aroma coming from it before sipping it slowly. "This is very delicious, you're a fine cook Sango."

"Thank you Hachi." Sango said until she noticed Shippo was also coming around, being asleep for a long while without any food eventually causes every living being to wake due to hunger so it was no surprise to the demon slayer that her fox demon friend was finally awake at last. "Looks like Shippo is finally awake as well, that's good; now we can all eat and enjoy each other's company together."

"Good morning Sango." Shippo said as he wandered over to where Sango, Kohaku and Hachi were sitting; letting out a yawn and rubbing his sleepy eyes. "It is breakfast time yet?"

"Its well passed breakfast time Shippo, its afternoon now so the day is already more than half over." Sango answered, causing the young fox demon's eyes to widen in disbelief as he hadn't realized he had been asleep for such a long time; that and the memory of Michiru's life being in danger because of the Sounga which made him suddenly worry for how their Kururugi friend was presently doing at this time. "WHAT ABOUT THE PLAN THAT INUYASHA NEEDED YOUR HELP WITH? DID IT WORK? IS MICHIRU ALRIGHT? HAS HE BEEN FREED FROM THE SOUNGA? DID HE WAKE UP AFTERWARDS? WHAT ABOUT THE SOUNGA? IS IT STILL DANGEROUS?"

"SHIPPO!" Sango countered loudly, promptly shutting up the young fox demon so she could speak more calmly in a soothing tone of voice. "Relax, yes Michiru is alright; I made him promise to wake up after I saved him from the Sounga so I expect he's doing just fine."

"B-But what the Sounga?" Shippo stammered until Sango used her hand to cup the little guy's mouth closed.

"Its probably been subdued and imprisoned in some advanced stronghold so it can't cause harm to anyone, now please stop worrying and have something to eat; you've been asleep for a long while now so you must be hungry." Sango replied before removing her hand and grabbing another empty boil to serve some warm broth for the fox demon to drink. "Drink your broth, I'll get your breakfast ready."

"Hey, what's Inuyasha doing with Kirara?" Shippo asked as soon as he noticed Inuyasha throwing meat slices at the giant two-tail who was attempting to catch them with her snapping jaws. "Are they playing a game or something?"

"Yeah, it's a catching game; I played it a few days ago with Kirara myself and its very fun and entertaining." Sango answered, handing both Hachi and Shippo a plate of heated roast boar meat which was already smoked from yesterday. "You should watch, I think you'll like it; you're both welcome to join in when you're done eating if you'd like."

"Oh hey Sango. If you're playing too; doesn't that mean the rules change or something?" Inuyasha asked as Sango joined him and Kirara.

"No, the game stays the same; we just have to take turns so you throw a slice and then I'll throw one afterwards and so on." Sango answered, holding a single slice of roast boar meat in one hand while gripping a full plate of meat slices in the other. "Ready Kirara? Here you go."

"Oops, that didn't go so well." Inuyasha commented as the slice was accidentally struck in the air by Kirara's massive nose during her attempt to catch it with her jaws, bouncing the morsel of food in the air again which caused the giant two-tail to reposition herself until she finally catch it in her mouth before it hit the ground. "Then again, that was pretty impressive; too bad Michiru isn't here with Kagome and Miroku to see this."

"Yeah, I know." Sango mumbled quietly in agreement, thinking for a moment about how the three of them were doing since each of them were now separated from everyone else presently staying with Sango in the remnants of Demon Slayer village which had once been her home.

"Can I play?" A voice asked quietly, drawing everyone's attention and making their eyes widen in shock; it was Kohaku who had asked the question and he had just spoken out loud so Sango naturally needed a minute to recover herself before she could answer back.

"Of course Kohaku, come over and stand next to me; I'll give you some slices to toss to Kirara." Sango answered with a delightful smile on her face, happy that her brother had now begun talking again and that he was strong enough to play and walk as well.

"Oh! Me too! Me too!" Shippo shouted, darting over to Sango's side as well so he wouldn't be left out of the fun.

"Would you like to join in too Hachi?" Sango asked, handing both Kohaku and Shippo some more meat slices.

"No thank you, I'm fine over here; I'll sit and watch all of you have fun." The raccoon-dog answered with a wave from where he was sitting.

"Sango, there are four of us now and each of us only have about five slices left." Inuyasha pointed out after coming over to see the demon slayer, as he counted all the remaining slices left to use. "How will Kirara know who's turn it is?"

"Okay, each of us will take a turn starting with Kohaku, then Shippo followed by Inuyasha; I'll go last and then we'll restart the order all over again." Sango instructed after thinking how they were going to change it up so that everyone could play. "When ever your turn arrives, call Kirara so she'll know you're going to toss a slice to her and that way; everyone make sure you wait until Kirara's ready after each turn so we don't rush her."

"Sounds good, okay." Shippo replied as everyone spread out in a long line about thirty feet in length, Kohaku was at the far right with Shippo to his left; then Sango and finally Inuyasha who held the far left position.

"You have the first turn Kohaku, go ahead and toss the meat slice to Kirara; call her name out loud." Sango instructed as she watched.

"Kirara?" Kohaku called out, receiving a playful growl from the giant cat demon once she looked at the young boy and waited in anticipation for him to toss her a slice of meat. "Catch."

"Ah! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!" Shippo laughed, watching the roast boar slice bounce off Kirara's huge nose and fly up in the air; everyone else joined in as they watched the giant two-tail wait for it to fall once more so she could try and catch it a second time.

This humorous game continued over a short while as each of the four friends took their turns throwing Kirara a slice of roast boar meat, she managed to catch two out of every three slices given to her; but there was the hilarious occasion when she'd snap at the falling food too early and smack it with her massive nose which made everyone laugh. After everyone else but Sango had thrown their slices to Kirara, the demon slayer found she was the only person left who still had once slice of meat still in her possession; she must have accidentally skipped her turn in the middle of a laugh or something like that and now Kirara was eyeing Sango to toss it at her.

"I have an idea everyone, let's throw this last slice to each other for a while and see if each of us can catch it." Sango suggested.

"Can we use our hands or do we have to use our mouths like Kirara?" Inuyasha asked sarcastically with a grin, causing everyone to laugh at his joke as Sango turned around to give him a playful glare for his remark. "I was just kidding around Sango, all good and fun."

"Well of course we'll use our hands Inuyasha, I wouldn't want to catch it after it had been in your mouth." Sango replied humorously before she decided on who to pass it too. "Kohaku? I'm throwing it to you so get ready, here it comes."

"Good catch Kohaku, now its your turn to pass it to someone." Shippo commented just before he found himself as the next person who had to catch the meat slice, luckily he was close by and Kohaku had tossed it lightly so it was easy for the young fox demon to catch. "Hey! I caught it!"

"Roar!" Kirara growled playfully at Shippo, trying to get him to toss the last remaining slice of meat at her so she could eat it.

"Don't throw it to her Shippo!" Inuyasha shouted from behind Sango, waving his hand high to get Shippo's attention. "Pass it over to me!"

"Huh? Who do I pass it to Sango?" Shippo asked worriedly, not wanting to offend either of his friends by choosing one over the other.

"Go and throw it to Inuyasha, see if you can throw it that far." Sango suggested cheerfully.

"Okay, here it comes." Shippo replied, transforming into his giant round pink balloon form which hovered up a little so he could toss the meat slice over top of Sango in order to successfully pass it to Inuyasha.

"Nice one Shippo! Way to take advantage of your transformation ability." Inuyasha commented after catching the meat slice in the air as he made a high jump to retrieve it, as everyone waited for him to throw it back; the half demon suddenly hatched a devious idea in his mind after laying eyes on Kirara who was now drooling over the thought of eating the last piece of roast boar meat in this little game. "Now who should I throw this too?"

"Oh! Pick me Inuyasha! Pick me!" Shippo pleaded in excitement, still hovering in his giant pink balloon form while Kirara was licking her lips with her big tongue, keeping her eyes fixed on the final piece of food.

"You now what?" Inuyasha said with a mischievous grin before meeting Kirara's gaze from a distance, holding the meat slice up in front of his face; waving it around lightly as if to mock everyone. "Kirara's eaten lots of slices already, so I think I'll just eat this last one myself."

"ROAR!" Kirara growled angrily in a playful tone as she all but leapt into the air and charged right into Inuyasha, knocking the half demon on his back and pinning him beneath her massive furry body; but not fast enough to stop him from devouring the last slice of boar meat.

"Hold on Inuyasha! I'll save you. HA!" Shippo yelled, using his massive balloon form to charge into Kirara from the side which succeeded in pushing her off of Inuyasha; but the half demon had a firm grip on her fur so he was naturally sent rolling off along the ground with her.

"Thought you could sneak up on me didn't you Kirara, well you weren't fast enough to get the better of me." Inuyasha said playfully with a grin as the two of them continued to roll along the ground until Kirara was lying upside down on her back and Inuyasha was standing on her left side holding her down so she couldn't move, waiting for Sango and the others to come over and take advantage of this opportunity which had presented itself; Shippo had now transformed back into his fox demon form and landed right on top of Kirara's big furry belly. "But now I've got the better of you and you aren't getting away, time to give you a bath! That's right, a bath, get some water Sango!"

"Hey Inuyasha! I think Kirara's ticklish!" Shippo said as he was shaken around by Kirara's attempts to get free, taking note of Kirara's funny sounding moans; using his hands and feet to lightly tickle and gently scratch the giant cat demon's soft belly. "Yeah, s-she's ticklish alright!"

"Okay Shippo, I'll hold her down, you tickle her; we've got to keep her still until Sango comes back with the soap and water!" Inuyasha replied just at the moment when Sango and Kohaku were now racing back with some buckets of water in their hands, Hachi was following behind them with some bars of soap; Kirara could see them as she turned her head just enough to one side. "Time for your bath Kirara!"

"Okay, we've got the water Inuyasha; pass everyone a bar of soap Hachi." Sango said, trying to suppress her laughter as Kirara suddenly struggled even more than before; using her forepaws to knock each of the water buckets just as Sango and Kohaku were about to pour their contents all over her.

"Hey!" Shippo cried as one of the buckets deposited its fill of cold water all over him along with Kirara's massive belly, soaking her fur in the process. "Dump the water on Kirara! Not on me!"

"S-Sorry Shippo, hurry and pour the other buckets Kohaku." Sango said with a few giggles, until a huge burst of laughter escaped from her when Kohaku's first bucket was knocked away and splashed the water all over Inuyasha's head. "Ah! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!"

"Ugh! Now you got me all wet!" Inuyasha complained angrily, making everyone laugh, including Kirara who purred with delight at getting even with the half demon; wagging her two tails back and forth over and over to express how happy and funny she found this experience. "Kirara's the one who's supposed to be getting the bath here! Not Me!"

"Well since you're all wet now too, we might as well give both of you a bath!" Sango said suddenly, her hand darting out in a flash and grabbing a lock of Inuyasha's long silver hair and pulling him down on top of Kirara's chest; Kirara herself used her massive forepaws to hold him tight against her so he couldn't release himself even though he was trying really hard to break free. "Okay, everyone get a bar of soap and start scrubbing, I'll do Inuyasha while the rest of you do Kirara; Hachi please pour some more water for us! EEEEEK! That's cold!"

"That wasn't me Sango." Hachi exclaimed, holding up both of his paws to show that they were empty; which told the demon slayer that her younger brother Kohaku had been the one who had splashed the fourth bucket of water over top of her and getting her all wet.

"Huh…Ha! Ha!" Kohaku replied sheepishly with an embarrassed smile on his face as he set the bucket down on the ground. "S-Sorry."

"I-Its okay Kohaku, go ahead and scrub Kirara's head; but make sure to be careful and gentle when you're doing her face so you don't get any soap suds in her eyes." Sango said before turning her attention back to Inuyasha. "Don't worry Inuyasha, I'll be gentle when I scrub your hair so just relax and it'll be over quickly; you hardly ever bathe so I'll wash your hair and you can go off to bathe yourself in privacy."

"After all that I've done for you Sango, you should be setting me free; not keeping me restrained against my will like this." Inuyasha growled lightly, looking back up at Sango with his eyes as best as he could since the right side of his face was pressed against Kirara's chest; but then he suddenly noticed that Shippo was now missing from the scene when he looked and saw there was no one beside him crouching on top of Kirara's belly. "Huh Sango, you may want to look above you because there's a gigantic thing floating above our heads."

"Ahh!" Hachi cried in fright after looking up and seeing what looked like a giant pink coloured bowl floating above them, blocking out the sunlight with its massive size; making everyone look up at it as well. "What is that?"

"Hey everybody, I brought some more water; here you are." Shippo answered in his newly transformed form as he poured out a huge amount of water from a nearby lake, completely soaking everyone in the process; then he transformed back into his little fox demon form and landed back on Kirara's belly without hurting her at all. "So can we continue now that Kirara and Inuyasha are both soaking wet?"

Everyone beginning with Hachi just burst out laughing despite being all wet, it was a nice sunny day and since it was early afternoon; they would eventually dry off within an hour or so as long as they didn't splash any more water on one another. Sango gently scrubbed Inuyasha's silver hair while Shippo and Kohaku scrubbed Kirara, Hachi gathered refilled the buckets of water so Shippo didn't have to pull that same big stunt again; the female demon slayer did a quick job so the half demon didn't suffer a whole lot and he got over it once he knew it would be done fast. Although he was finished having his hair washed, Kirara still wouldn't let Inuyasha go which forced everyone to tickle her together until she eventually released him; everyone was laughing and giggling loudly as the giant two-tail just laid there wagging her tails and playfully growling with joy and affection. Inuyasha took a moment to stretch his limbs once he was free to move and he saw how happy Sango was due to having so much fun and joy with Kohaku along with Kirara and the others, it was a rare sight to behold and he could imagine the inner warmth inside of the demon slayer's heart right now as he watched her laugh and play with Kirara; he was now glad that her mood had changed so much ever since she woke up in such a sad state from this morning.

Taking a moment to look around, Inuyasha surveyed the remnants of what had once been a flourishing home for Sango's entire family, although it was presently in ruins and there were only Kohaku and Kirara left other than Sango herself; the place seemed more alive than ever now after the fun games and pranks they were playing here. Inuyasha found himself wishing he had that digital camera belonging to Kagome's mom so he could have recorded this whole humorous occasion, he knew how much Michiru would enjoy seeing this given how funny it was as well as the fact that Sango was in it; she was smiling happily for the first time in a while and she was actually having fun instead of working all day. Letting out a sigh as he thought quietly, Inuyasha remembered he could always tell Michiru of these events over the phone from Kagome's house; but he would first have to return to Kaede's village and then jump through the Bone Eater's well to travel back to the modern world. Although he would probably miss more entertaining experiences like this one, he knew that there would be plenty more to enjoy in the near future once Kagome and Michiru both returned after having completed their long term tasks first; so he had to be patient and wait just as everyone else was forced to do for the time being.

"Sango?" Inuyasha said softly, getting Sango's attention as he walked over to rejoin the group of friends who were all scrubbing Kirara's wet fur with soap in order to clean her, despite how ticklish she was in certain areas of her massive body when she was transformed into her giant fighting form. "I'm…going to head out and return to Kaede's village so I can go to the modern era and find out how Michiru is doing, if I don't come back to visit you again; then I'll see you when you return from your break. Is it okay if I take some roast boar meat with me to eat on the way home?"

"Yes Inuyasha, go and help your self; but wait a moment." Sango replied, placing the bar of soap on Kirara's belly so she could unfasten the golden amulet which she was still wearing around her neck before she placed it in Inuyasha's hands. "When you return, if you happen to see Utsugi or Kakuju again; please ask them to give this amulet to Ilyssa. She's one of Michiru's new friends, I need to talk with her about the matter regarding Michiru and I; its very important so please ask them to give it to her for me on my behalf."

"You can count on me Sango, I owe you big for saving Michiru from the Sounga anyway so I need to return the favour; consider it done." Inuyasha answered taking the amulet and fastening it around his neck so he wouldn't lose it during his travel back to Kaede's village. "You stay here and have fun with the others, I'll let Kagome know you're doing alright and that Michiru's been saved from the Sounga too; see you later."

"Wait!" Sango said, stopping the half demon from darting off as she lowered her voice down before speaking further. "Thank you for all that you've done for Michiru and I, I greatly appreciate it and I'm sure he would too even though he never knew that you found out about…his final farewell."

"No problem Sango, I'll be seeing you around some time; be sure to keep everyone here in line so no one gives you any trouble." Inuyasha said with a quick wave before darting off to the storage hut to salvage some roast boar meat so he could be well supplied with enough food for his journey; leaving Sango to get back to having a good time with Kirara and the others as they all laughed together.

Back in the Modern era at the Firehouse, Michiru had just finished telling Ilyssa of what he had experienced until he woke up in bed about several hours or so ago; he had begun his tale at the part when he had thought he had woken up from another nightmare even though he was still asleep in reality until Sango made contact with his soul and convinced him of the truth which had saved his life in the end. He only mentioned that his mind had been read before hand so that that he could keep his own memories to himself as well as to save on time since it was well after midnight and they both needed to get to bed and go to sleep, Ilyssa already knew this; but she stayed quiet and let the Kururugi boy continue so he could let everything out even though it was a slow and painful process. The two of them had long since drank their cups of hot chocolate and Michiru had taken a few occasional pauses here and there to cry for a bit when ever it was too painful to carry on and Ilyssa made sure to comfort him until he found the inner strength to pick up where he had left off in his long and nightmarish tale. By the time he was finally done, Michiru's face was so red from crying that it looked as though his face had been sunburnt; luckily he had cried softly enough so no one else but them could hear him and that was fortunate.

"That was a horrible experience you went through Michiru, I'm so relieved that Sango managed to save you from it in the end; I imagine she was also in just as much emotional pain as you were in since she saw everything and couldn't intervene until the last moments of your predicament." Ilyssa said softly as she held Michiru to her in a tender hug, feeling bad that the incident with those three street thugs from Thursday afternoon had set Sounga free which then lead to her young friend to suffer so much internal agony even though none of it was actually real; but she was relieved that it as now over and out of Michiru's system even though she knew it would take a while for him to completely let go of the whole experience. "Do you at least feel any better now that you've gotten that off of your chest?"

"Y-Yeah…" Michiru murmured, practically sounding like he was on the verge of falling asleep once more even though he had been asleep for about a day and a half already; but he eventually relaxed himself now that it was over and he felt safe and secure in Ilyssa's embrace as they sat on the couch together with the faint light burning from the lamp on the reception desk some distance away. "Thanks for…helping me out again Ilyssa, I've lost count how many times you've made me feel better at this point and I'll always be grateful for what you've done for me; I only wish I could do more to repay you for your kindness."

"You don't owe me anything Michiru, all I want is for you to be alright so you can return to your home in Japan and by extension; to the Feudal era so you can reunite with all of your friends once again." Ilyssa countered after pulling Michiru away from her so she could look him in the face. "I'm sorry I couldn't have helped you like Sango did, I would have if I had been given the chance; but Utsugi and Kakuju already chose her to carry out their plan to help save you so there wasn't anything that could be done to alter that."

"Its alright Ilyssa, I know you would have helped me out that way if you could and it means a lot to me that you wanted too even though you couldn't; but you've helped me out now by being here and listening to me vent my emotions out and that in itself has made me feel so much better." Michiru replied with a look of sincere gratitude on his face as he smiled weakly. "You've made me stop crying so that's proof enough, it's a shame that Sango can't meet you in person like I have; it would be nice if the two of you got to know each other and I know that you'd be able to make her feel better in the same way you've managed to do for me if she ever got sad or was in any pain."

"Well…now that you're feeling better, I'd say its about time we both go to bed; we need to get up early and make up for lost time if we're to help save the city from the paranormal catastrophic event threatening to destroy it when the ghost world enters into our own." Ilyssa said as they both stood up from the couch. "We'll need a good sleep and a good breakfast to gain our energy back for that, and you especially since you're the Experimental Equipment Technician; the Ghostbusters will definitely need your help for the upcoming battle."

"Yeah you're right, well good night then Ilyssa and thanks again." Michiru replied as he followed her along, carrying their empty mugs in his left hand while they made their way over to the reception desk; the female adult was about to turn off the desk lamp and head for the door which lead to the bedroom where she and Janine were both sleeping in when she turned around all of a sudden.

"Michiru?" Ilyssa said with a playful tone in her voice as she eyed him suspiciously.

"Yes Ilyssa?" Michiru asked, wondering what she wanted.

"I sleep down here, your bed is upstairs in the bedroom where the guys are on the second floor; or have you forgotten." Ilyssa pointed out teasingly with a mischievous smile on her face as if she was suggesting that he was trying to follow her to her bedroom, making the unprepared boy blush a deep red once he caught on to what she had meant; giving her immense satisfaction that things were back to the way they had been before the Sounga had caused Michiru such emotional agony.

"WHAT?" Michiru stammered uncontrollably, shaking his head with denial as he stepped back several paces; waving his right hand in an effort to assure his female friend that he would never ever think of trying to take advantage of her like that. "I wasn't…I was just seeing you to your room! Nothing beyond that! Honest! I…goodnight Ilyssa!"

"Good night Michiru, don't let the bed bugs bite." Ilyssa replied humorously with a satisfactory smile as she suppressed her giggling until the young Shikigami user had power walked to the staircase and gone up to the second floor, it was unfair to tease him like that; but she needed something to give her a laugh after seeing Michiru in such an emotionally hurt state for a while and she knew he'd forgive her for it too so it was minor considering that none of the Ghostbusters would ever find out about it. "I suppose I'll have to apologize to him for that in the morning before breakfast, oh well; I hope Sango's managed to recover from having to witness that horrible nightmare too."

In the Feudal era, Miroku was presently returning back to Kaede's village from a long walk he had taken to occupy the afternoon and give him some alone time to think to himself; supper was most likely being prepared right now so he needed to get back in time to eat before his meal had gotten cold. Although he had been patient enough for a while so that fate could run its course, he was seriously becoming agitated by the fact that he could no longer just sit around and do nothing except to wait for events to unfold; Inuyasha along with Shippo and Hachi had gone to visit Sango and life in Kaede's village felt considerably lonely without even one of his travelling companions to interact with. The event with Sango leaving to take a break and search her feelings as well as the matter regarding Michiru's life threatening predicament were especially giving the young monk a serious cause for concern since he had no idea how Inuyasha hoped to save the Shikigami user's life with Sango's help since he was separated across a vast distance as well as time itself.

"Hello Miroku, supper's nearly ready so please sit down; it will only be a few more moments until everything is cooked to perfection." Lady Kaede beckoned when she noticed Miroku walk inside the hut where she was busy cooking tonight's meal.

"Thank you Lady Kaede." Miroku replied politely as he sat himself down by the warm fire, taking a moment to look around and seeing that they were the only people presently inside of the dwelling. "You haven't seen Totosai by any chance this afternoon have you?"

"Hmm? Well now that you mention it, I saw him once at merchant's shop a while ago; but then I believe he went over to acquire some forgery tools from one of the blacksmiths here in the village." Lady Kaede answered as she stirred a large pot of stew hanging over top of the cooking fire, paying close attention to make sure none of the contents got burned or stuck to the inside of the large cast iron dish.

"I see, that explains why his cow Momo was alone grazing in the field then; I never ran into him while I was talking my walk so that would make sense." Miroku deduced as he thought about his activities throughout the afternoon.

"There's no need to worry Miroku, he'll probably be back in time for dinner so you can see him while we eat together if there's an important matter you need to discuss with him." Kaede pointed out, taking a few sniffs of the steamy aroma rising from the hot pot which told her that the stew was cooked enough and ready to serve; prompting the elderly woman to gather up some bowls and chopsticks for everyone.

"Very well, I'll wait then." Miroku said before pondering quietly to himself for a few moments, hoping that Totosai would be alright with the favour that he wanted to ask of him.

Ever since Miroku had been informed by Kagome of Michiru's confession to the demon slayer who he also harboured deep feelings and a desire for, Miroku was obviously on edge wondering how he could possibly amend his relationship with Sango and repent for his recent offence which had driven her away that night; anything to use what limited time he had available to convince Sango he was worthy of a second chance before she made up her mind and before Michiru eventually returned to this era within a few days or so. Besides that matter, Miroku was also wondering how Sango had possibly saved Michiru's life given that she didn't have any magical capabilities not to mention how far the two of them were both separated across time and space; that was the biggest question on the monk's mind. Finally, there was also the question of Michiru's current condition and whether or not he could completely recover from what the Sounga had put him through. Would he remain the same person he was before hand? Or would he be too traumatized and emotionally damaged from the experience afterwards? How would Sango feel after her attempt to save him? Would she also be able to cope with what ever evil the demonic sword had conjured? Before any additional questions could enter Miroku's mind, Kaede spoke up.

"Ah, good afternoon Totosai; dinner's ready so please sit down." Lady Kaede said, welcoming the old codger once she saw him enter.

"Thank you Kaede, mm what ever you're cooking smells really tasty; poor Inuyasha's going to miss out since he's not here to eat some of it." Totosai commented as he savoured the aroma rising from the steaming pot of stew hanging over the cooking fire. "Oh well, his loss."

"Thanks for your compliment, but Inuyasha will eat just about anything so he wouldn't really care and besides; I'm sure he's getting enough food which tastes just as delicious as this over in Sango's village." Lady Kaede replied, making Miroku accidentally swallow a mouthful of hot stew down before it had a chance to cool; causing him to yelp and gulp down a cup of water to cool the inside of his throat. "Careful Miroku, the stew is very hot; you'll burn yourself if you eat it too quickly."

S-Sorry Lady Kaede, I suddenly swallowed a whole mouthful by accident; I'll be sure to eat more carefully and at a slower pace from now on." Miroku stammered in between breaths now that the inside of his throat had cooled down thanks to the cup of water he had drank.

"See that you do, wait for it to cool a little before eating." Lady Kaede advised with a chuckle as she served Totosai a bowl of stew and a cup of water before she finally sat down to eat as well.

"Totosai?" Miroku asked, getting the old blacksmith's attention. "I was wondering if it would be possibly to borrow Momo for several days so I could go visit Inuyasha and the others in Sango's village in order to find out if Michiru has been saved or not, I know it's a lot to ask; but I can't sit still waiting now that all my other comrades are gone."

"There's no need for you to go Miroku, we're bound to find out soon enough once Inuyasha comes back which should be tomorrow at the earliest so try and be patient for a little while longer; we're just as concerned as you are too you know." Totosai replied, knowing that his answer wouldn't be the one that Miroku wanted to hear. "It would be a shame if you left and Inuyasha came back here after you had gone wouldn't it?"

"Yes, that's true…I hadn't thought of that." Miroku said as a sudden thought of going and running into Inuyasha made a chill crawl up his spine since he knew his half demon friend wouldn't be too pleased to see him trying to track down Sango to question her about another important matter besides the one involving Michiru's predicament; namely the one regarding the Kururugi boy's confession and how Sango was going to choose between Michiru and himself. Even if by some miracle, the monk had managed to pass by Inuyasha without being noticed; it wouldn't be a good way to try amending his already deteriorating relationship with Sango if she found out he had followed her home when she went there for a break to get away from everyone including himself. "On second thought, you're right; it would be better if I waited here to find out everything I want to know."

"That's good, it would be unfortunate if you departed now that we need you here more than ever since Inuyasha isn't here to protect the village from any dangerous demons lurking nearby; your skills in combat are highly valuable and there are too few of us who can actually hold our own in combat against such formidable foes." Lady Kaede commented as she eat her bowl of stew a little at a time.

"My apologies, I'm been so focussed on Naraku for such a long time, that I've almost forgotten there are other threats and foes which could endanger the village and its people; it will take a while for me to get used to Naraku being gone along with the wind tunnel that he had cursed my family with." Miroku replied, glancing for a few moments at his right hand which was still sealed up even though the deadly wind tunnel was no longer there; flexing his fingers before he continued eating his late afternoon meal. "It feels strange not having my wind tunnel anymore, I'm glad that I'm free of the curse and spared suffering a horrible death; but I still feel as though a part of me is now gone as well since I've had it from the moment I was born."

"Try not to let it bother you Miroku; you should be thinking about settling down and having a family now that Naraku is dead and gone from this world; you've missed out on taking that opportunity since you've spent so many days travelling with Inuyasha in search of Naraku so you should start looking around for some beautiful young girl to start a relationship with." Lady Kaede said in understanding as she tried to be supportive and encouraging at the same time, but this only helped to bring Miroku's thoughts back to the woman he especially desired above all others that he had been so fortunate enough to meet in his life; Sango.

"That task hasn't escaped my attention Lady Kaede, I've been meaning to start such a relationship with a beautiful woman; but I'm waiting for the opportune moment and that won't come until after I can deal with…an important matter first." Miroku replied, thinking about the love triangle involving himself, Michiru and Sango.

"Well you do what you think is best then, just be sure you don't wait too long or else the opportunity might slip from your grasp." Lady Kaede advised as she poured more water for the three of them to drink since they needed it to cool their throats down from the hot stew.

"Yes…I know that all too well." Miroku whispered extra quietly so neither Kaede nor Totosai heard him even though the monk was sitting beside each of the elderly companions, knowing that time was no longer on his side and there was nothing he could do to change things for the better; only Sango held the power to determine the course of her fate which would also effect Miroku and Michiru in the process.

"You must have been very hungry to have eaten your food that quickly Totosai." Lady Kaede pointed out when she noticed the ancient demon had emptied his bowl of hot stew ahead of herself and Miroku. "Would ye like a second helping?"

"Yes please, thank you very much Lady Kaede." Totosai replied politely, holding his empty bowl out for the elderly woman to refill after dipping the ladle in the huge cooking pot.

"Would you like a second helping as well Miroku?" Lady Kaede asked as she noticed the monk was nearly finished eating his meal as well. "There's still plenty of stew left in the pot if you're still hungry."

"Not yet Lady Kaede, I think I'll wait a bit for my stomach to settle before eating anymore; perhaps later on." Miroku said as he emptied the last of the stew from his bowl into his mouth before setting his dish on the stool and standing up from his feet. "I think I'll go outside for a quick walk, I should regain my appetite when I come back; thank you again for the fine meal."

"Very well then, enjoy your walk Miroku; we'll see you when you come back." Lady Kaede said as she finished serving Totosai another helping of food.

Miroku left the hut and began to walk throughout the village, taking occasional pauses to observe the people wandering about their business; the young woman to be more specific though there weren't very many of them to admire. Once he arrived at the tall tree where many of the village children enjoyed playing at and climbing on it, he turned around and retraced his footsteps until he arrived back at the hut; but he continued following the dirt path which lead to the fields where the crops were grown and harvested in an effort to make the walk last until his stomach settled down from eating the hot delicious stew that Lady Kaede made for tonight's dinner. Before he could turn to the left and follow the pathway out to the forest where the Bone Eater's well was located, a faint noise like the sound of someone's voice caught the monk's attention and forced him to look around for who ever was calling him; that's when his hears told him the identity of the person even though they were difficult to see due to being so small in size.

"Well hello there Myoga, I didn't realize you had gone away for a while. What brings you back here at this time of day?" Miroku asked as the tiny demon flee darted from here and there on the ground towards him until he landed on the open palm of the monk's left hand which was held out to greet him with.

"I was busy travelling around and seeing how everything is throughout the lands now that Naraku is dead and gone." Myoga answered as he sat himself down comfortably in the monk's open palm.

"Well although all of our worries and fears are now gone, I imagine that many demons have now come out of hiding so they can roam freely without being killed by him so that makes perfect sense; both demons and humans are now safe from his limitless evil." Miroku replied as he pondered the matter for a moment.

"You haven't seen Inuyasha have you, I was very much looking forward to sampling a taste of his tasty half demon blood." Myoga joked.

"Ha. Ha. Ha." Miroku laughed for a moment at the tiny flee demon's humour before answering the question. "He left yesterday morning to go and visit Sango in the remnants of Demon Slayer village which is where she went to go for a short break, Hachi and Shippo also accompanied him on the journey; Inuyasha had to find Sango in the hopes that she could somehow save Michiru from being killed in his sleep from a horrible fate he was forced to experience because of the Sounga and we have yet to find out if his life was saved or not."

"I see, that sounds most serious indeed; but I'm afraid I don't quite understand how Sango could save Michiru since she doesn't have any supernatural abilities like Kagome's powers or Michiru's Shikigami magic." Myoga said. "Did Inuyasha ever say what is reason was for seeking her help? Surely he must have explained his plan before going to seek her help.

"All he said was that if he couldn't find Sango for help, than Michiru couldn't be saved and he could die; that's all he mentioned before departing other than informing us that Michiru fell unconscious with the Sounga stuck in his hands." Miroku answered as he recalled everything he could remember about the event yesterday morning.

"Well if you ask me, something just doesn't add up; I can't see how Sango could possibly help save Michiru." Myoga said thoughtfully.

"Nor can I, but Inuyasha must know how or else he wouldn't have gone to ask for her help; Michiru is also far away in another country as well as in a different era." Miroku deduced as he carefully pondered the possibilities even though none of them made any kind of sense.

"We'll just have to wait and ask Inuyasha ourselves when ever he returns then, or we could go and see him and Sango for ourselves." Myoga suggested.

"No, I…have to remain here; the journey would be too long for me anyway since I would be travelling alone by myself on foot." Miroku said regrettably, knowing that he'd destroy escalate things between himself and Sango if he travelled to her home village. "However…"

"What is it Miroku?" Myoga asked as he noticed the monk suddenly hatched another idea. "Have you thought of something else instead?"

"Yes, you could travel to Sango's village instead; your small size makes it easy for you to watch and listen closely without being seen." Miroku answered as he explained his reasoning to the tiny demon flee. "You could travel to Sango's village and find out what Inuyasha's plan was, its probably already been tried out so we just have to find out whether or not it succeeded which will tell us if Michiru is alive and has been saved from the Sounga."

"Just a minute Miroku, you sound as though you're asking me to spy on Sango and Inuyasha." Myoga said suspiciously as his curiosity got the better of him. "Why would there be any need for me to do that when all we want is to find out what's happened to Michiru and so on? He is our friend just as much as he is theirs so why the need for secrecy? Is there something going on between you and them?"

Well…Sango and I didn't part very well on good terms which is possibly why she travelled back to her home village for a while." Miroku answered reluctantly as he let out a heavy sigh. "If I go, my presence will only cause her to get angry which will cause pain for both of us; which is why its better if you go alone to investigate instead. If you go and find out all the answers, I'd very much appreciate it Myoga."

"And what would Master Inuyasha have to say about this if he were to catch and question me about what I'm doing?" Myoga asked seriously, knowing that his half demon master wouldn't be very happy or forgiving if his bodyguard was eavesdropping on Sango and in the midst of what remained of her own home as well. "I know he won't be happy or pleased if he knew I was spying on her, he'd squash me over and over again or worse; force me to accompany him into a dangerous battle from which there could be no escape or return!"

"I highly doubt that you'll get caught given your immensely small size Myoga, and besides that; you could always act like you just arrived on the scene like you normally did when all of us took the day off from our travels in different villages when Michiru was with us." Miroku suggested in an encouraging tone of voice. "You're the last person they'd expect to spy given how much of a coward you are and how you always avoid danger; and you have nothing to fear from them so you have nothing to worry about."

"Well I'd rather just go and question Sango and Inuyasha face to face to avoid any suspicions if its all the same to you, you'll get your answers either way so there's no need for me to spy just to satisfy your curiosity about what's been going on." Myoga countered. "But that's only if I still chose to go on this errand for you, and right now; I don't think I will given that there's nothing in return for me other than to satisfy my own curiosity."

"Well…if you don't want do it, I'll track down Shoga and tell her you're here in Kaede's village; she'll be most pleased to find out where you've been hiding for most of the time ever since you got out of marrying her again and again." Miroku said with a devious expression.

"N-NO! MIROKU!" Myoga begged as his eyes widened with fear, ready to carry out Miroku's demand even though this was blackmail. "OKAY! OKAY! I'll do it, bust PLEASE DON'T TELL SHOGA WHERE I AM!"

"I give you my word as an honest, faithful and honourable monk that I won't utter a word to Shoga about your presence; good luck Myoga." Miroku replied as politely as he could even though he had resorted to blackmail in order to get what he wanted out of Myoga.

"I'll hold you to that Miroku, and don't break it or you'll live to regret it." Myoga warned with a serious look in his tiny bulging eyes.

"I won't break my word Myoga, I swear on my life that I won't so relax." Miroku countered calmly, holding up a hand to swear on oath.

"Just remember that all you have to do is find out enough to answer all of the matters we're both curious to find out about, if it makes you feel more comfortable; then you can question Sango and Inuyasha openly as long as you leave out the fact that you're asking on my behave instead of your own curiosity." Miroku instructed once more as he reminded Myoga about what he had to do in order to avoid any trouble. "That should dispel any suspicions and if anyone should happen to find out even though the chances are very remote, you can say I talked you into it so you don't get punished or blamed for anything; they'll believe you and take your word over mine if that makes you feel any better."

"Oh very well then, I'll see what I can do; just remember that this was all your idea Miroku." Myoga said before the demon flee swiftly departed, disappearing from Miroku's sight into the lush green grass until he eventually made his way into the forest to begin his journey.

"Now that that's settled, I guess I'll head back to the hut and have another serving of Kaede's delicious hot stew before Totosai eats all of it; all that remains is to wait for Myoga or Inuyasha to return and find out what went on. If Inuyasha returns first, I'll find out enough to answer most of my questions and if Myoga returns first instead; I'll know those answers and possibly more if Myoga ever happens to overhear anything else that passes between Sango and the others at her village." Miroku murmured to himself as he turned around and started walking back in the direction of Lady Kaede's hut. "I shouldn't have resorted to such extremes, but I want to find out everything I possibly can before Sango returns; I know Inuyasha wouldn't want to tell me everything given that he's passing messages back and forth between Michiru and Sango according to what Kagome told me so I have to find out just how Inuyasha's plan worked if Michiru was actually saved from the Sounga with Sango's help. Until I find out, I'll just have to wait here patiently and figure out how to amend my own relationship with Sango before she figures out her feelings about who she loves; I just hope I can turn things around for myself before Michiru returns as well because I haven't much time left."

Author's Note: I originally wanted this chapter to go on for a little longer, but I honestly couldn't get anything else typed without falling even more behind schedule so I hope this is enough to satisfy everyone for all those who have been waiting for a while. The next chapter is basically going to cover Michiru getting back into the routine of work whether its at the Firehouse or elsewhere in the city so he can be mentally and physically fit for active duty once again, the day should be relaxing enough and its obvious that everyone's morale is going to be back up to its original level once all the Ghostbusters find out Michiru is not only wake; but alive and well. Since Inuyasha didn't take the time to explain how he planned on saving Michiru's life with Sango's help before he left Kaede's village in such a hurry, I'm sure Miroku was going to get immensely curious about the matter among a few other things so I figured he'd try and finding out those answers himself even though he's blackmailing Myoga to basically do the dirty work for him on his behalf; Miroku doesn't seem to have any other alternate given his ever worsening relationship with Sango as well as the fact that his time to set things right is running out very fast.

Orionpax09: I hope you're doing alright and that you enjoy reading more of this story when ever you have the free time available to do so, I'll admit chapter 15 was a bit too long so I hope chapter 16 is better. Although Miroku is forced to just sit around and wait, he obviously can't take it since that kind of action won't do anything to change things in his favour with Sango which is what brought on the idea of using Myoga to spy for him; and Myoga would probably be willing to do anything short of endangering himself in order to hide and avoid marrying Shoga which we all know he's absolutely afraid of doing. Although Kagome has had another heated argument with Michiru, she's now realized her mistakes even though she would still like to see Miroku and Sango together so she'll have to stop enflaming the situation and just let fate run its own course; but that won't necessarily stop her from having one final girl to girl talk with Sango about which young man the demon slayer wants to have a romantic relationship with given how nosy she is about the whole affair.

Greymon Leader: Sorry I've gotten a little side tracked and that I've been having a hard time updating my stories, but it isn't easy trying to write more than one; reality with winter now here had made life difficult for me and especially at work. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and that it was worth the wait even though it always sucks having to wait an unknown amount of time for the next chapter to follow afterwards and more importantly; what the next chapter has in store for the characters.

Rajvir: Glad you enjoyed the last chapter and the scenes with Michiru's memories and the Sounga, they were tough to write about.


	17. Laughs, Hugs, and Lots of Fun

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, Ghostbusters; or anything associated with either of them. This story is being written just for fun and enjoyment.

Chapter #17: Laughs, Hugs, and Lots of Fun

It was now early evening when Sango, Kohaku, Kirara, along with Shippo and Hachi sat down comfortably around a warm fire so they could enjoy a tasty supper together. Although the day flew by fast since everyone had slept through half of it, everyone still had fun and enjoyed the afternoon during the humorous incident of giving Kirara a fresh water bath inside the remnants of what had once been Demon Slayer Village. This was the first time ever in a long while that it had been full of life and laughter ever since Naraku's sinister plot had destroyed it along with the majority of its inhabitants, including nearly all of Sango's family except for herself, her brother Kohaku and Kirara; their loyal two tail cat demon. The sun had now set and the night was settling in, blanketing the sky in a dark curtain with only the moon and stars to offer a tiny amount of light from the heavens above; lucky the cooking fire provided enough light for everyone to see all around themselves as they ate and talked together inside the now deteriorating remains of Sango's own home.

"Thank you again for this tasty stew Sango, it warms me up right down to my toes." Hachi said thankfully as he ate a fresh bowl of hot stew made up of more roast boar meat with potatoes and herbs all cooked together in delicious gravy like broth which had been cooked inside a large pot suspended over the crackling fire.

"Your welcome Hachi, I'm glad that you enjoy it." Sango replied as she served herself a bowl once everyone else had been served their share first, taking a seat next to her younger brother so she could assist him in case he required her help even though he was eating on his own.

"Are you sure that it's the food and not the fire that's warming your toes?" Shippo asked as a joke, making everyone laugh. "Ha! Ha! Ha!"

"By the way Sango, why did Inuyasha suddenly leave while all of us were having so much fun together?" Hachi asked curiously.

"Maybe he wanted to avoid having a bath after he was held down against his will so his hair could be washed." Shippo joked. "Ha! Ha! Ha!"

"Shippo, that's not why he left and you know it." Sango countered even as a small laugh escaped her lips after hearing the young fox demon's little joke. "He wanted to return to Kaede's village so he could visit Kagome's world and find out how Michiru is doing, Inuyasha is just being concerned just as Kagome and I would be concerned for one of you if you had been in danger or hurt in anyway, that's all."

Everyone went quiet and hung their heads low as they tried to find any words to change the subject in the hopes of returning to their cheery modes that they had been in a moment ago before Sango's answer had reminded them of the horrific fate that their Kururugi friend had been forced to endure for such a long while. Luckily, Sango had something as a surprise which would be more than enough to put some smiles on her friends faces once again, the female demon slayer wandered over to the hut and came back with a basket full of fruit which she had gathered up during an afternoon walk in the forest outside and she knew that it would be the perfect solution for her.

"Does anyone have room left for some dessert?" Sango asked, holding the basket aloft for everyone to see, causing both Shippo and Hachi's eyes and mouths to widen with delight. "Each of you can have some, but only after you've finished eating all of your dinner first."

"Aw, but if I do that, my tummy won't have any room left in it at all." Shippo complained, causing everyone to laugh lightly at the young fox demon.

"That's why you have to grow bigger so your tummy will get bigger too, but you won't get any bigger if you don't eat more." Hachi commented. "Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!"

"Its okay Shippo, I'm sure your stomach will make room once its settled for a short while after you eaten your dinner." Sango replied with a comforting smile in an effort to cheer up her small friend.

"She's right Shippo, besides, it's not like Inuyasha is here so you don't have to worry about all the food being cobbled up." Hachi added.

"That's a relief, he's always eating more than he needs and he even eats off other people's plates too." Shippo commented angrily.

Sango sat down to continue eating her own meal, she was surprised that Kohaku had already finished eating his in such a short while, but it was a good sign since it showed he was regaining his health back even though his memory would still take more time to recover. After offering her younger brother a piece of fruit for dessert, Sango was also given a moment of humour when she saw him hold it out for Kirara to eat, the enormous cat demon took a few experimental sniffs in order to determine whether or not the morsel of food would be delicious, giving Kohaku a puzzled look as if she was asking why he was feeding her some fruit instead of meat. Although Kirara had already eaten some roast boar meat for supper, she had a big appetite just like Inuyasha so she still had room enough for more and she never complained when ever she got the chance to have an extra amount of food or to have fun with her companions whom she cared for.

"Kohaku, ah, ha, ha." Sango called out, making her brother turn around to look at her. "If you want to feed Kirara, you have to give her the kind of food she likes to eat. I'll go get you some left over roast boar meat so you can offer it to her."

After getting up and walking away, Sango could only help but giggle even more at the situation involving Kohaku and Kirara, it brought her back to the time of her earlier life when the three of them had a family and were all living together without any hardships or sad memories, such was the life that had been taken away from them when Naraku's treachery had killed all of their family, leaving only emotional heartbreak and loneliness in the end for as long as the female warrior could remember…until Michiru had come into their lives.

"Here you are Kohaku, be sure to feed these to her one slice at a time." Sango said, handing a plate with some slices of roast boar meat stacked on top of it.

"Sango?" Shippo asked, getting the demon slayer's attention. "How long do you think you'll stay here before coming back to Kaede's village?"

"I…haven't really decided yet Shippo, another day or two at least." Sango answered as she recalled the reasons for why she had returned here, to distance herself from Miroku and to have time alone to figure out her own feelings even though she was already on the verge of reaching a final decision over which young man she loved and wanted to spend the rest of her life with, namely Michiru.

"If you're worried about Miroku doing anything again, Kirara and I will protect you when we all arrive back together again." Shippo said reassuringly, Sango couldn't help but smile at the young fox demon's bravery for trying to be both a hero and protector. "Won't we Kirara?"

"Meow!" Kirara replied affectionately as she was being fed by Kohaku.

"I appreciate that Shippo, but I don't think Miroku will do anything like that again, not after I slapped him in the face." Sango replied.

"Slapping him in the face isn't enough Sango; we all know that for a fact." Hachi commented.

"I didn't just slap him in the face; I yelled at him and told him never to touch me like that ever again." Sango added, feeling a little reluctant for sharing that with her friends even though she knew on the inside that they all understood and would support her.

"Well good for you, maybe that will bring an end to Miroku's bad behaviour…at least towards you I mean." Shippo commented.

"I hope so too Shippo, I hope so too." Sango thought silently to herself as she continued eating with her companions around the warm fire, despite the inner pain she was feeling from the emotions of those events that night, it was kept in check by the overwhelming comfort which she felt from the support she received from her friends after all the joyful experiences that they had shared together tonight as well as during the day. "Michiru, I hope you're healing on the inside just as I am. Please get home safely so that we can see each other again soon, and be sure to have a talk with Inuyasha and Kagome so we can all be happy again once you've come back."

Meanwhile, Inuyasha was racing through the immense forest as fast as he possibly could in order to get to Kaede's village, for he remembered that the time difference in the far away land where Michiru was meant that he and the Ghostbusters would be awake while Kagome and her family on this side of the world would probably be asleep; a fact which he couldn't ignore and he wanted to arrive on time in the hopes that he could successfully contact his Kururugi friend over the phone so they could have another conversation. However, the half demon knew that it wouldn't be as enjoyable as the previous one that they had shared, for he had hidden the fact that he had found out about Michiru's feelings of affection for Sango as well as his confession of love to her on the day he had been summoned back home; that alone wouldn't be an easy subject to discuss with Michiru and especially after both of them had been interrogated by Kagome during that day which escalated everything once Miroku was revealed everything and Sango was interrogated by Kagome also.

"Oh well, I suppose none of that can't be helped, the important thing is that Michiru was saved from Sounga and that now its my turn to try and set things right with all of us." Inuyasha muttered to himself, leapfrogging every now and again to overcome or avoid any obstacle in his path as he ran along, making sure to conserve enough of his strength and energy in order to get all the way back without getting tired or exhausted. "I only hope I make it there in time to talk to him over the phone before he leaves to go on another battle with the Ghostbusters, and then there's giving this amulet to Michiru's ancestors as well, I have to keep that promise to Sango after all that she did to save Michiru's life when no one else could."

Some distance ahead was an open grassy plain stretching out for miles with many kinds of flowers growing in patches scattered all over it, there were a few dirt roads winding around so travellers could go from one village or town to another without fear of getting lost, near one of the roads was a little girl with long black hair and she was dressed in an orange kimono. Her green coloured demon companion who was just as small as herself, had big yellow eyes and wore a brown kimono with light grey coloured pants and a tiny black hat similar in appearance to those that human monks would normally wear even though it was much smaller in size. The two of them were minding there own business when a small group of perhaps half a dozen human bandits came upon them, the girl had alerted her demon companion, but unfortunately there wasn't enough time to react the oncoming threat.

"Behold the power of the staff of two…ouch!" Jaken cried as he was kicked aside, only to be lifted off the ground and held upside down like a live chicken, his precious staff had been left on the ground and he was unfortunately powerless without it. "Put me down at once or else my master will slaughter all of you where you stand you if you don't leave us alone and walk away while you still can you hoodlums!"

"Master? You wouldn't be referring to this little girl over here would you? AH! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!" The bandit who was holding him remarked before laughing out loud, immediately causing his fellow bandits to join in and laugh with him while Jaken struggled to get free.

"Release me at once! If I had my staff of two heads, I'd roast all of you alive!" Jaken yelled again as he tried in vain to release himself.

"Roast huh? Now that you mention it, I'm getting kind of hungry, roasting you up sounds like a mighty good idea. How about it guys?" A bandit commented, receiving a lot of yes's and laughs while poor Jaken's face turned white as a sheet since he didn't want to be eaten.

"Please don't eat master Jaken, or I'll be all alone until Lord Sesshomaru comes back." Rin begged with a pleading look on her face.

"What's wrong little girl?" A bandit said sarcastically, as he knelt down to look her in the face, scaring the poor girl and making her tremble with fear. "Its dangerous for you to be wandering around out here with bandits and demons around, so if you hand us over any gold or valuables you might have, then we'll be on our way and no one has to get hurt."

"I don't have any gold; all I have are these pretty flowers." Rin replied back, holding the collection of various flowers which she had picked from the meadow.

"What?" The bandit leader yelled with disappointment, shoving the other bandit out of the way before grabbing hold of the girl's black hair, twisting it cruelly and causing the girl's eyes to water from the pain. "We don't want any useless flowers you little brat, we want gold and if you don't have any, then it looks like you've outlived your usefulness."

Suddenly Inuyasha cleared the forest and entered the meadow; it was then that he noticed a group of bandits harassing a young girl and another being who looked strangely familiar even though it was dark with only the moon and stars to provide a tiny amount of light from the night sky. Although he had to get home quickly, the people were in his path and so he decided to intervene and besides, he could use a quick fight to deal with the amount of boredom he was feeling right now after travelling over such a long distance already. As quick as lightning, Inuyasha darted in without being noticed until it was too late. He delivered a swift punch to the bandit leader's head, knocking him on the ground and leaving him in a great deal of pain since the blow had been right in his face.

"Hey bandit, it's not nice to pick on someone who's weaker than you, but I suppose that means you must be really weak too." Inuyasha commented with a grin, cracking his knuckles in preparation for more fighting even though his appearance and big entrance had already given the other bandits the hint not to mess with him unless they wanted to end up like their leader who was flat on his back. "Does anyone else want to match their strength against mine or is this all the fight I'm going to get for tonight? Figures, you guys are all wimps."

"DON'T JUST STAND THERE YOU IDIOTS! GET HIM!" The bandit leader managed to call out despite the agony he felt on his face.

It was all over in merely half a minute, Inuyasha kicked and punched all the bandits who tried in vain to take him down, they were all beat up and knocked out cold with their bodies lying motionless on the ground all around where Rin had been standing. Jaken had been thrown by the bandit, who was holding him to cause a distraction, but it didn't work and he was easily beaten just as the other bandits were, Jaken had hit the ground and rolled along until he came to a stop with then allowed him to return once the fight had ended.

"Thank you very much, I'll tell Lord Sesshomaru that you saved master Jaken and me." Rin exclaimed gratefully with a happy smile on her face as she looked up at the half demon who now realized that these were the companions of his older brother Sesshomaru who he detested just as much as the full demon detested him for being a mere half demon who was nothing but a weak disgrace in his opinion.

"It was nothing, I just wanted to beat up some bandits because I was bored, take care little girl." Inuyasha replied before leaving quickly.

"Oh no, how am I going to face Lord Sesshomaru when Rin tells him that his half demon brother Inuyasha saved our lives from a bunch of human bandits?" Jaken thought to himself as he feared for his own life. "If only I had enough time to use my staff, I could have engulfed all of those bandits in flames and then I wouldn't be in this mess. Its Inuyasha's fault for interfering! And besides, he only wanted to beat up the bandits just because he was bored! We didn't ask to be saved! I could have eventually come up with something to save us both!"

Inuyasha enjoyed the fight and felt better afterwards, having gotten the chance to beat up some opponents on his journey back to Kaede's village, but upon leaving the meadow and entering into another forest, the half demon suddenly came to a halt as his powerful sense of smell picked something up he knew was somewhat familiar to him even though he couldn't quite remember what it was. Before he could figure out an answer, Inuyasha suddenly felt a tiny pinprick like feeling on his cheek which made him instinctively smack it in order to stop whatever was causing it and sure enough, he found the one responsible once he lowered his hand and saw a now flattened flea demon resting in its palm.

"What are you doing showing up in the middle of nowhere all of a sudden Myoga?" Inuyasha asked curiously, wondering what his so called bodyguard was up too now. "Its night time and here you are wandering about the lands. Don't tell me you came all the way out here just to have a taste of my blood?"

"As tasty as your half demon blood is Inuyasha, no, that's not why I'm wandering around." Myoga answered, feeling a little worried about being found out my Inuyasha as he tried to gather his wits in order to get this over with so he could continue with his journey to Sango's village. "I came here to find out if Michiru was saved after what the Sounga put him through, all of us back at Kaede's village just want to know if he's alright and how he's doing.""All I know is that Sango was able to save him, I don't know how he's doing which is why I'm heading back so I can visit Kagome's world in order to find out." Inuyasha answered frustratingly. "I'm in a real hurry so if there's anything else you want to ask, then get on with it."

"No, that's all." Myoga answered, relieved that he had at least found out one answer to some of Miroku's questions.

"Now that you know, I suggest you hold on to my kimono so we can travel fast to get to Kaede's village together." Inuyasha suggested.

"Actually, I huh…" Myoga stammered, drawing Inuyasha's attention. "I have something else to do so I'll come back on my own when I can."

"You're not coming back with me?" Inuyasha asked in surprise, wondering what Myoga could possibly be doing. "Alright, see you later."

Myoga leapt out of Inuyasha's hand before the half demon resumed his journey, leaving the tiny flea demon alone in the dark at the edge of the forest by the vast grassy plain with the flowery meadow. The flea demon thanked his good fortune that he hadn't been found out so that he could get his errand of espionage over and done with before anything bad happened, he wondered if it would not have been better to return with Inuyasha seeing as how his half demon master could answer all of Miroku's questions which would eliminate the need for Myoga to go snooping around as he was. But it was too late for that, Inuyasha might not stay long enough to answer Miroku's questions and he might not have all the answers that Miroku wanted to find out about. Besides, Myoga had been blackmailed and he had to find out as much as he possibly could in order to keep Miroku's mouth shut about revealing to Shoga of his whereabouts, for he didn't want to marry her and that was something which the flea demon almost feared as much as he did death itself.

In the modern era on the other side of the globe, dawn was just creeping up over the city of New York when Michiru Kururugi opened his eyes and found himself in bed; he slowly managed to haul himself out from under the blankets until he could sit up with his legs and feet hanging over the side. Although he had only gone to bed a couple of hours ago, the Japanese student had already been asleep for more than a day before getting up and wandering about the Firehouse last night, it was during that period of about several hours when he had talked with Kagome over the phone and then spent nearly two hours talking with Ilyssa about the nightmarish events which the Sounga had put him through during his long uninterrupted state of unconsciousness. Now that he was feeling much better, Michiru decided to get up and wander about for a short walk to stretch his legs and wake himself up until he could figure out what to do next.

"I hope I everyone else stays asleep for a little while longer, I don't want to be crushed to death by a series of bear hugs or anything just because I'm finally awake and out of bed." Michiru thought to himself as he tip toed along, hoping to get to the bedroom's door which leads out to the kitchen and laboratory just ahead. "Whew, made it, now I can enjoy a nice quiet walk to stretch my legs and wake me up."

Ilyssa was also awake and out of bed as well, the female curator was making her way to the stairs so that she could to up to the second floor of the Firehouse and use the washroom to take a warm shower to start off the day by bathing to get clean. Still wearing her night clothes, she was carried a small bag with some soap and other hygienic products inside of it along with an assortment of clothes to wear for the day and some towels to dry herself off with once she was done. Ilyssa and Michiru would have met each other given that there was only one staircase leading up and down which connected both floors of the Firehouse, but unfortunately, a small series of other events would occur which would make them meet a little later on and in an different place altogether thanks to a certain someone.

"Michiru!" a voice suddenly cried out, startling the heck out of Michiru as he came face to face with Slimer who had been wandering around as well, the ghost darted ahead in an attempt to give Michiru a hug which made the teenager duck and run to get away from the energetic and excited spiritual entity. "Wait, come back, I only want to give you a hug."

Eager to avoid being slimed, Michiru darted to the left in the direction of the arcade game machines and slide down the fireman's pole really fast with Slimer easily tailing him close behind in this little chase, the two of them leaving the second floor just as Ilyssa had reached the top of the staircase and neither one of the humans had any idea of the other's presence nearby. Upon reaching the bottom however, Michiru darted back up the stairs really fast only to have Slimer fly back through the passage and intercept him from where the stairs ended at the top, thereby knocking the Japanese student on the floor after hugging him upon collision and sliming Michiru's face.

"Ugh!" I would have given you a hug if you weren't so slimy, you really need to get into the habit of taking a bath every day Slimer, or else you'll drive people away because of how dirty you are regardless of the fact that you're a ghost." Michiru pointed out, keeping as still as possible to avoid getting more slimed as he waited for the slimy green ghost to release him even though Slimer meant no harm. "I'll tell you this as a friend, so don't take it the wrong way or get all teary eyed okay; you're still part of the Ghostbusters even if you are a ghost."

"Aw, but I don't like baths." Slimer whined as he released Michiru and allowed the teenager to get himself back up from the floor.

"It's for your own good Slimer, that's my advice, take it or leave it." Michiru replied, examining his now damp and sticky face which had slime on it from where Slimer had come into contact with him during that brief hug as he walked to go clean up in the washroom. "I need to go wash my face now that I'm all slimy and gross, I might as well take a shower while I'm at it as well in order to get clean for the day."

"B-But…" Slimer interrupted, causing Michiru to turn around suddenly upon hearing the green ghost's response.

"What?" Michiru asked, wondering what the problem was and why Slimer had objected.

"Huh…nothing." Slimer said back, knowing full well that he was going to be given some entertaining humour in another moment or two.

Thinking nothing of Slimer's words, the Kururugi boy wandered to the other end of the lab and went passed the kitchen to the doorway which leads into the bedroom. Once he walked through, Michiru turned right and headed for the washroom, taking a left and entering through one of the entrances. The fifteen year old strolled into the shower and turned on the warm water before bending over so that he could wash out the oozy substance from his head, using his hands to rub his face and run his fingers through his hair until every last trace of Slimer's slimy residue was washed away completely, all while making sure to keep the rest of his body away from the spraying water to avoid getting himself and his clothes wet.

"Ah, that's much better, now to dry off." Michiru murmured after turning off the showerhead and reaching out for a towel to dry his head and rub his eyes so he could see.

Just as Michiru had grabbed a hand towel and proceeded to wipe all the moisture from his head and face, Ilyssa had just strolled back inside of the washroom after going out for a moment to put out a sign warning everyone else to stay out since she would be using the shower, she had noticed that Michiru was up since his bed was empty, but she didn't realize that he had entered the washroom's shower from the other entrance opposite the one she had just used. The female curator had already undressed herself just moments before and was only covered in a towel, she was about discard it and step inside the shower when Slimer unexpectedly snuck up from behind and snatched the towel away with a swift yank, giving the green ghost a up close view of her naked body while simultaneously giving Ilyssa the fright of her life.

"EEEEEK!" Ilyssa screamed, turning around in a flash and shielding her chest with her left arm as she prepared to swing the back scrubber in her right hand to strike a retaliatory blow against the perverted entity who had so violated her privacy by pulling a sneaky prank, not realizing that Michiru was now behind her until it was too late. "SLIMER! YOU PERVERTED PRANK PULLING LITTLE…!"

"OW!" Michiru cried after being hit in the face, causing him to halt once he stepped out of the shower as Ilyssa swung the object at Slimer who easily dodged it given that he was a levitating ghost, Ilyssa then hurled the object at the floating blob and managed to scare him off which left her in the washroom with Michiru who was standing still clutching the hand towel to his face in an effort to deal with the pain while covering his eyes in the process.

Ilyssa's sudden scream had surprised Michiru and when he glanced out to see if she was alright, he had caught a glimpse of her from behind as well once she had turned around to retaliate against Slimer, a mere moment before he was accidentally struck in the face by the back scrubber in the young woman's right hand. It was a miracle that the commotion hadn't woken everyone else up from the bedroom given how loud Ilyssa had screamed and shouted just before she hurled the back scrubber at Slimer which struck the bedroom wall outside of the washroom just a moment later, and since Slimer had now gone to the lab to laugh hilariously at the prank he had pulled, everything was now quiet again except for the voices of the two friends as they engaged in conversation with one another inside of the washroom.

"Michiru?" Ilyssa exclaimed in surprise, her eyes widening as she suddenly realized that she had accidentally hurt her young friend, making her walk up and place her hands on Michiru's shoulders to let him know she was right in front of him since he couldn't see. "I'm so sorry, I had no idea you were right behind me, or in the shower. We must have just missed each other coming in and out; I was trying to hit Slimer when he yanked away my towel just now which is what made me scream out loud. Did I really hit you that hard in the face?"

"Yeah, but the hand towel managed to absorb some of the impact so it didn't hurt as much." Michiru answered, standing quite still and rubbing the hand towel gently on his face to make the pain go away from where he had been hit in the head from the back scrubber.

"That's good to hear, but you'd better let me look at your face just the same to see how bad you're hurt." Ilyssa replied, gently grabbing the hand towel to pull it away only to have the Kururugi boy tighten his grip on it with both hands to keep the woman from pulling it away. "Michiru? I'm sure it's not as bad as it feels, now let go of the hand towel so I can quickly look at your face, it'll only take a moment."

"Before you do that Ilyssa…" Michiru replied nervously, using his iron grip to keep the hand towel where it was so that his vision was obscured. "Would you mind covering up first please?"

"Oh…right." Ilyssa said with a chuckle upon realizing that she was standing completely naked in front of the Japanese student, her mind had become overwhelmed with concern for Michiru and so she had forgotten about her current state, she snatched the bath towel from the floor and covered herself up appropriately so that Michiru could talk with her face to face, Ilyssa was inwardly glad that this little incident had happened because it now gave her another humorous experience with Michiru even though she herself had also suffered a moment of embarrassment thanks to Slimer's little prank. "Okay Michiru, I'm covered up with my bath towel, you can look now."

"You wouldn't kid me would you?" Michiru asked, remembering Ilyssa's little joke from last night when she had accused him of trying to accompany her to bed even though it was just all just for fun and laughs.

"Oh come on Michiru, you know me better than that." Ilyssa countered with a playful tone in her voice, grabbing hold of Michiru's wrists with her hands and forcing him to pull the hand towel away from his head so she could carefully look at his face. "If this is about my little joke from last night, then I'm sorry, I already know how much of a good person you are and that you would never ever take advantage of me or any young girl for that matter. I was only joking around because I needed a quick laugh to cheer up after seeing you in such a sad state for so long after you shared everything that happened to you from that horrible nightmare the Sounga was putting you through."

"I just had to ask, and I'm sorry for making you hurt inside by being so sad, I accept your apology if that'll make you feel any better." Michiru replied with a weak smile as he relaxed his hands, earning a genuine smile in return from Ilyssa who now felt better on the inside.

"I'm glad, thank you Michiru." Ilyssa said as she used her left hand to gently examine Michiru's face, it was difficult for her to tell where she had struck him with the back scrubber given that the hand towel had absorbed some of the impact and also because Michiru was blushing just enough to hide any bruise with a light shade of pink covering his face. "I can't tell where you were hit if you keep blushing like that, but it looks as though your face is perfectly fine so you don't have any bruises or battle scars from that minor hit on the head."

"Actually, you hit me in the mouth, so I hope for my sake that none of my teeth are damaged." Michiru said, answering her question.

"Do any of your teeth hurt?" Ilyssa asked with concern, waiting for an answer while Michiru used his tongue to feel the teeth in his mouth.

"No, they all feel fine." Michiru answered, using a hand to rub his lips for a moment. "If anything, my mouth feels a little sore, but not much."

Without seeing it coming, Michiru suddenly found himself standing still as a statue with Ilyssa's soft lips pressed gently against his own, his eyes were wide open while Ilyssa's were closed shut for a brief moment until the incident had passed. Although it had only lasted for maybe ten seconds at the very most, it felt like a very long ten seconds for the Kururugi boy given that this was the very first time he had been kissed on the lips before by an attractive young woman, his mind was currently rebooting itself as he tried figuring out what had caused Ilyssa to suddenly kiss him like that. Being overwhelmed by the moment of the experience, Michiru couldn't focus enough to find an answer and so he decided to just concentrate with his attention on the young woman standing in front of him for now.

After withdrawing her lips from Michiru's, Ilyssa backed up to give the now blushing red teenager some space as she awaited his response, hoping that her method to relieve the pain on Michiru's mouth hadn't offended her young friend.

"Did that make the pain go away?" Ilyssa asked softly, the look on her face clearly revealing that she now felt a little ashamed for stealing this boy's first kiss, especially after knowing how deeply in love Michiru was with the female demon slayer whom he missed so much and how he longed to see her in person again after being separated from her for four and a half months or so.

"Uh…" Michiru stammered, unable to find his voice until he had recovered from the shock of the unexpected incident first. "Yeah."

"Good, I'm glad." Ilyssa replied quietly, still locking her eyes with Michiru's as a few moments of awkward silence passed between them.

"Well…I guess you'd better have your shower before everyone else wakes up, I'll be in the lab and make sure Slimer doesn't pull another prank on you so you'll have all the privacy you need." Michiru said once his train of thought had returned, eager to end things for now so that he and Ilyssa could carry on with the morning and prepare for the busy work day that lay ahead of them in the next couple of hours.

"Thanks Michiru, I-I'll let you know when I'm done so you can have a shower and get cleaned up for the day too." Ilyssa replied with a light smile, watching while the Shikigami user walked toward the entrance way which leads to the doorway between the bedroom and the kitchen.

"Sounds good, see you when you're done, and thanks Ilyssa." Michiru said back with a light smile and a quick wave of his hand before he departed, leaving Ilyssa alone in the washroom where she could have a morning shower to get cleaned and ready for the day ahead.

"I shouldn't have done that, now I'm just as immoral and irresponsible as Michiru's friend Miroku. I really should have had more control to resist kissing him like that, that was his first real kiss too and I just stole it from him. Oh, what am I going to do now? Some adult I've turned out to be, taking advantage of a young teenage boy just because of how close we've gotten as friends." Ilyssa thought to herself, taking a pause while standing under the warm water spraying down on her once she had discarded the bath towel and stepped into the shower. "Its inexcusable, I'm twenty-eight and he's only fifteen! He's also in love with someone else, someone who deserves him and has greater need of him than I ever would. Sango…I really hope you're willing to give Michiru a chance because he truly is one of a kind, there aren't many boys or men in this day and age who can compare with him because he has so many qualities that most don't have."

While Ilyssa took her shower, Michiru had wandered out and found Slimer peeking around in the fridge, the green ghost was obviously looking for food to satisfy his appetite and he was always very hungry which told Michiru that he had to discourage Slimer from doing this in order to prevent the big blob from eating everything edible from inside of the fridge, and he had to act fast. Now ordinarily, Michiru would be very tempted to use force on Slimer given that some disciplinary action was needed to properly punish him for his disrespectful actions towards Ilyssa just a few minutes ago, but the Shikigami user decided to give Slimer the opportunity to make up for his mistake so long as no more incidents like that would occur ever again.

"Slimer?" Michiru called out drawing the green ghost's attention and causing him to close the fridge door and back away from the appliance in the corner of the kitchen. "That fridge is off limits, I'm sure you're very hungry, but you'll just have to wait until breakfast as will the rest of us once everyone else is up and out of bed."

"…" Slimer emitted a low groan while he sighed.

"We need to talk about…what you did to Ilyssa in the washroom a few minutes ago, that was downright disrespectful." Michiru stated, trying to set an example and be the voice of reason even though he was engaging in conversation with a ghost, and a misbehaving one at that.

"Did you get to see her naked too? Slimer asked with a perverted grin on his huge face, causing Michiru to blush lightly. "Pretty hot huh?"

"Slimer, I'm going to let you off the hook just this once." Michiru countered, not being amused at all by Slimer's last remark. "But if you ever do anything else like that to her again, I'll use my proton pack to catch and trap you so I can lock you up again in that containment unit you usually get imprisoned in. That's right, I mean it, don't go pulling pranks on Ilyssa like that. She's my friend just as you and the Ghostbusters are and friends don't do that to each other, if you want to perform tricks then try being a magician or circus performer okay?"

"Okay." Slimer replied, bringing the matter to an end with his compliance.

Meanwhile in Feudal Japan on the other side of the globe, Inuyasha was just arriving back in the forest close by Kaede's Village, he knew had finally made it home again once he caught sight of the towering Tree of Ages which he himself had been bound too by the sacred arrow Kiyko had shot from her bow on that fateful day over fifty years ago when they were both betrayed by Naraku, that tragedy would always be a painful memory for him that could never be erased or forgotten from the half demon's mind. Kaede's village came into view a few minutes later and judging from the peaceful silence within all of the huts and dwellings, it was obvious that all the human inhabitants had gone to bed and were fast asleep. Although it was late at night, Inuyasha still decided to go visit Kagome's house in the modern world in the off chance that at least one member of the Higurashi family was still awake and up so he could be invited indoors, that would allow him the opportunity to contact Michiru over the phone and have a talk with the Kururugi boy whom he needed to call.

"Everyone's asleep in bed, so much for arriving back on time for dinner, oh well." Inuyasha murmured quietly, flexing his dog hairs to pick up all sorts of sounds in the night, whether they were close by or far away as he walked through the village and entered Kaede's house without making any noise. "Good thing I saved one more packet of roast boar meat to eat, good thing Sango gave me enough food for the trip or else I would have starved or been forced to hunt for food on the way coming back here, eating while on the run paid off."

Inuyasha took a few moments to sit down and eat the last packet of roast boar meat for a late night supper, it also gave him the chance to relax for a bit to rest his tired legs after all those hours of travelling on foot, though he still had enough energy and strength to go to the Bone Eater's well which would take him to the Modern world and that would be a quick and easy errand. Once he had swallowed down the last morsel of food, a large belch erupted from his open mouth, causing the half demon to pause momentarily just in case he had accidentally aroused anyone from sleep. After listening carefully, Inuyasha concluded that no one would wake up and so everything was fine, a satisfactory smile crossed his face when he figured he hadn't disturbed anyone. But when he was about to leave, his superior sense of hearing suddenly picked up a faint voice murmuring in the darkness within Kaede's house, forcing Inuyasha to turn around and find whom the voice belonged too.

"Hmm…Sango, oh Sango…" Miroku whispered while asleep in bed, the fingers on each of his hands moving and twitching ever so slowly which was clear hint of what the lecherous monk was dreaming about in his unconscious state, a smile of pure joy on his face even though his eyes were both shut. "Your skin is so soft, your figure is flawless, a-and you feel so…good; we should do this every night."

"Once a pervert, always a pervert, do bad Kagome isn't here to hear you dreaming about the day Sango bears your children Miroku." Inuyasha whispered with a scold on his face, resisting the urge to stomp his foot on Miroku's crotch since it would only wake the monk up along with everyone else in the process, one prank on Miroku wasn't worth disturbing everyone else from their sleep. "Dream while you can Miroku, because it's only a matter of days until Michiru returns and when that day comes, Sango's going to choose him over you and you'll finally get what's coming to you; the realization that you blew all your chances to be with her all because of your own lechery."

And after declaring those words, Inuyasha walked out of the house and went off down the path leading passed the mysterious field where all the mysterious crops are grown and harvested, turning left and heading in the direction of the forest until he arrived at the Bone Eater's well which stood in a small clearing, a quick jump down to the bottom and he would find himself in the modern era. Leaping out of the well, Inuyasha found himself inside of the hut built over the well which was part of Higurashi Shrine, stepping outside gave the half demon a glimpse of the night sky as well as the house which still had a light on in one of the rooms. Luckily for Inuyasha, it was Kagome's bedroom which told him that the reborn priestess was still awake even though it was late in the evening, so things couldn't have been better since Kagome could easily let him inside.

"Hey Kagome, it's me, open up the window." Inuyasha ordered, knocking lightly on the glass window on the wall of the house which allowed air in and out of the bedroom. "I know you're still awake in there so don't try and pretend that you're asleep and can't hear me, com on already. Do I have to knock on your window all night?"

"Sit boy." Kagome replied quietly after letting out a big yawn since she was nearly ready to fall asleep after spending many hours catching up on more of her school work.

"AHH!" Inuyasha cried, the force of the subjugation beads causing him to fall all the way down to the ground, leaving a small imprint of his face and limbs upon impact. "Oh, I am so going to get even with you for that one Kagome, just you wait till I give you a piece of my…"

"Inuyasha?" A female voice called out, bringing the half demon out of his vengeful mode when he got to his feet and found himself standing face to face with the ghosts of Michiru's ancestors; Utsugi and Kakuju. "We thought we heard your voice, glad to see you back."

"Nice to see you two as well, I found Sango and gave her the amulet as you instructed after explaining everything to her." Inuyasha declared, running his hands around his neck and feeling around for the amulet which was fastened around it so he could give it back to the spiritual entities. "Sango did as much as she could, she said that she managed to convince Michiru that he was only experiencing a nightmare, we only have to find out whether or not he actually woke up from that long sleep that the Sounga put him through."

"I see, thank you so much for helping us out Inuyasha, we are forever in your debt for you helping to save Michiru's life." Utsugi stated, bowing in unison with Kakuju to express his gratitude.

"I would have done what I could anyway without needing to be asked so think nothing of it." Inuyasha declared after unfastening the amulet from around his neck. "However, now I have a favour to ask of you on Sango's behalf, she wants you to return to the Ghostbusters and give the amulet to someone named Ilyssa so you can do the same spell as before which will allow them to commune. With one another while they're both asleep just like how you did with Sango and Michiru."

"Certainly Inuyasha, we will be happy to return the favour after all that Sango did to save our great grandson, consider it done." Kakuju replied even though she already knew about Sango's request earlier, taking the amulet from Inuyasha once he handed it back to her.

"Thanks, I've got to go now; I'm hoping to call Michiru on the phone so we can have a long chat about…stuff." Inuyasha said quickly.

"Of course, we understand, take care then and we'll see you later on something if there's anything we need to bring to your attention." Utsugi stated in understanding, his spiritual entity along with Kakuju's transforming together into a glowing blue cloud of air which then took off from the ground and few away in a westerly direction towards the United States on the other side of the world.

"You didn't have to sit me Kagome, its not like I was disturbing you or anything." Inuyasha grumbled after arriving at the front entrance where he found Kagome standing with the door open, dressed in her pink pyjamas.

"Sorry Inuyasha, but its really late at night, I was practically half asleep when you knocked on my window and I wasn't thinking clearly." Kagome said rubbing her eyes with one hand as Inuyasha entered the house, allowing the tired teenage girl to shut the door and lock it.

"That's obvious, anyway, thanks for letting me in and sorry for coming here so late." Inuyasha stated, causing Kagome's eyes to blink at the half demon's unexpected politeness. "Can I use your phone? I want to call up the Ghostbusters and see if I can talk with Michiru."

"He called a couple of hours ago, so I know he was saved and that he subdued the Sounga after he finally woke up." Kagome mentioned quickly, making Inuyasha's eyes widen in surprise that Kagome had already found out the good news ahead of him as an immense relief overtook him once he found out that his Kururugi friend was in fact alive and well. "But it was close to midnight when that happened, so for all we know, he's probably gone back to sleep, it might be better if you wait a few more hours first because of the time difference."

"I missed the chance of talking with Michiru once before already when I came back through the well as you were about to sneak off to visit Sango and Miroku, I'm not going to lose another in the event that he and the Ghostbusters have to leave early to hunt for more ghosts, so I'm calling him up regardless and that's final." Inuyasha declared before wandering over to the kitchen where he could use the phone in there, not wanting to wait any longer since his mind was already made up.

"Okay, just remember that it's just after 08:00 in the morning where Michiru is, you may end up waiting a few minutes for someone to answer the phone." Kagome replied. "Don't come up to my room afterwards because I'm going to bed as soon as I'm done getting some blankets for you so you can sleep on the couch afterwards, good night Inuyasha, see you tomorrow morning when breakfast is ready."

"Night Kagome thanks." Inuyasha said before pulling out a chair and sitting himself comfortably in it before dialling the phone number of the Ghostbusters which had been written down on a paper that was held on the fridge with a small magnet. "Breakfast at Kagome's house, then breakfast again in Kaede's village; sounds like a great way to start tomorrow morning. Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Another free bonus."

While Inuyasha sat at the kitchen table waiting for someone on the other end of the line to pick up the phone, Kagome had returned to her bedroom and made sure everything was in order before climbing into bed, pulling the warm blankets over herself and turning off the light which made everything dark so she could go to sleep. Moving her body around until she was comfortable, Kagome rested her head against the pillow and tried to relax herself until her eyes grew heavy enough to the point where she would eventually fall unconsciousness. But until that moment arrived, the reborn priestess found her mind loaded with thoughts about how she was going to amend her friendship with Michiru as well as the trust between him along with Sango and Inuyasha after her royal screw ups from before including the most recent one which had just been a couple of hours ago when she had argued with Michiru over the phone.

"What will I say when Inuyasha confronts me after talking everything over with Michiru about all this mess?" Kagome thought quietly to herself as she lay in mind waiting for sleep to overtake her. "Saying I'm sorry and admitting that he was right and I was wrong would be the best thing to do, but that doesn't undo what I did or erase the fact that I tried to discourage Michiru from seeking a relationship with Sango twice in a row. Oh…if only I didn't feel so bad inside, I know Michiru will forgive me as long as I stay out of the matter, but Inuyasha might not be so forgiving. And what of Sango? Fine job I did discouraging Michiru again right after he wakes up from having his life saved, I imagine she won't be too pleased to find that out, but that can't be helped now. There's nothing else for it, I'll apologize and admit my mistake, which just leaves the matter of finding out who Sango chooses between Michiru and Miroku. Although Michiru wants me to stay out of it, there's no harm in asking Sango her reasons for choosing one of them over the other, that will help me understand why she chooses Michiru over Miroku or the other way around depending on which choice she makes and then I can be there to help her get through that day once it arrives."

Kagome's eyes finally closed and a moment later, she fell asleep in bed, breathing slowly with almost no noise what so ever. Inuyasha was still in the kitchen, holding the phone to the side of his face, his patience was running thin even though it had only been just over a minute when it had started ringing. Perhaps Kagome had been right about everyone being asleep since no one was answering the phone, but the good news at least was that everyone was home and that they would wake up soon so he could always talk with Michiru later on, it was only a matter of time and Inuyasha knew that it was on his side which meant that he need only wait until his friend was awake, then he would get the chance of talking with the Shikigami user whom he needed to discuss many important matters with. Just as Inuyasha's patience was about to run out, the voice of an answering machine cut in over the receiver and stated some instructions.

"You have reached the Ghostbusters; no one is currently available to take your call, please call again later. If you would like one of us to call back, please leave a brief message after the tone and we will call you back at the earliest possible convenience. Thank you and have a nice day, from the Ghostbusters."

"Hey Michiru, its Inuyasha here, call me back at Kagome's house when you've got some free time." Inuyasha said into the phone after hearing the beeping tone. "Glad to know that you're alive and that you managed to subdue the Sounga after you woke up, we've got a lot to talk about and catch up on so call back soon…okay, bye."

Once he hung up the phone, Inuyasha saw the blankets folded up on the couch in the living room where Kagome had set them, he also spotted the living room phone sitting on a small table right next to the couch. The half demon flicked off the kitchen light and wandered over, after unravelling the blankets and making an improvised bed, Inuyasha laid down to sleep as he pulled one of the warm blankets over top of himself. Inuyasha couldn't have asked for a better arrangement then this, if Michiru called back, the living room phone was just within arm's reach and he could answer it quickly without even getting up and before the noise disturbed everyone else in the house, now he just had to get some sleep until the moment when Michiru had the free time to call him up for a friendly chat.

"What the…What the heck is crawling all over me here at this hour of the night?" Inuyasha asked curiously as he felt the weight of something small crawling over top of him very slowly, he instantly found out it was just Kagome's house pet Buyo after flicking on the table lamp, the fat cat sat itself right on Inuyasha's lap and Inuyasha decided to let him be since pushing Buyo off might only result in going through the same thing all over again and he wanted to get some sleep while he could. "Oh, alright. Good night to you too fat cat."

Meanwhile back in America, Ilyssa was all cleaned up and prepped for the day, she had just finished getting dressed and was wearing her black leather attire that she normally wore, walking out of the washroom and removing the small sign from one of the entranceways since there was no longer a need to warn any of the guys to stay out now that she was done having a shower and so on. Upon leaving the bedroom, the female curator strolled into the kitchen and immediately took notice of her young Kururugi friend doing some sort of physical activity at the other end of the second floor over where the lab was located, Slimer was also with him and it appeared that the two of them were engaged in a sparing match as she saw them using broomstick handles for weapons which they had removed from the brush pieces they were attached too. Saya was also too there watching both of them spar together having woken up a little while ago, it appeared as though he was acting as a referee for them in order to ensure that it was a fair match with no cheating.

"You can fight all you want Michiru, but in the end, I'll win since I'm a ghost and you're still a human being." Slimer said tauntingly with a goody grin on his face as he darted here and there while swinging his weapon like a staff, striking at Michiru and blocking the boy's attacks as they came every couple of seconds. "You'll get tired eventually and then you'll be too slow to defend yourself from my attacks."

"You may have the advantages of PK energy and levitation on your side Slimer, but don't forget that unlike you, I've had time training with someone who taught me how to fight like this." Michiru countered even though he was having a difficult time striking Slimer with his weapon, even when he managed to strike quickly enough before his sparring partner could block, the green ghost could always dodge since he was levitating in the air while Michiru stood with his feet on the floor. "Sango taught me a lot about fighting close quarters combat; we trained and fought together on the battlefield against various enemies together including Naraku himself. The two of us also sparred together using many of the weapons which Sango had in her possession, though I admit I'm not strong enough to carry or wield her Hiraikotsu, you're eyes and mouth would be hanging wide open if you could see her in person fighting or sparring with that in hand."

"Well now, what are the three of you doing at this early hour of the day?" Ilyssa asked with a tiny playful tone in her voice as she arrived on the scene, making Saya call a temporary halt to the match so Michiru and Slimer could take a break and talk with the female adult.

"We're just having a friendly sparring match while waiting for you to finish taking a shower." Michiru answered, smiling back at Ilyssa.

"Really?" Ilyssa asked in surprise. "What for?"

"Oh, well…uh." Michiru stammered as a blush crossed his face, immediately getting everyone's attention focused on him.

"Well what?" Saya asked in confusion as the three of them waited for the Kururugi boy's answer. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about Michiru, everyone trains or exercises every now and then in order to stay in shape or to get stronger, which ever comes first."

"Yeah, b-but that's not the reason why I do it." Michiru replied, the words slipping out of his mouth almost automatically as he tried to stay calm even while all eyes were on him right now. "I-I mean I used to exercise and spar in order to get stronger at the beginning since I was in Feudal Japan fighting demons all the time during my travels with Inuyasha and my other friends, but…that's not why I do it now."

"Well then what is your reason for sparring Michiru?" Ilyssa asked curiously, knowing from Michiru's tone of voice that he had an important reason.

"Well, it's because Sango helped to train me and ever since we took time to practice or spar together, it's become part of a routine even though I don't necessarily do it every morning." Michiru answered, causing Slimer to grin while Ilyssa and Saya both smiled politely without saying a word. "I know I'm separated across time from Sango and that its been four and a half months or so since I left her, but when ever I exercise, practice training or do sparring, I don't feel so lonely because I'm always reminded of Sango and its because of that feeling that I've been able to get through all those days on my own ever since I returned home with no way of revisiting her."

"I understand Michiru, I'm sure Sango misses you just as much as you miss her, but now you can revisit her when ever you wish because of all the progress we made while researching for clues about your Shikigami powers together." Ilyssa replied, giving the teenage boy a genuine smile to show her support. "So which of you were winning before I interrupted your sparring match just now?"

"I was winning!" Michiru and Slimer both declared simultaneously, causing both of them to grin at each other as they got back into defensive stances with their plastic broomstick handles which they were using as sparring staffs. "WAS NOT! WAS TOO! WAS NOT!"

"HEY SHUSH!" Saya declared, bringing Michiru and Slimer's verbal argument to a halt, making Ilyssa hold back her giggling while she watched the three of them. "I'm the referee and I'll decide who the winner is once this match is over, both of you were doing equally well."

"Well in that case, I'LL END THIS!" Slimer said, striking quickly with his weapon which Michiru only blocked just in the nick of time.

"TOO SLOW SLIMER!" Michiru countered, delivering several counterblows against his floating foe who was sparring against him.

"YOU'LL HAVE TO DO BETTER THAN THAT MICHIRU!" Slimer stated with a big wide smile which exposed all the teeth in his mouth while the two of them fought back and forth against each other. "YOU MAY HAVE DONE THIS BEFORE MANY TIMES WITH SANGO IN THE FUEDAL ERA, BUT YOU'VE NEVER HAD TO SPAR AGAINST A GHOST LIKE ME BEFORE, SO I WILL BE THE WINNER!"

"WE SHALL SEE MY FLOATING FRIEND!" Michiru said back, suddenly tossing his weapon away and grabbing it again with his hands gripped in different positions so he could hold it like a sword instead of a staff and swung it with immense speed, slicing right through Slimer's head without incident just as Slimer's blow struck the Kururugi boy in the side of his neck which ended the match in a draw.

"Draw!" Saya shouted as he and Ilyssa clapped their hands to applause. "That was an evenly matched round, I couldn't tell how it would end."

"How about another one Michiru?" Slimer offered, still full of energy while Michiru was slowly losing his own since he was human and Slimer was a ghost. "Unless of course you're too tired to spar again, I'll go easy on you if it'll make you feel better."

"Can I join in?" Ilyssa asked, drawing Michiru's attention along with Saya and Slimer's as well. "I can't let you guys have all the fun."

"Two on one is hardly a fair fight Ilyssa, but you can spar against me if you'd like." Michiru commented, reaching for Slimer's weapon.

"No, mine, both of you will have to beat me together if you want it." Slimer declared with a grin as he floated out of reach so Michiru couldn't take away his plastic broom handle. "Come on, I'm a ghost, I should be able to take on the two of you together."

"I suppose its decided then, wait a moment so I can find an extra sparring weapon." Saya said, leaving to go retrieve another broomstick so he could unfasten the plastic handle for Ilyssa to use as a weapon.

"You may want to practice a few swings first just to familiarize yourself Ilyssa, it'll better prepare you for the match." Michiru suggested, holding out his sparring weapon for Ilyssa to take. "Here, you can use mine while we wait for Saya to come back with another one."

"Thanks Michiru, just give me a sec." Ilyssa said while she removed her black leather jacket and white blouse, leaving her dark red turtleneck sweater on which was comfortable enough for her to move around in without restricting her arm movements or flexibility. "There, okay, I'm ready."

"Well for the most part, hold your weapon with both hands shoulder width apart from each other with the centre between them so you can strike and block with both ends of it like this." Michiru demonstrated quickly in front of Ilyssa so she would know what to do and how to spar properly. "You can also hold it like a sword with both hands at one end like you saw me at the end of the match which Slimer and I both tied just now, but remember to treat it as a real weapon just to be safe so no one gets hurt, we can't call this a fun activity if we just end up hurting each other."

"What are you talking about Michiru?" Slimer said sarcastically with a big dopey grin on his face. "Neither of you can ever hurt me."

"You know what I'm talking about Slimer so smarten up; you wouldn't be acting all invincible if you were human like we are." Michiru said with a brief glare before turning his attention back to Ilyssa.

"Its okay Michiru, I understand, I've got the hang of this." Ilyssa said confidently, hoping to dispel any worries that Michiru might have.

"I found another one, here you go." Saya said, arriving back upstairs with a plastic broomstick in his hands which he handed to the Shikigami user once he noticed Michiru had already given his to Ilyssa. "Okay now, let's have a clean match with no cheating, spar!"

"Woaah!" Ilyssa shouted in surprise as Slimer attacked her, his weapon getting blocked just in time by Michiru's countering blow when the Kururugi boy attempted to defend his team mate. "S-Sorry, Slimer is faster than I thought, thanks Michiru."

"He's a ghost Ilyssa." Michiru replied as he and Ilyssa both attempted to strike Slimer from both sides, only to have their attacks blocked one after the other since Ilyssa attacks a few seconds after Michiru had. "He can dodge, block and strike faster than either of us can."

"See?" Slimer declared with a triumphant grin. "I told you I hold take both of you on in a match, but you didn't believe me. Oh well, TOO BAD FOR YOU!"

"Michiru!" Ilyssa shouted, using her weapon to block Slimer's assault from above, not realizing that Michiru was able to defend himself in time by himself.

"Thanks for your help Ilyssa, but I was alright." Michiru said with a smile as he glanced at Ilyssa briefly before turning his attention back to Slimer as he struck from the side and then from above as Slimer blocked both times. "Don't leave yourself open Ilyssa, stay alert!"

"What?" Ilyssa squealed lightly just after the end of Slimer's broomstick handle swiftly hit her in the side of her right hip and causing the young woman to flinch momentarily from the pain until she instinctively swung her weapon around in self defence. "EEEK! Why you…"

"Ha! Ha! Ha!" Slimer laughed with his mouth wide open as he withdrew quickly to counter Michiru's speedy assault since Ilyssa was momentarily recovering from the hit that she took even though she was just startled and not in any pain. "You should have listened to Michiru Ilyssa, stay alert and mobile so you can avoid being hit, you'll learn eventually. At least we both got you see you shake that fine bottom of yours, eh? Ha! Ha! Ha!"

"Oh, I'm going to make you pay for that one Slimer, you're going to wish you didn't allow Michiru and me to spar against you as a team." Ilyssa declared, deciding that two can play at this game, hoping to get even with the green ghost who had smacked her just now.

"BRING IT ON! NOW THIS'LL BE AN INTERESTING MATCH!" Slimer countered confidently with a grin, locked in combat with Michiru while he waited for the female curator to come at him with her counterattack.

"You want it? You got it!" Ilyssa declared with a glare as she attacked over and over without stopping, the fire and determination in her eyes giving Slimer exactly want he wanted even though he now had to dodge and block a lot quicker to counter the combined assault of both opponents. "Is this enough for you Slimer? You want some more? Well let me know when you've had enough alright?"

"You'll know when we've won or when he calls Uncle and surrenders Ilyssa." Michiru cut in humorously with a chuckle as he kept up with his own attacking moves even though he had to keep a close eye on Ilyssa to make sure his attacks didn't interfere with her assault.

"I'LL NEVER SAY UNCLE OR SURRENDER! YOU HEAR ME? NEVER!" Slimer declared as the sparring match continued on a whole new level at this point now that the three of them were moving much faster then before, making the green ghost work as hard as Michiru and Ilyssa were just to block and counter attack against both opponents every couple of seconds.

"My, my, this is going to be an entertaining match." Saya commented, watching carefully from a short distance away so his presence didn't distract or interfere with the sparring match taking place.

"This ends now Slimer, time to see if you can dodge THIS!" Michiru declared before leaping forward to drive Slimer back with a strike using the centre of his weapon, only to have the green ghost levitate upwards and out of his path, causing the Kururugi boy to fall forward face down on the floor.

"AH! HA! NOW I HAVE YOU!" Slimer shouted in excitement as he changed grip on his weapon again in order to bring it down with a slamming blow to finish Michiru which would then allow him to defeat Ilyssa quickly afterwards. "THIS MATCH IS MINE TO WIN!"

Ilyssa naturally prepared to defend Michiru as she had done before, but she remembered how that had ended and she also realized that this could provide the opportunity she had been looking for in order to decide who the victory went to in this match. The woman changed how she was holding her weapon so she could use it in the same way that Slimer was, swinging it to strike the green ghost from below before his blow came down on the Shikigami user who was still on the floor.

"MISSED ME ILYSSA!" Slimer yelled, glancing at Ilyssa quickly before turning his gaze back to Michiru who had now flipped over on his back. "TOO LATE MICHIRU! LOOKS LIKE I'VE ONE THIS MATCH TODAY!"

WHACK!

"Sorry Slimer, you weren't fast enough either." Michiru said softly with a grin. "But now you're the one who's left yourself wide open!"

"What are you talking about Michiru? I haven't…huh? What the…" Slimer asked in confusion, his eyes widening as he suddenly realized he had been outsmarted with no time to react. "OH! NO!"

Ilyssa's first attack which had missed, caused Slimer to slow down his descend just enough to dodge it while Michiru flipped over on to his back in order to block Slimer's broom handle with his own, although Slimer still had the advantage since he could move around while Michiru couldn't which meant he only had Ilyssa to worry about until the Japanese student could get to his feet. But what Slimer didn't notice until after it was too late was that Michiru had relocated his broom handle from underneath to over top of Slimer's since the end of the ghost's weapon was blocked a few inches from his chest. Now that Michiru was holding it in place so Slimer couldn't withdraw it, Ilyssa was now able to attack the spiritual entity without any means to block her assault.

"Oh yes!" Michiru replied, watching Ilyssa's broom handle pass through Slimer's ghostly form until she halted her attack, making it look like she had stabbed him just before pulling it out with ease.

"I gotcha Slimer!" Ilyssa said triumphantly, kneeling down to take Michiru's hand and pull him up off the floor.

"OH NO! YOU GOT ME!" Slimer said sarcastically, holding his belly as he floated around slowly and turned upside down, letting his mouth hang open while he closed his eyes momentarily in order to play dead. "Oh no, I'm dying…"

"Ilyssa, Michiru, you two win." Saya declared, giving his applause.

"How about another one before everyone else wakes up?" Slimer suggested.

"I haven't the energy to spar with you again Slimer, besides, I'd like a shower now that the washroom is available." Michiru answered.

"Can't you and I have one quick sparring match together Michiru?" Ilyssa asked excitedly, giving Michiru an adorable look just in case he wanted to refuse. "Pretty please?"

"Alright, but just one more, I've had enough of a work out this morning already." Michiru said in agreement as each of them took a fighting stance, holding their weapons with the centre between their hands which were shoulder width apart from one another.

"Okay, ready when you are Michiru." Ilyssa said, standing at the ready waiting for Saya to play his part as referee.

"Alright, same routine as always, a nice fair fight so no one gets hurt." Saya ordered while he and Slimer watched from the sidelines. "Ready and…begin."

Ilyssa and Michiru both stood their ground, holding defensive stances as they waiting for one another to attack; it was obvious that they were both still hesitant even though this was just a friendly sparring match with plastic broomstick handles as weapons. Eager to get the next match started so he could enjoy some entertainment, Slimer flew between the two sparring partners and cleared his throat so he could speak, distracting their attention momentarily while Saya let out a sigh since he had a hunch this match would be anything but a nice fair fight. Although Ilyssa and Michiru hadn't attacked each other yet, they were looking at each other's eyes as if each friend was trying to guess the other's plan of attack or something along those lines.

"If either of you don't start, I'll be more than happy to slime both of you so we can have another two on one fight again." Slimer warned with a sarcastic tone of voice even though he meant every word of it, much to the dismay and disgust of everyone else in the lab.

"Keep out of the way and give them some room Slimer, they'll start when they're ready, just be quiet and watch." Saya ordered.

"Relax, I just wanted give them enough motivation so they would start." Slimer replied as his eyes suddenly spotted the small digital camera which Ray and Winston had used to film the celebration party with, it would be fun to have a video of Michiru and Ilyssa sparring against each other immediately after the video which had recorded them dancing together a few days ago along with Egon and Janine.

"Keep your guard up Ilyssa, these may be plastic broom handles were using, but I still don't want to hurt you." Michiru said, finally being the first to attack, striking from the side and having Ilyssa blocking his attack easily by deflecting the end of the weapon away with her own.

"Nor I you Michiru, but as it stands, we've found ourselves on opposing sides this morning." Ilyssa playfully countered, eager to have a friendly verbal argument just to add some humour to the friendly sparring match.

"So we have, but enemies have to have some kind of disagreement in order to have reason for fighting each other or the audience won't understand." Michiru countered, going along with what Ilyssa was doing since he caught on to the fact that Ilyssa was merely trying to have more fun while the sparring match continued. "Now what could you and I possibly have to argue or disagree about Ilyssa?"

"Well for one, you're really easy to tease and you blush a lot when you're embarrassed about something as well." Ilyssa answered, stepping forward so there was only about three or four feet between herself and Michiru as the two of them attacked, blocked and counter struck back and forth talking aloud throughout the rest of the match.

"I'm not that easy." Michiru countered, trying to prevent the colour in his cheeks and on his face from turning pink or red as he fought back with one move after another. "Why don't you surrender while you can? I wouldn't want to hurt a lady such as you after all."

"Eager to end the match so soon are you?" Ilyssa asked playfully, delivering an attack from above which forced Michiru to stop the weapon from striking his head. "You must be getting very tired, or are you impatient for having a nice warm shower this morning?"

"No, no and no." Michiru answered humorously, saying each no while he delivered an attack to Ilyssa which she blocked over and over again. The first from the center above, second from the bottom right and third level from the left, all with good skill even though they were all checked. "A warm shower sounds really nice and all, but it can wait until after one of us has one this sparring match."

"Provided there's still any hot water left for you to use." Ilyssa joked, launching a counterattack against the Kururugi boy and forcing him several paces backwards as he checked her assault one blow at a time.

"For you're sake, I sincerely hope you didn't use all the hot water in the Firehouse Ilyssa, or you and I are really going to have something serious to fight about." Michiru said sarcastically, even though he didn't like the idea of having a cold shower in the middle of winter.

"Oh don't worry Michiru, you're a tough guy, I'm sure you can endure an ice cold shower if you can handle fighting lots of ghosts and monsters here in the city." Ilyssa countered with an evil grin.

"You're a quick learner Ilyssa, but as Sango would say, you have to practice over and over if you want to get stronger or more skilled." Michiru said finding an opportunity to go on the offensive against his female friend who he was sparring against.

"You can give her my thanks for teaching me how to spar like this once you revisit her back in Feudal Japan." Ilyssa said, blocking again.

"Hey, I'm the one who taught you how to spar like this Ilyssa, not her." Michiru countered while holding out his weapon like a long sword with both hands, launching an attack and changing the angle of it so Ilyssa wouldn't be able to block it in time.

"AH!" Ilyssa cried, clutching the left side of her waist with one hand while holding her broom handle in the other.

"I'm sorry Ilyssa!" Michiru said apologetically, dropping his weapon and holding her by the waist gently with a worried look. "I must have hit you a little harder than I thought. How much does it hurt? What the…Wait a…Woaah!"

As soon as the Kururugi boy walked right up to see if his female friend was seriously hurt, Ilyssa positioned the broomstick handle behind Michiru's waist and held him against her so he couldn't get away, lifting him off the floor just enough so she could carry him to the long lab table where she pinned him against it with his slim figure pressing against her own. The now helpless teen was now blushing like mad when Ilyssa gave him a devious expression which always made him react that way, his eyes locked with hers even though he had lost control of his voice for a moment and was unable to utter a single word until he recovered from the shock of all this.

"Never fall for a trick like that when your enemy is a beautiful woman such as I, you're lucky this was just a sparring match Michiru." Ilyssa stated with a playful tone in her voice before she gently tapped Michiru's cheek with her finger tips in order to bring him back to reality just in case she had caused too much of a shock for the Shikigami user to handle. "If this was a battle, you would now be dead."

"You little cheat!" Michiru cried, grabbing hold of the broomstick with both hands from behind and loosening himself just enough to pull his legs out from between Ilyssa's body and the lab table which he sat himself on before using the combined force of both legs to push Ilyssa away from him. "I'm going to get you back for that, and don't you expect any mercy from me Ilyssa because you're not going to get it!"

Ilyssa staggered backwards a couple of paces until she regained her balance, only to have Michiru lightly knock the female curator to the floor when he proceeded to tickle her waist without mercy, causing her to scream and cry out with laughter as she fought back to defend herself against the young teenage boy who continued to exact his vengeance on his female adult friend who had used trickery to beat him. Slimer had been recording the whole event from the start and was even zooming in here and there to get close up shots of their faces, but the green ghost was about to turn this humorous even into an even more hilarious one just as soon as Ilyssa recovered enough to talk even though the inside of her stomach was so sore from laughing so hard due to being tickled by Michiru.

"Slimer! EEEEEEK! Ha! Ha! Go wake up all the Ghostbusters and tell them Michiru is up!" Ilyssa ordered, causing Slimer to hand the digital camera over to Saya so the recording could continue while the fat floating blob of slime did as he was asked. "Michiru! Ah! Ha! Ha! Ha! I hope you aren't this aggressive with Sango or else she might give you a bloody nose and a busted jaw if she's as strong as you say she is! EEEEEEK! OKAY! That's enough! I can't take any more! We're even and I admit it was low and unfair of me to cheat like that!"

"Thank you, that's all I wanted to hear, you should have said that earlier if you wanted to avoid getting tickled like that." Michiru replied, using the tips of his fingers to tap Ilyssa on the cheek just as she did to him a moment ago. "Is there anything else you want to tell me Ilyssa?"

"GUYS! GUYS! WAKE UP AND GET OUT OF BED!" Slimer yelled, yanking pillows out from underneath Ray and Egon's before throwing them at Winston and Venkman which woke all four of the Ghostbusters up in under a minute. "MICHIRU'S ALIVE AND WELL!"

As soon as Slimer pointed out the bedroom doorway to where Michiru was on the floor with Ilyssa, all of the Ghostbusters immediately got the wrong idea and thought that the Kururugi boy had been possessed by the Sounga so they naturally feared for Ilyssa's safely. The four paranormal eliminators charged out the bedroom before Slimer could explain anything further and forced Michiru to get up and flee for his life, Saya was still recording everything and was following Michiru around while the Ghostbusters chased him to the staircase, leaving Slimer and Ilyssa up as they wondered how the Shikigami user would possibly get out of this situation.

"WILL YOU GUYS STOP CHASING ME ALREADY?" Michiru shouted in a panic as he fled down the stairs in a flash with his fellow employees and employers chasing him down after him. "I SUBDUED THE SOUNGA AND I'M NOT POSSESSED SO CHILL OUT!"

"Ray, you and Winston go get the proton packs, we need to spray Michiru down with some positively charged slime if we're to make sure he's perfectly okay!" Egon shouted, "Venkman and I will stay in pursuit of Michiru and keep him from getting away, make it fast guys!"

"Right Egon, come on Z!" Ray replied, rushing over to Ecto-1 to snatch some proton packs from the car as Egon had ordered.

"Make this easy on yourself Michiru, just cooperate and no one has to get hosed down with slime." Venkman suggested, coming to a halt and giving up now that the Shikigami user had climbed half way up one of the firemen poles so he was out of everyone's reach.

"Uh guys, just an observation, but am I the only one who notices that the demonic sword Sounga isn't in Michiru's possession any more?" Winston pointed out, causing everyone's eyes to widen as they realized that they had nothing to worry about and that their Kururugi friend was alive and well. "Hey Mitch, you can come back down here man, its all cool and we know you're not possessed."

"I'm staying right here until you guys calm down, I…yikes!" Michiru cried out as Ilyssa slid down the firemen pole from above, miraculously positioning herself level with him without knocking him off or losing her grip, giving the teenager a good scare. "Ilyssa!"

"Oh come on down Michiru, there's nothing to worry about." Ilyssa said supportively with a few giggles, grabbing hold of Michiru with both arms in a rather awkward looking hug and using her body weight along with the force of gravity to drag him down to the main floor so the Ghostbusters could wish him good morning and see that he was perfectly fine thanks to Sango saving him from the Sounga last night.

"Dawn, Michiru sure is lucky to receive that level of female attention." Venkman joked quietly while Slimer chuckles humorously.

"Do you know where the Sounga is right now Michiru?" Egon asked curiously as Michiru and Ilyssa landed with their feet on the floor.

"I subdued it and locked it up inside of the new containment unit which I believe is still sitting on the pool table back upstairs." Michiru answered while struggling to maintain his grip even though Ilyssa was dragging him down, the two of them touched down on the floor gently without incident or injuries.

"That's great! But the best part is that you're finally awake and alright, you really had all of us worried for long while." Ray commented.

"Now you're sure you don't want a little dose of slime just to feel better?" Venkman asked sarcastically, aiming his positron collider at Michiru with the Slime blower selected so he could spray positively charged slime at the young Experimental Equipment Technician.

"NO! Don't you dare!" Michiru shouted, darting behind Ilyssa and running away only to bump into Janine who had just arrived on the scene after finally getting up and out of bed to find out what all the commotion was outside of the bedroom behind the reception office. "Oh, huh…morning Janine. S-Sorry about the noise, we didn't mean to disturb you and sorry for bumping into you just now."

"That's alright, I'm glad to see you've recovered after what that demonic sword put you through over all those long hours, but I'm sure you've already been told that from Ilyssa and the guys." Janine replied giving Michiru a light pat on the shoulder before directing her attention to everyone else. "Well, now that we're all awake and out of bed, perhaps we can all go upstairs and make some breakfast unless anyone wants to have a shower first."

"Huh, I'd like to have a shower actually if you don't mind Janine, but I'll be happy to help you out in the kitchen once I'm done and changed for the day." Michiru answered, holding his hand up to get Janine's attention as she looked around at everyone in front of her.

"Not a problem, alright everyone, let's all head upstairs and whip up some breakfast." Janine ordered, leading the way as everyone followed the red haired woman up the staircase which led up to the second floor of the Firehouse. "You're all going to need it, now that Michiru is recovered and well again, you guys can continue on with hunting ghosts and conducting paranormal investigations."

"I couldn't agree more, we still have the fourth and final dimensional portal to locate somewhere in the middle of the Hudson River so we can seal it in order to save the city from being torn apart by the Ghost world breaking through into our own." Egon stated seriously.

"If it's somewhere in a river, sounds like we're going to need a boat of some kind so we can conduct a search on the water." Michiru said.

"No need to worry about that, we're already covered in that department." Ray replied, walking over to the pool table where the new containment unit was sitting on top of with the Sounga securely imprisoned inside of it. "So the Sounga is inside there right now eh?"

"That's right Ray, Michiru placed it inside and Slimer and I were there to see him do it after he woke up and subdued it." Saya answered.

"Looks like the containment unit works just as fine as the last one Ray, you guys did a great job of building another one from scratch and modifying it afterwards as well." Egon stated as everyone gathered around the pool table to look at the device closely.

"Thanks Egon, the slime distributors pumping positively charged slime directly inside are all functioning properly." Ray replied until he noticed that the amount of positively charged slime left in the tiny storage tanks were almost empty. "But it looks like the tanks are almost dry, we'd better replenish them, one of us had better go grab a proton back from Ecto-1 downstairs so we can fuel them all up again."

"On it Ray, I'll be right back in a minute." Winston said, using the firemen pole to travel down quickly so he would arrive right behind Ecto-1 without having to use the staircase twice.

"I wish I could have been there to help you guys build it, it must have been fun to build a brand new containment unit, one more modern and advanced than the one which Sounga had been let loose from." Michiru said with a sigh as he admired the massive metallic device.

"Don't feel bad about it Mitch, you'll have plenty of other fun activities awaiting you before you finally fly home to Japan so don't worry about missing out on something like this." Ray said supportively in an effort to cheer up the Shikigami user.

"Well, I guess I'll go have that shower now since the early morning is almost gone, I'll meet you all back in the kitchen when I'm done." Michiru said, waving as he left to head for the bedroom where he could gather some clothes and his ablutions for getting bathed and clean for the day.

"See you in a little while Michiru, everyone else start tidying up the kitchen until its all clean enough to cook, that includes you too Slimer." Janine ordered firmly, giving the green ghost a quick stare before turning to Ilyssa. "I'm just going downstairs to check my office for any voice messages or faxes, I could have sworn I heard the phone ring while I was still half asleep, you check the fridge for what foods we have and try to suggest what we cook up for today's breakfast."

"Will do; see you when you get back Janine." Ilyssa said with a smile before going to open the fridge and inspect the contents inside.

"What are you all looking for up here guys? Winston asked curiously upon returning upstairs and strolling over to the kitchen where most of the guys were looking around on the floor for some reason. "Somebody lose something or what?"

"Janine wants us to tidy up the kitchen so it's clean enough for her to cook us all breakfast, we were about to start sweeping the floor, but all our brooms have been mysteriously robbed of their handles." Venkman answered, holding up three broom brush pieces which Slimer and Michiru had removed the handles from earlier so they could have their brief sparring activity a short while ago.

"Oh, there'll all on the floor by the lab table just over there." Saya pointed out while Slimer flew over and gathered them up before coming back and handing all three of them to Venkman. "Michiru and Slimer were both sparring each other for fun earlier this morning and those broom stick handles served as sparring weapons."

"Oh, well I guess that would make sense, these handles do look like improvised martial arts weapons once they have the broom's brush piece removed from each of them." Venkman commented, reattaching each of the handles to the brushes one at a time so that the brooms could be used to tidy up the kitchen floor. "Slimer, Saya, looks like the three of us are sweeping the floor together."

While Ilyssa, the Ghostbusters and the two spiritual entities went on cleaning up in the kitchen, Janine was downstairs at her reception desk, quickly checking for any messages which might have come at all. The inbox on her computer which she had turned on a few minutes ago was empty so she shut it down and checked her desk, there were no faxes which meant that the answering machine only needed checking now. As it turns out, there was a message from someone who had called which the red haired intellectual woman had guessed after hearing the phone ringing earlier this morning while she was still half asleep in bed, Janine pressed the button on the phone to play back the recorded message which the caller had left before hanging up on their end of the line.

"You have one new message." Beep!

"Hey Michiru, its Inuyasha here, call me back at Kagome's house when you've got some free time. Glad to know that you're alive and that you managed to subdue the Sounga after you woke up, we've got a lot to talk about and catch up on so call back soon…okay, bye."

Beep!

"Looks like Michiru's friends have already found out he's alive and well, that's good to know." Janine said to herself as she made a mental note to inform Michiru that one of his friends had called from Tokyo Japan so that the Kururugi boy could return the phone call.

A short while later, Michiru had finished showering and getting all cleaned up for the day, he was just drying himself off and was now starting to change into some clothes. Although he wanted to relax for a while and catch up on lost time with his friends and fellow Ghostbusters, he knew that there was still much work ahead of them and so he wore a clean work uniform over his clothes, now he just had to put his shoes on and return his belongings to his big duffle bag underneath his bed before he joined everyone in the kitchen. Upon walking out of the bedroom, he saw that the kitchen was all nice and clean, Janine and Ilyssa were both busy cooking at the stove while the guys and ghosts were setting the table and assisting here and there at the counter.

"Something smells good; looks like you're doing well in the kitchen…as usual." Michiru commented as Janine and Ilyssa greeted him.

"Thanks, but I need you to take over in my place while I go have a shower, you're making egg in the hats for everyone in the frying pan while Ilyssa's making a big pot of porridge." Janine replied before directing Michiru to take over her task at the kitchen stove. "Oh, one of your friends called and left a message for you over the phone, he said his name was Inuyasha and that he wants to have a talk with you."

"Thanks for letting me know Janine, I appreciate it." Michiru said thankfully before walking over to stand beside Ilyssa at the stove so they could monitor the hot breakfast meals being cooked on the burners. "I wonder why I never noticed that the phone rang. Maybe Slimer and I were so focused on sparring together that I just couldn't hear it, oh well; I have call Inuyasha back and chat with him later."

"So are you feeling really hungry this morning Michiru?" Ilyssa asked as she glanced briefly at Michiru. "You must be after being bedridden for so long without having eaten anything since Thursday afternoon, now it's Saturday, almost two days later."

"Oh yes, I'm so hungry, I could even eat half as much food as Inuyasha usually does." Michiru said with a chuckle. "And believe me when I say he has a really big appetite no matter what meal of the day it is or what kind of food is being served, although it still has to be edible or else he'd be real mad at who ever gave him any food."

"Well I'm glad to hear it that means you're on the road to recovery since you feel well enough to eat, and eating will gain back your energy and strength." Ilyssa commented while stirring the pot of porridge in front of her.

"Hey Ray, can you play some tunes or something for us to listen too man?" Winston asked and he and Venkman finished tidying up the kitchen with Ray, Egon and the two ghosts. "Its Saturday morning and Michiru's alive and on his feet so this calls for some music."

"Z, you just gave me an idea, hold that thought." Ray replied, going to grab the small CD player which he and Winston had used to play dance music during the night of the party when everyone was celebrating the Ghostbusters' triumphant victory against Azetlor. "This should be fun and entertaining to listen too, especially for our little friends locked up inside our brand new containment unit here."

"Ray, what are you planning to do over there?" Venkman asked curiously with a concerned expression on his face as everyone turned to watch what Ray was doing at the pool table with the containment unit and the CD player which he had now plugged into an extended power bar resting nearby.

"Z, I want you to refill the plasm banks on the containment unit with positively charges slime from your Slime blower." Ray instructed before popping a CD into the CD player and sliding the music machine right next to the containment unit. "Time for a little bit of fun."

Upon pressing the play button, the CD player started playing the song which the Ghostbusters had used during their Statue of Liberty stunt many years ago, the song which made everyone feel so positive and got their moods and morale going again. Everyone took a short pause from their chores and tasks once they realized what was going to happen, since there was positively charged slime inside of the containment unit, that meant that Sounga's metallic prison was going to sing and dance now that Ray was playing some great music. As the effects quickly took hold of the paranormal substance locked inside, the machine managed to bounce and dance very lightly up and down since it was so bulky and heavy, but the singing still sounded perfectly and everyone was now laughing out loud.

"Hey Sounga, is the music loud enough for you?" Winston asked sarcastically. "We can select another song if you'd like. Ha! Ha! Ha!"

"Hey Sounga, are you having a ball in there? Venkman asked with a grin. " No? Well you should be, guys in jail don't get to have anything like this at all so you should be grateful that we're providing you with some quality entertainment free of charge."

"Just you wait until I get out of this iron prison you human fools, I'll make each and every one of you suffer for this, and no one gets away with making fun of me!" Sounga grumbled angrily to himself while being bounced around and defeated from the singing and dancing.

Author's Note: It's been about four and a half months since I last updated this story, sorry for the long wait, but its not easy writing multiple stories at once. Nevertheless, thank you all for your patience and support, all your comments expressed in each of your reviews are all rewarding to see after you read each new chapter which makes me glad that you all enjoy reading this long and adventurous tale. A lot of the scenes featuring Michiru and Ilyssa were inspired by suggestions and comments from J4RRE77 and Orionpax09 so be sure to thank each of them for that for those of you who enjoyed those sequences.

Orionpax09: I hope you enjoyed all the scenes with Michiru and Ilyssa together, chapter 18 or 19 is most likely going to be when Sango and Ilyssa get to contact each other through Michiru's amulet while Michiru and the Ghostbusters are out searching the Hudson River for the final portal's location. Thanks for your various thoughts on all of the characters, especially Sango, Michiru and Ilyssa in upcoming events throughout this story. All characters, whether they be major or minor all have important roles to play from beginning to end.

J4RRE77: Sorry for the long delay, I hope this chapter was worth the wait, thanks again for your suggestions and also for sharing ideas. Because not much happened in either the Feudal era or the Modern era, I tried to make up for that by filling in with a lot of comedy.

Devildog452: Glad that you're interested in reading more of this story, I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as the previous ones.


	18. Friendship, Feelings, and Choices

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, Ghostbusters; or anything associated with either of them. This story is being written just for fun and enjoyment.

Chapter #18: Friendship, Feelings, and Choices

It was presently just after 9:30 on Saturday morning inside of the Firehouse, everyone was on the upper floor in the kitchen cooking and preparing the table for a hardy breakfast, Slimer was hovering around taking in the aroma of food and drooling at the sight of the immense morning meal being made for his human companions. By now, everyone had taken the opportunity to shower and get cleaned up for the day, it was time to sit down and eat up while deciding what to do for the day since they still had the city to save from the ever increasing dangerous paranormal calamity that threatened to turn it into a haunted and ruined rubble for all an eternity.

"Okay everybody, breakfast is ready so let's all sit down and eat, we've got a big workday ahead of us." Janine ordered while pouring coffee and hot chocolate into some mugs served on the table along with glasses of orange juice as well. "Venkman, please turn off that CD player so we can have breakfast in peace and quiet."

"Oh come on, you're ruining our fun and besides, we're doing some good by keeping the Sounga in a weakened state." Venkman whined.

"Venkman, the Sounga's been subjected to positively charged slime along with the singing and dancing from all that music for nearly an hour already so let's take a break, I doubt that it can recover itself quickly after going through an experience like that given that it's evil." Egon countered, turning off the CD player himself and taking a pause until the huge containment unit became motionless on the pool table before walking over to sit down at the kitchen table. "I know we have a busy schedule ahead of us, but we'll eat first and talk later."

"I second that, time to sit down and chow down, that goes especially for you Mitch given that you haven't had a bite since Thursday at lunch." Winston added after clearing room on the table so there would be room in the middle for the food to be placed, making it easy and within everyone's reach to grab and pass around.

"Don't worry Winston, I'll eat up and regain my energy for today, even though having a great sleep helped out a lot with that." Michiru replied back before turning off all the burners on the stove now that he and Ilyssa had both finished cooking. "Need help with that Ilyssa?"

"I've got it Michiru, but thank you anyway." Ilyssa countered while carrying the huge pot of porridge, giving the young boy a quick wink and a smile before setting it down on top of a spare bread board placed in the middle of the table so the pot could sit without damaging the table's wooden surface.

"Okay, who wants an egg in the hat?" Michiru asked, holding a plate in one hand and a flipper in the other after wandering over to the table where everyone was sitting, everyone responded and held out their plates at the same time. "I was afraid of that, let's take this one at a time until all plates are served, Slimer…fetch."

Michiru caught Slimer from the corner of his eye and knew that the big green blob had a huge appetite so he used his flipper to grab and toss the first egg in a hat away in order to prevent the hungry critter from drooling over the plate of food in his hand. Unfortunately, the teen had flung it with such force that it flew over the table and nearly hit Venkman if the guy hadn't dodged just in time, but Slimer chased after the morsel of food and ended up flying right through Venkman which left the man with some slime on his face.

"S-Sorry Peter, I was trying to get Slimer away so he wouldn't drool over the plate in my hand." Michiru said apologetically, trying in vain to suppress a laugh in the process while he continued serving breakfast for everyone at the table.

"No worries Mitch, I'll be right back after I go and wash up, save some of those egg in the hats for me please." Venkman replied before heading for the washroom to clean up his head and face. "Uh oh, looks like someone's still hungry better think of something fast Mitch."

"Slimer, you get one more and that's it, got it?" Michiru warned, holding a second egg in the hat with the flipper and tossing it off to his left so that it would fall down the fireman escape hole which was a short distance away, causing Slimer to race after it in the process. "Okay, that's that, now back to business."

After a minute or two of serving each person's plate, Michiru was at last able to sit down at the table himself with the others, Ilyssa was using a large spoon to dig out a huge scoop of porridge and fill a bowl for everyone, Ray arrived at the table with a heaping plate of toast slices which he set down inside a small cluster of jam jars and other such containers. Since porridge was going to be one of the items in today's breakfast, there was butter, milk and brown sugar served on the table to go with it depending on who wanted what for their bowl of oatmeal. Janine quickly prepared a plate of freshly cut up fruit for everyone to have as a dessert afterwards, if anyone had any room left that is, porridge along with toast and egg in a hats made for a very hardy breakfast which was good now that the Ghostbusters had to get back on schedule and save the city from a paranormal disaster which was still very much in existence despite all the success they had achieved thus far.

"My my, quite the morning meal we have on the table today." Venkman commented, having returned from washing his face in the washroom just a minute ago.

"Yeah, but we'll need it to energize ourselves for this afternoon, who knows how our battle will go once we find the fourth and final portal of the mandala." Ray said, sitting down and getting comfortable in his chair along with everyone else seated around the kitchen table.

"I couldn't agree more Ray, but we still have to find the mandala node first even though we know it's located in the middle of the Hudson River, let's just hope we don't have to go scuba diving just to look for it." Winston added.

"Scuba diving sounds like fun, but I have to agree that we can't do that since we'd be vulnerable to attack by ghosts and paranormal monsters." Michiru commented, cutting up an egg in a hat on his plate with a knife and fork in hand. "Even if we could use our proton packs under water, we'd just be dragged down to the bottom and since its winter, we'd all freeze to death just by swimming in the river."

"No need to worry Mitch, we've got Ecto-8 to help us out so we won't have to search underwater for the final mandala node at all." Egon replied, drawing the Japanese student's attention. "Oh, pardon me; I forgot you don't know about the other seven vehicle units we own."

"Seven?" Michiru responded in complete surprise as his eyes widened, his hands ceasing any movement at all, having lost all focus on his breakfast in front of him. "You have seven other company vehicles? But I've never even seen any vehicles other than Ecto-1."

"We keep them in storage since there isn't enough room to park them inside of the Firehouse with all our other furniture and stuff that we have downstairs on the main floor, Ecto-1 is really all we need to get from point A to point B and back again, the others were built mainly for fun although I will admit we have used them once in a while on occasion when one ride isn't enough for the job." Ray explained.

"Well…would it be alright if I could maybe see each of them before I embark on my return trip home to Japan?" Michiru asked hopefully.

"Why of course you can, but only if we can find time to fit it into today's schedule." Ray answered before turning to Egon. "Speaking of schedule, how busy are we looking Egon?"

"Hmm…well we certainly can't conduct our search of the Hudson River until we have Ecto-8 ready so we'll most certainly be able to show it to Michiru." Egon answered. "And as for the other Ecto units, I'm positive an opportunity will present itself either today or tomorrow."

"Wow, this is so exciting, I can hardly wait." Michiru said, unable to sit still since he was now overly excited to see the other company vehicles belonging to the Ghostbusters, but then he felt a hand rest on his shoulder, causing him to turn and face Ilyssa.

"Eat up first Michiru or there won't be any ghost hunting expeditions for you today, understand?" Ilyssa warned verbally in a calm tone of voice even though she wore a gentle smile as she eyed the teenager, nevertheless, her words sunk in and Michiru nodded obediently with an embarrassing look on his face which made all the adults grin at how easily Ilyssa managed to manipulate the Kururugi boy.

"Well, it'll take a while to get Ecto-8 prepared so we can always take a visit to my bookstore, you did want to see that as well didn't you Michiru?" Ray pointed out, getting the Shikigami user excited all over again, luckily Michiru managed to stay calm enough to avoid getting another verbal warning from Ilyssa even though she meant no harm since she was only looking out for him as any grown up would do.

"Oh that's right, yes I would like that very much Ray, but only if it doesn't interfere with our schedule since I know how behind we are thanks to what Sounga put me through." Michiru answered. "Saving the city from disaster takes priority over everything else after all."

"Those were great egg in the hats Michiru; once again, you've shown you're a master at cooking in the kitchen." Winston commented.

"Thanks Winston, glad you enjoyed them, there's some left over if you'd like more." Michiru replied as he reached for the large plate he had piled them on to serve.

"I'll have to pass on that, I'm saving room for porridge, we have to eat it while it's hot or else it'll taste horrible once it's cold." Winston said, moving his empty bowl around to where his plate had been. "Does anyone have a ladle or something to scoop out the oatmeal with?"

"There's one already in the pot Winston, let me spin in around so you can reach it." Janine pointed out; rotating the large pot on the breadboard around slowly so the ladle would face the side of the table Winston was seated at while holding the lid off of it. "There you go, be careful, it's very hot."

"Thanks Janine, ah yeah, that's the stuff to eat on a cold winter morning." Winston replied while filling his bowl full of porridge. "Does anyone else want some oatmeal as well? Better get it while it's hot or else you can't warm yourself up from the inside."

"Good call, besides, oatmeal porridge turns to concrete once it eventually dries out and becomes solid which makes it very tough to clean out of a pot unless its done before hand." Michiru added, holding his empty bowl up now that he had also finished eating his egg in the hats as well. "I'll have a bowl please Winston, Ilyssa made it especially for all of us so I'm not passing on this porridge."

"Hey there Mitch, leave some for the rest of us, you're loading up like its dessert or something." Venkman cut after holding his empty bowl up even though he now had to wait for his turn since there was only one ladle to get the oatmeal out of the large pot with.

"Quit whining Venkman, there's plenty for everyone and besides, Michiru's last meal was Thursday at lunch." Janine pointed out, knowing full well that Venkman's motivation for having some oatmeal was because Ilyssa had cooked it up for everyone to eat.

"Would you like butter or cream with your oatmeal Michiru?" Ilyssa asked, holding a container in each hand while Michiru was adding a few spoonfuls of brown sugar to his oatmeal porridge, rewarding the Shikigami user with a smile once he glanced at her to say his response.

"Oh, huh…cream, thanks Ilyssa." Michiru replied back, his face turning slightly pink after making eye contact with the woman beside him.

"You're welcome." Ilyssa replied back as she handed Michiru the container now that he was done with the brown sugar.

"You sure loaded a lot of sugar on your oatmeal Michiru; you aren't a sugar addict by any chance are you?" Venkman commented.

"I highly doubt that Venkman and besides, Michiru could use the extra sugar in order to recharge himself after what the Sounga put him through, those demonic veins did try to drain him of his blood supply very slowly when Winston and I tried to free him earlier after all." Egon pointed out, making everyone at the table suddenly pause with a moment of horror. "And that reminds me, we're going to have to conduct some brief tests once breakfast is over so you'll have to wear the scanning helmet again in order for us to record any readings."

"Again?" Michiru whined, making everyone else chuckle in the process. "Do I really have too Egon? I swear I feel perfectly fine."

"I'm sure that you do and all of us here are relieved to see you up and about on your feet again after you were bedridden for so long, but we need to be extra cautious, that's just part of our work as Ghostbusters." Egon stated, causing Michiru to reluctantly sigh in defeat.

"Don't worry Michiru, you'll get through it okay as usual and it'll be over before you know it so try to relax and finish your breakfast." Ilyssa said supportively in an effort to cheer up her young Japanese friend.

"Egon, I'm curious what the plan is for today, naturally we need to be cautious since we're technically going to be conducting a paranormal investigation without permission from Peck or PCOC." Venkman spoke up, directing everyone's attention on Egon.

"Well, we still have to prep Ecto-8 and Ray still has to set up shop at his bookstore which means we can't really start our search until late in the afternoon at the earliest, it'll be safer for us if we begin our search of the Hudson River once darkness has fallen to cover our presence." Egon answered. "Now I'm aware that hunting at night in the winter doesn't sound very enjoyable, but it's the last thing Peck will ever expect which means we can search for the final mandala node and seal it up while the majority of the city is asleep, preventing the ghost world from breaking through the dimensional wall which separates it from our world."

"Sounds good, that gives us lots of time during the day to chill out and relax, we could all use a break." Venkman commented.

"That would be nice, I still feel tired and I think I could use a little nap before getting the day started." Ilyssa said, letting out a yawn.

"Are you not feeling very well this morning Ilyssa?" Michiru asked with concern, thinking that the little sparring match they had participated in earlier this morning might have worn out his female friend, or perhaps it was staying up a few hours after midnight talking together which deprived the young woman of getting a good night's sleep.

"I'm just a little bit tired, that's all, and I guess I outdid myself this morning without getting enough rest last night." Ilyssa answered.

"Are you sure?" Janine asked curiously. "Maybe you need another cup of coffee and something else to eat so you can recharge yourself."

"No thanks Janine, this was a great breakfast and I enjoyed it very much, but I really couldn't eat another bite." Ilyssa replied back.

"Here, why don't I walk you downstairs to your room so you can lay down for a nap?" Michiru suggested getting up from his chair so he could make sure Ilyssa got to her room safely without falling down the stairs in the event that she was on the verge of falling asleep in a few moments which he hoped wasn't the case. "I'm done eating breakfast now too so perhaps I'd should accompany you just to be safe."

"I'm sure it's not that serious, but thank you Michiru, I wouldn't mind having you tag along." Ilyssa said as she stood up from her seat, giving the Shikigami user a wink and a smile which made Michiru worry that he'd be teased because of this later on by the Ghostbusters.

Ilyssa left the kitchen and walked to the lab in the direction of the staircase with the Kururugi boy at her side, Venkman watched them until they both vanished from sight as they made their way down the stairs to the main floor of the Firehouse, it was obvious that each of them were pondering some questions to interrogate their young Japanese friend once he returned. Luckily Janine was there to give Venkman one of her creepy stares in order to discourage him and save Michiru from being teased about the incident, Ray and Winston might bring it up later on, but at least they weren't as bad to deal with as Venkman was when it came to being interrogated about girls or young women.

"I hope that taking part in the sparring match isn't what caused you to tire yourself out Ilyssa." Michiru said as he and Ilyssa walked down the staircase together.

"No, I have a feeling it was staying up for a few hours after midnight which cost me from getting enough sleep, but its no big deal." Ilyssa replied, letting out another quick yawn in the process. "Don't feel bad about it okay? I'm glad that I stayed up in order to hear you out after what you were put through and you needed to let everything all out in order to make a recovery, it was the best course of action to take."

"I know Ilyssa, I just hope that Sango's recovered from that whole ordeal as well, she's probably gone through enough painful experiences these passed few days and I don't want to be responsible for causing her to suffer just because of how I feel." Michiru stated softly as they arrived at the bottom of the stairs on the main floor. "Its not just choosing between me and Miroku that she has to worry about, she'll also have to worry about how her decision will impact all her friends and Sango isn't the kind of person who would want to hurt others."

"Sometimes those sorts of consequences are unavoidable when making decisions like that Michiru, that's how love is when it involves more than just two people." Ilyssa said, fully understanding what Michiru was trying to explain. "The two of you are still so young Michiru, I'm sure she's doing alright if she's as strong willed as you say she is and besides, knowing that you're alive and that you'll soon return to see her again has given Sango the hope she needs to chase away a lot of the pain that she's burdened with."

"I hope so." Michiru replied as they walked passed Janine's desk and headed for the spare room behind the reception office, causing the teenager to suddenly remember Ilyssa's little joke from last night which caught him off guard in an embarrassing situation. "You'll have plenty of peace and quiet in your room so I'm sure you'll be able to have a nice rest, we'll see each other later on again in the day, bye Ilyssa."

"Michiru?" Ilyssa spoke up before the Kururugi boy could leave, turning around with a look of shame written on her face which caused Michiru to suddenly worry that something was wrong.

"Yes Ilyssa?" Michiru replied, giving his female friend his full attention and looking her in the eyes as if he was searching for an answer which would suddenly explain Ilyssa's change in state. "Ilyssa…why do you look sad all of a sudden?"

Ilyssa took Michiru by the hand and lead him through the door walking along until the two of them were inside of the room where they had all the privacy without having to worry about anyone overhearing or disturbing them from the outside, Michiru was very confused since he couldn't deduce any kind of reason for Ilyssa's sudden change in mood, for they had shared quite a handful of enjoyable experiences together this morning in only a few hours leading up to this moment. Aside from that minor incident caused by Slimer's little prank at the beginning when they had each gotten up to start the new day, the Shikigami user was at a loss for figuring out what was on the leather clad beauty's troubled mind. However, he would find out in a moment as they sat down comfortably on one of the beds, still holding hands together and waiting for Ilyssa to find the right words to answer him.

"Michiru…I just wanted to say I'm sorry for what happened between us earlier this morning." Ilyssa said calmly, having recovered enough so that the sad look on her face had now disappeared altogether even though she still felt a little ashamed on the inside.

"Sorry?" Michiru asked in confusion since he didn't follow her. "Sorry for what Ilyssa?"

"I'm sorry for kissing you like that, it was very wrong of me to do such a thing without asking for your consent first and especially since we've only known each other for just a couple of days." Ilyssa explained with a calm and gentle voice, looking Michiru in the eyes as if she was pleading for his forgiveness. "As an adult, I should have had more control and I should never have done what I did even though I knew in my mind that it was wrong for me to do that to someone as young as you, I am so sorry for taking advantage of you like that."

"Ilyssa, please…" Michiru replied, forcing both of them to take a pause before continuing any further. "What you've said is true, but don't think for one moment that I would ever hold this against you or that you've ruined the friendship we both share, you're still a good person and this doesn't change that."

"I won't, but I still stole your first kiss on the lips Michiru, you really shouldn't be so forgiving." Ilyssa said softly while staring at Michiru.

"Ilyssa! I'm not forgiving you because I'm just a teenager, I'm forgiving you because I know who you are and that I trust you!" Michiru shot back with a serious look on his face, allowing his words to sink in before calming down and lowering his voice. "In the passed couple of days that we've gotten to know each other, you've helped me out in ways that no one else has ever done or could ever do and its because you've become such a very important friend that I can let this slide, I assure you that I wouldn't be so forgiving if you were a complete stranger or an entirely different person altogether. Do you remember when I told you of my travels throughout Feudal Japan?"

"Yes, I remember." Ilyssa answered, keeping her own thoughts to herself until she had heard all that her young Japanese friend wanted to say first.

"There was a time on Asagiri Island when Sango was injured and she tried to get up and walk regardless of the fact that she would only cause further injury to herself, so I picked her up and carried her in my arms in order to prevent her from doing so, I did it even though I didn't ask for her permission beforehand." Michiru explained, still making eye contact with Ilyssa while holding hands. "She understood and didn't think anything less of me because she knew that I only wanted to help her and also because she trusts me, I know you had nothing but good intentions even though it looked as though you took advantage of the situation from an outsider's point of view, you still had a moment of weakness when you gave in to your temptation and there's nothing wrong with that because everyone has a moment of weakness every once in a while regardless of who they are or how old they are."

"Oh Michiru…" Ilyssa said, pulling the young boy into a tender hug and holding him for a brief moment as her gentle voice was heard again. "Thank you, thank you for putting it like that, it means a lot that you forgave me for all of those reasons instead of..."

"I know what you're afraid of Ilyssa." Michiru continued, cutting Ilyssa off when she paused in mid sentence. "You thought that I was overlooking what you did just because of how attractive you are and although you are very attractive Ilyssa, only someone like Miroku would ever think like that, I'm not like Miroku even though both of us are still guys and let me also say that you aren't like him either."

"You know something Michiru?" Ilyssa said before releasing Michiru from her embrace so she could look at him, smiling sweetly while talking out loud. "You really have come a long way in just a few days, I was the one who consoled you when you were feeling hurt or depressed, now our roles have reversed and you're the one consoling me while I'm feeling low even though I'm an adult and you're a young teenage boy."

"After everything that you've done for me, it's the least I can do for you in return." Michiru replied, with an embarrassed look on his face. "I should go so you can enjoy your nap, better relax now while you can when the day is still young, we'll both be busy later on after all."

"Yes, you're right; we do have a busy day ahead of us." Ilyssa said in agreement as she watched Michiru head for the door. "Bye Michiru."

"Bye Ilyssa, don't let the bed bugs and the monsters under the bed bite." Michiru added with a chuckle, earning him a few giggles from Ilyssa for his humorous remark before he left the room, leaving the female curator to rest herself and shut her eyes for a short while.

The Kururugi boy had only been joking around when he had mentioned the bed bugs and the monsters under the bed, but what he didn't know was that Ilyssa wasn't as alone as he thought once he left her, for there were two others who were in fact hiding under the bed and they had been waiting for the Shikigami user to leave so that Ilyssa could fall asleep. Luckily, they were just the spiritual entities of Michiru's ancestors, Utsugi and Kakuju. The two of them had come all the way from Japan and had been hiding while biding their time for an opportunity to place Kakuju's amulet around Ilyssa's neck so she could commune with Sango while in her unconscious state, that time had now finally arrived. They could have made an earlier appearance, but they didn't want to make a scene or disturb their great, great grandson and his friends so they decided to be patient and perform this task without causing any unwanted commotion.

"Sounds like Michiru's matured into quite the young man wouldn't you say?" Kakuju commented quietly to avoid waking Ilyssa from sleep, feeling so proud for their great, great, great grandson.

"Yes he surely has, I just hope that Michiru manages to set everything right with his friends in Feudal Japan once he eventually returns home again, that will be his biggest challenge yet." Utsugi said softly, gently rising Ilyssa's head off the bed while Kakuju carefully fastened the golden chain around her neck which had the amulet attached to it, waiting a few moments until Ilyssa was resting her head on the bed once more so that the leather clad beauty could continue to sleep and hopefully commune with Sango just as Sango had done with Michiru.

"I'm confident Michiru will be able to do that as well, come on then, let's head back to Japan so we can watch over his parents for a while now that we've accomplished our task." Kakuju replied, levitating upward and disappearing through the ceiling of the Firehouse, Utsugi followed after her a minute later after casting a spell to implant a portion of Ilyssa's soul into the amulet now fastened around her neck.

Once he left Ilyssa to have a nap in the peace and privacy of her room, Michiru strolled by Janine's reception desk and eyed her telephone, it was at that moment that he remembered Inuyasha had tried calling him earlier this morning to have a chat because the half demon had left a message and Janine herself had told Michiru about it while he was busy helping everyone to prepare breakfast. Although the time difference was going to make the hour of the day in Tokyo inconvenient to have a talk over the phone, Michiru decided to take a chance, it had been a while since he last got to talk with his half demon friend Inuyasha and he didn't want to waste what might be today's only opportunity to have a nice long chat after everything that had happened thus far no thanks to the Sounga. And so, the determined teenager picked up the phone and dialled the number, holding the phone to his ear and praying that he wouldn't make anyone who answered mad even though he knew the time was presently early in the morning hours before sunrise.

It was precisely 2:00 in the morning at the Higurashi residence and everyone was sleeping soundly, the peace and quiet was suddenly shattered when the phone rang, but luckily Inuyasha had awoken immediately and answered it before it could ring a second time so the disturbance only lasted for a moment so everyone else in the house hadn't been woken up or aroused from their beds. The half demon was very glad to have slept on the living room couch tonight and right beside the living room phone which was within arms reach, allowing him to pick it up without getting up, now Inuyasha could finally have a long chat over the phone with his Kururugi friend and discuss a lot of important things which needed to be addressed. But before getting into any of that, Inuyasha first decided to tell Michiru of all he had witnessed in Demon Slayer village, beginning with the catching game of roast boar meat between Kirara and himself and also when everyone got together to give the giant furry feline a soap and water bath even though Inuyasha himself had his hair washed and scrubbed as well thanks to Sango taking advantage of the situation to have a little fun by playing around as well.

"You would have loved to be there in person Michiru, Sango looked a lot happier than she's been in days, she was even laughing and playing around like Kagome or Shippo would normally do." Inuyasha said at the end of his tale, knowing how happy Michiru would be to hear this, and he hoped that it would give the Shikigami user a few joyful moments before dealing with the more sensitive subjects which now had to be discussed.

"Thanks very much for telling me of those events Inuyasha, it means a lot just to hear that Sango's doing so well with Kohaku even though I couldn't be there to witness everything in person myself, that's very great to hear especially after what the two of us went through during the time that the Sounga threatened to kill or possess me by forcing all of those nightmarish hallucinations on me." Michiru said gratefully, also remembering the trouble Inuyasha took to travel all the way to Demon Slayer village in order to see Sango so that she could attempt to save him as well. "Thank you for doing your part to help save my life Inuyasha, I definitely owe you for that, and I regret to say I don't know how I can ever return the favour."

"Hey, no sweat Michiru, you would have done the same for me or anyone else because that's what friends are for." Inuyasha replied, dismissing the matter altogether even though he was still grateful to hear the Kururugi boy express his gratitude for having his life saved.

"Inuyasha, I hope that you don't take this the wrong way because I'm not mad at you, but…I'd like to know why you didn't tell me that you knew I had told Sango that I love her as I returned back to home to my era." Michiru asked, he already had a good idea why his half demon friend had kept quiet about overhearing his confession of love towards Sango, but he wanted to hear Inuyasha's reasons nevertheless.

"Well…I just happened to overhear you speaking to Sango even though you had lowered your voice because of my superior sense of hearing." Inuyasha began, taking a deep breath and pausing for a few moments while he sought out the right words to use in his explanation. "In the first place, it was none of my business and I didn't want to go poking my nose into someone else's relationship like Kagome always does, that would be both rude and wrong. Next, after you were taken away to where you're staying right now, I didn't want to put any more stress or strain on you than what you were already going through because I knew how difficult it would be for you to find your way home again just like you had to do when you were summoned to my era. That's why I kept quiet about it, but I eventually couldn't keep it to myself any longer which is why I told Sango that I overheard your confession to her, at least that would allow her to prepare for the worst which is more or less what happened once Kagome managed to find out by eavesdropping on us during our last talk over the phone. Thirdly, I knew that if anyone other than Sango knew that I knew, it would threaten the friendship between all of us and put a heavier burden on Sango's shoulders which neither one of us would want and that's the whole of it."

"Thanks for being honest with me about all this Inuyasha, I had a pretty good idea why you kept my confession to yourself, but I still needed to hear all of that from you just the same so thanks very much for that." Michiru replied, causing Inuyasha on the other end of the line to grumble quietly for having to tell Michiru everything even though he had already managed to deduce it for himself before hand. "Anyway, Kagome managed to piece most of everything together once she overheard us talking, her suspicions must have shot through the roof when she discovered you were passing messages back and forth between Sango and I."

"Well, she made a major mistake by telling Miroku and interrogating Sango before Sango left to revisit her home village for a break, hopefully she's learned from it so she knows not to repeat it ever again." Inuyasha commented, suddenly recalling that Michiru had talked with Kagome when he had called her house hours nearly twelve hours ago to let her know he was alive and well. "By the way Michiru, did you get to talk about any of this with Kagome when you last called here earlier or were you just calling to let her know you were saved?"

"Both actually and I'm sorry to say that it went down hill because…I didn't take it very well when I found out Kagome had told Miroku and questioned Sango about my confession." Michiru answered as the painful memory of that unpleasant conversation over the phone with the reborn priestess replayed in his mind, one sentence after another, word for word. "I told Kagome that it was inexcusable and especially low for her and when I tried explaining how wrong it was, the conversation just kept getting worse and worse, I even said that her being in love with you while you still had feelings for Kikyo was no different than what I was experiencing with Sango and Miroku which set off her fuse. After a minute of heated arguing, I finally gave up and told Kagome that I'd find it in me to forgive her so long as she'd stay out of the matter involving Sango, Miroku and I. We both said our goodbyes before hanging up on each other and that's how it went, I only hope that my words sunk in so she's learned from her mistake, the worst will be behind all of us if that's what she believes."

"You mean to tell me that Kagome tried to discourage you a second time over the phone when you called shortly after you finally woke up from sleep once Sango saved you from the Sounga?" Inuyasha asked in dismay in order to confirm what he had just been told.

"Yes…I'm sorry to say." Michiru answered, knowing how angry his half demon friend would be feeling right now, desperately trying to think of anything to say which could calm him down to avoid another confrontation amongst his friends which he didn't want to happen since there would be no point in it. "But she must have understood her mistake because she went silent after our argument ended and that's when I told her I'd forgive her if she promised to stay out of the whole affair and that we could still be friends, I heard her say goodbye after I said goodbye so there's no doubt in my mind that she knows she did wrong. Please don't be hard on Kagome when you see her again, let her say what's on her mind first and go from there, that's the only way for all of us to amend our friendship together."

"Fine, but she still needs some sort of talk to help set her straight because even though you've convinced her to stop discouraging you, it'll take nothing but a miracle to finally convince Kagome that Sango's better off with you instead of Miroku." Inuyasha remarked with a hint of disgust and disappointment in his voice, recalling the brief incident of listening to the perverted monk talking in his sleep and dreaming about his sexual fantasies which made the half demon want to puke at the mere thought of Sango being married to such lecherous creep when he knew in his mind and heart that the female demon slayer deserved Michiru who was a far better person.

"This might sound strange Inuyasha, but I'm sure such a miracle will happen much sooner than you think, Sango has to decide between Miroku and I and I have a feeling that's when Kagome will come to her senses in the end because she'll have to respect Sango's decision no matter which of us she chooses." Michiru responded even though he was merely making a prediction of what would happen.

"You got that right and just for the sake of argument, if Sango chooses you over Miroku, I got your back if anything ugly should happen afterwards." Inuyasha declared, remembering his talk with the female demon slayer shortly after she woke up from sleep when she had saved Michiru from the Sounga, feeling very confident that Sango had already made her decision even though she wasn't a hundred percent sure of it yet.

"Thanks Inuyasha, I appreciate that, but I really don't think anything ugly will happen and I hope nothing will either." Michiru replied, catching Janine and Ray wandering over to him after they had both come down from upstairs, it looked as though the Kururugi boy would have to end this conversation with his half demon friend even though he wished he didn't have too.

"I don't know, you know how Kagome can get when she doesn't have everything her way, then there's the matter of how Miroku might act…just saying." Inuyasha commented, Miroku wasn't as big of a worry as Kagome was when it came to having a temper tantrum and so long as Kagome kept out of the whole affair as she had to do in order to receive Michiru's forgiveness, than everything felt as though it would run smoothly without any ugly aftermath taking place once Sango openly declared in person who she loved in return. "By the way Michiru, if you don't mind my asking, how do you think you and Sango can have a relationship together even though you both live in different worlds like Kagome and I do?

"Sorry to interrupt Michiru, but you're going to have to wrap it up so we can carry on with the day, I've got a big job for the two of us before we can get Ecto-8 ready for launching." Ray whispered quietly, Michiru nodded in understanding while he exchanged smiles with Janine waited for the young boy to finish talking on the phone so she could begin her daily work routine and manage the reception office.

"Sorry Inuyasha, I'm afraid we'll have to continue this conversation at another time because I've just been drafted to help the Ghostbusters with a big job before we all go hunting for lots of ghosts and monsters, but don't worry because I'll be sure to tell you all about how the battle went once we chat again." Michiru said humorously, knowing how jealous and excited Inuyasha would be to hear of it since he unfortunately couldn't be there to take part in it himself. "And if I don't tell you over the phone, I'll tell you in person once I come back home to Japan, hang in there and don't say or do anything to tick off Kagome."

"What, aw come on!" Inuyasha complained, grinning enviously that his Kururugi friend was having a lot of fun by helping the Ghostbusters fight lots of restless ghouls and dangerous monsters, eagerly trying to think of a comeback which would make Michiru wish that he could swap places with him just for a could laugh to get even with his humorous remarks. "Alright, you have fun and make sure you beat up enough foes for the both of us, I'll do my part and watch over everyone and everything where I am in this era and my own."

"I will Inuyasha, thanks very much again for everything that you've done for Sango and I, no matter how this ends once Sango comes to a decision, both of us will always be grateful for your friendship and support." Michiru replied, preparing to hang up. "As for your last question, I'll need some time to think it through to see how many answers I can come up with which I'll tell you later on, bye Inuyasha."

"Bye Michiru, good luck and good hunting." Inuyasha said quickly before he hung up the phone and took a moment to ponder about all that he had learned and talked about during his conversation with the Shikigami user. "Before I head back to my era to see how things are doing in Kaede's village, I'm going to have a talk with Kagome; she needs to learn her place for trying to discourage Michiru again."

"So Ray, what's this big job that you and I need to do?" Michiru asked curiously as he waved goodbye to Janine and followed Ray back upstairs to the second floor where the other Ghostbusters were.

"We are going to take a quick road trip and pay a little visit to my bookstore where we'll unpack and organize all my books on the shelves so that my store can be ready and open for business." Ray answered, knowing how excited this would make Michiru since the boy said he had wanted to see Ray's Occult for himself.

"Really?" Michiru replied in excitement as his eyes widened in anticipation. "That's great! Are we leaving right now or in a short while?"

"Well be leaving in about half an hour." Ray answered as they both arrived on the second floor and wandered over to the laboratory where Egon, Winston and Venkman were waiting for them. "But only after we've run some tests to make sure you're perfectly alright after what the Sounga put you through."

"Aw man…" Michiru said, all his excitement drained away instantly and was replaced with an uncomfortable feeling now that he knew he would have to wear that ridiculous looking helmet again so Egon could take some readings by scanning his mind. "Alright Ray, let's get this over and done with so we can drive to your bookstore, put that camera away Venkman or I'll blast it to bits and you along with it."

"Aw come on Mitch, don't be a party pooper." Venkman said while Ray helped the Japanese student strap the wire covered helmet on his head, he was about to take a picture when Winston snatched away the camera which saved Michiru from any embarrassing photos.

"You heard the man Venkman, no photos; you don't want to piss someone off who can use magic after all." Winston stated, holding the camera so Venkman couldn't use it, earning a thank you from Michiru as everyone chuckled at Venkman for having his fun ruined. "Besides, we have lots of photos already from that party and before we went to the Museum so I'd say we're covered."

Meanwhile in her unconscious state, Ilyssa found herself wandering through what looked like a peaceful village of Feudal Japan, she had no complaints of course about what she was experiencing in her dream however since it reminded her of all the adventurous tales her young friend Michiru had told her of back at the Firehouse a couple of hours after the Shikigami user had saved her life three times in one night during that battle against the giant manifestation of Gozer which is also when she witnessed Michiru casting his Shikigami first hand. The leather clad beauty continued walking around, admiring every detail of the surrounding scenery, how each dwelling was built by hand using simple manual labour in addition with the craftsmanship and architectural design of this particular era of Japanese history. Before Ilyssa could explore anymore of the environment which her dream was presently focused on, she was about to run into a shock when she came face to face with both Sango and Miroku, she remembered their appearances showing up on the imagery screen when Michiru had to wear that scanning helmet that same morning when they tried finding information about his magic.

"That's Sango and Miroku, oh and there's little Kirara as well, what a cute little kitty cat demon." Ilyssa said, wondering why the heck she was suddenly having a dream like this with Michiru's Feudal era companions in it. The answer was revealed to her a minute later after following them until they reached the market place of Kaede's village where she also saw Inuyasha, Kagome, Shippo, and Michiru who was dressed in his Japanese junior high school uniform. "This must be when the two of them met each other for the very first time which means…I'm not dreaming at all, this is someone's else's memory that I'm witnessing, just like Sango did when she had to save Michiru from the Sounga. But why would this be happening again and with me instead of Sango? Something mysterious is going on and I better find out what it is."

Before Ilyssa could think of anything else, everything around her suddenly vanished, leaving her in total darkness. A few moments later, she found herself inside of a wooden house which told her that she was still in Feudal Japan, but she was standing a few feet away from Sango and Kagome who looked like one of them was helping the other with her hair. Sango was sitting down holding a small hand mirror from Kagome's backpack while Kagome herself was busy fiddling with some jewelled hairpins she had recently attached in Sango's hair. A male voice called out and upon turning around Ilyssa saw Michiru standing a short distance away, Sango immediately became flustered while both modern era teenagers admired Kagome's handy work despite Sango's embarrassment.

"What do you think?" Kagome said, admiring Sango's new look. "Cute huh?"

"Huh? Oh! Its you Sango, I didn't realize it was you sitting there." Michiru said with a smile, staying where he was in order to give the Sango some much needed space even though Kagome was standing right behind her while working with her hair. "What are you doing with Sango's hair Kagome?"

"Oh, I'm just helping Sango with her hair and I let her try on some of my jewelled hairpins." Kagome answered in a girly tone of voice as she stepped aside and allowed the Kururugi boy to take a look for himself, still holding up Sango's hair. "I think you look great with jewellery in your hair. See?"

"What are you talking about Kagome?" Sango protested, not used to the idea of making herself look pretty like other girls and young women would normally do, but it was only natural since she was a professional demon slayer. "This is stupid; I really don't think it suits me at all."

"That's not true." Ilyssa and Kagome said in unison, giving the research specialist a brief moment of humour from having such an experience, luckily this was just a memory so Ilyssa didn't have to worry about accidentally altering what had already happened in the past or being overheard by everyone around her. "Oops, well there's something that you don't get to see or hear every day."

"No, you're definitely wrong, it really suits you Sango…really." Michiru said softly, complimenting the female demon slayer with his words.

"Aw, that was sweet of you Michiru." Ilyssa said with a genuine smile, watching Sango with anticipation to see how she would react.

"Uh…thank you Michiru, does it really?" Sango responded softly, watching the Shikigami user who nodded back at her with a smile which made the demon slayer feel better enough to the point where she managed to calm down as the thoughts in her mind echoed out loud for Ilyssa to listen too. "He seems so kind and caring even though he's also shy and nervous when it comes to opening up to everyone, perhaps I'll know why after I've gotten to know him better as a friend just as I've done with Inuyasha and the others, thank you Michiru."

"Wait, that was Sango's voice just now and those were her own thoughts which means…of course!" Ilyssa stated, catching on to the clue which gave her the answer to explain why she was going through such an experience while she was still asleep. "This is Sango's memory and she must have asked Utsugi and Kakuju if she would be able to commune with me, perhaps she needs my help for something, which would make sense since she's done this once before with Michiru. That's right! I should have a talk with her about Michiru before either of us wake up, but that will have to wait until after I've helped her out first with what ever she wants to find out or know, I'll find out eventually. I wonder how long it will be until we both meet up with each other. I guess that depends on what memories I encounter along the way first, oh well, that's one down out of how ever many there are to go."

Meanwhile in Feudal Japan at the remnants of Demon Slayer village, everyone was sound asleep in their beds; although Kirara would occasionally wake up every now and then make sure everyone was perfectly safe in case any dangerous demons or other such threats intruded into the area. Shippo and Hachi were both sleeping by the warm fire which was slowly burning itself out while Sango and Kohaku were inside one of the huts, once again just like the night before, Sango was sleeping alone with some distance between herself and Kohaku so that she wouldn't wake him in the event that she suddenly regained consciousness because of her attempt to commune with another human being in the modern era, namely Ilyssa in this case. However, there was one small difference between this experience and the previous one which had involved Michiru, both young women became aware of what was going on which allowed them to witness each others memories even though they still couldn't make contact with one another…for the time being anyway.

And as for the first of Ilyssa's memories that Sango had first encountered, it was in fact the one which begun with Michiru saving her life for the very first time during the chaotic battle against the giant Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, Sango followed Ilyssa through the whole thing and witnessed one danger after another which eventually reached the climatic conclusion when Ilyssa and Michiru were both hanging over the edge of a tall building thirty stories above the ground. Eager to get a closer look ever since Michiru had slid of off the building's edge right after saving Ilyssa's life again, Sango carefully climbed down the safety harness which Ray and Venkman were holding to keep Michiru and Ilyssa from falling to their deaths, she balanced herself carefully and held on with her hands while keeping her feet on Michiru's proton pack so she could observe everything that went below her as well as the battle itself. Sango's training and experience as a demon slayer had prepared her for such perils so she wasn't fazed by any of the ghosts or animated monsters, she remembered seeing a small video recording of this incident on the digital camera which Inuyasha had shown her thanks to having it played on television, but seeing it up close in person was truly an entirely different experience altogether given how high above the ground she was.

"That second wave of monsters is approaching Ilyssa; I can't fire my positron collider now that we're positioned like this so here's the plan." Michiru instructed. "I'll hold your left foot steady and support your weight while you try and pull yourself up so you can reach the harness belt on my proton pack with your left hand. It should be close enough to you now that I'm right side up like you are, once you've grabbed it; I want you to pull yourself up. I'll lift your left foot as you go up, then you can climb on to my right shoulder with your right knee so you can eventually stand up on the top of my proton pack and start climbing up the belt until you reach the top of the building where Ray and Peter can help you get on the roof."

"Alright, but what about you Mitch?" Ilyssa asked with concern for the young man who had now officially saved her twice in one morning. "I can't leave you here after all you've done, why can't you climb up after me?"

"There's no more time, Stay Puft his getting closer and his marshmallow monsters are almost at our heels!" Michiru countered in a demanding voice, not in the mood for an argument while both of them were literally hanging in the balance between life and death from the top of a thirty-story building. "I'll stay here and hold them off, I'll join you on the roof after the battle is over so please get going!"

"This boy, I've never seen such bravery and maturity in someone so young before, I really wish I didn't have to climb up to safety and leave him down here to face all of these dangers by himself." Ilyssa thought to herself while staring into Michiru's eyes for a moment since she was unable to say anything more and with great reluctance, she eventually did as the Kururugi boy had ordered, Sango watching silently from her position just above them. After taking hold of the belt protruding from the proton pack, Ilyssa pulled herself up as Michiru assisted her until she was standing on the young boy's right shoulder. As she started climbing upwards, the Shikigami user began blasting a proton stream at the ten to fifteen nightmarish critters with his positron collider.

"Watch out Michiru!" Sango shouted in alarm out of worry for the Shikigami user only moments before Michiru had to jump and swing himself away from the building to avoid getting his feet bitten off since he couldn't shoot them all in time now that they had come so close. The swinging which caused Michiru to brake away from the building made him hang upside down again like he was before when he slid off the roof's edge with Ilyssa earlier, but now he could move around much more easily and combat all of his enemies one by one until only Stay Puft remained, all while shouting a few insulting remarks at the giant manifestation of Gozer below him to vent his frustration which made the female demon slayer let out a small chuckle. "Looks like even Michiru has a little bit of a temper too, much like Inuyasha does."

The giant marshmallow man was extremely angry at hearing those two insulting remarks, especially from the same person who had stopped him from getting Ilyssa twice this morning already. With nothing but vengeance on his mind, Stay Puft crawled upwards at a slightly faster pace than before; roaring angrily as he climbed to reach his target who was still hanging above him like bait on a fishhook. After sustaining more hits to his face from the teenager's proton stream, he stopped short and spewed a huge pile of slime from his mouth; striking the building as Michiru swung to avoid getting hit by the blob which nearly struck Sango as well. Meanwhile, Ilyssa was almost at the roof and was only four feet short of the edge as she slowly climbed up.

"Come on, you're almost here; you can make it." Ray said encouragingly as he continued holding the belt with Venkman.

"Uh oh, watch out from below!" Venkman warned as he watched the giant slime ball from Stay Puft's mouth struck the side of the building below Ilyssa, partly soaking the belt in the slippery wet substance. The sudden swinging combined with the slime soaking the belt caused Ilyssa to lose her grip and slowly start to slide down, gaining speed rapidly as she descended.

"Oh no! Hold on tight Ilyssa!" Sango yelled, as the female adult lost her grip and slid back down to where she was.

"Oh no! Ahh!" Ilyssa cried out as she slid all the way back down the belt, landing in a standing position still holding the belt with her hands by her head; and her feet striking the proton pack in a sudden impact.

"AHH! Whoa! OW!" Michiru sudden cried out after feeling a very painful impact against his back as his body shook violently about while still hanging in the air. Although the proton pack absorbed most of impact, it was still painful to Shikigami user even though he didn't sustain any back injuries from breaking Ilyssa's fall. As Stay Puft created more monsters to send against Michiru, Ilyssa adjusted her feet on the proton pack so she could stand up while holding on to the belt with both of her hands to steady herself and keep still so she wouldn't cause any further injury to the teenage boy underneath her. And if things weren't bad enough already, they were about to get a whole lot worse. The sudden impact from Ilyssa's fall as well as her movements with her shoes caused the exposed electrical wiring of the proton pack to short out and become partly disconnected. As he continued firing boson darts at the approaching monster, the power of Michiru's positron collider gradually drained completely until it could no longer function. "What the? Oh no, come on. Not here! Not now! No! No! No! No!"

"Oh no, I'm so sorry Mitch, it's my fault your proton pack doesn't work anymore." Ilyssa thought to herself as she suddenly realized only too late what had happened, she could plainly see the disconnected wires beneath her feet as she looked down. Even in the dark, she could also see sparks flying from Michiru's proton pack which further confirmed that the boy's only weapon for combating ghosts was out of action. As the harsh reality of the now inescapable predicament began to take hold over the young woman's already troubled mind, Ilyssa's eyes darted back and forth from left to right looking down; watching each group of monsters slither upwards from below her and Michiru. Without a functioning weapon, they were both defenceless just hanging there like worms on a fishhook waiting to be bitten once the nasty creatures came close enough to attack from all sides like a school of vicious hungry piranhas. "Of all the times to have a big screw up, why did it have to be now?"

"Those things are getting closer! What are we going to do?" Ilyssa cried in a panicked voice as she tried in vain to pull herself up the slippery belt which was still partly soaked in slime. Unable to go up, the young woman began to tremble now that she found herself trapped hanging from the top of a thirty-story building with vicious monsters slithering ever closer with each passing second. "Oh my god, this can't be happening. Please let this just be a nightmare so I can wake up safely in bed and find that none of this is real!"

"Don't worry Ilyssa, just hang on and you'll get through this in no time at all." Sango said encouragingly before lowering her gaze to look at Michiru even though she couldn't see his face because she was standing on the proton pack strapped to his back just as Ilyssa was. "Michiru's going to end this right now so that the two of you can safely get out of this; just you wait and see for yourself, I know he will."

"Oh brightly burning light! Hear my prayer! Light of Judgement!" Michiru shouted aloud, invoking his Shikigami powers as a white light mysteriously emerged from around the boy. Both Sango's and Ilyssa's eyes widened with awe, seeing a counter clockwise spinning bright red star shaped pentagram take shape on the glass window beneath the Kururugi boy's feet. The two young women were unable to speak as they were completely captivated by the impossible events unfolding directly below them, a bright white light emerged from the Shikigami user and manoeuvred itself around the proton pack and the positron collider still being held in the teenager's hands.

Suddenly without warning, an even brighter light shot forth from the Neutrona wand from the end of Michiru's positron collider. Coming out from inside was an enormous bright white and slightly golden serpentine dragon surrounded by an aura of orange and red particles. Shocked by the unexpected serpent coming out from the positron collider, Michiru accidentally pressed the firing switch; feeling an unexpected kickback from the weapon as the shimmering serpentine dragon slithered downwards towards the manifestation of Gozer until only the end of its tail remained connected to the Neutrona wand. As the serpentine dragon came to a halt and eyed the approaching enemies below, another bright red star shaped pentagram appeared directly below Michiru with its centre positioned at the Neutrona wand which protruded from the Kururugi boy's positron collider. This second pentagram began spinning counter clockwise as well, just like the first one beneath Michiru's feet; both of them began to spin and glow red as the positron collider began to vibrate from the sheer force of the Shikigami power now flowing out from inside of it. Michiru eyes widened in shock and disbelief, his own Shikigami magic was now temporarily powering his improper able positron collider and his damaged proton pack from the inside.

Before Stay Puft and his mini-minions could react to this new threat, the magically summoned serpentine dragon opened its jaws as if it was inhaling a deep breath of air and showing its fangs before darting forward to bite the giant marshmallow man. But instead of being bitten, the manifestation of Gozer would suffer from a far more deadly attack. Sango, Michiru and Ilyssa watched in amazement as the shimmering serpentine dragon exhaled in one swift motion, coughing out what looked like a giant blinding orange and yellow proton stream surrounded by a secondary stream which flowed around it in a spiral like formation with a faint aura of red light around the magical beam.

At the exact moment when the serpentine dragon had exhaled the magical proton stream from its mouth, dozens of multicoloured bolts of lightning descended from the spinning pentagram directly below Michiru, stabbing and massacring all of the small marshmallow monsters in one swift motion before they hit their final target below seconds after the serpentine dragon's proton stream struck first. Stay Puft's angry roars were replaced by an even louder and longer cry of excruciating agony as the magically projected beam of light tore through his body like a hot knife through butter, scorching everything to a crisp until the entire body burst apart in one massive explosion; sending chunks of burned and melted marshmallow all over the place. What ever didn't stick to the surrounding buildings fell thirty-stories until it struck the rock hard pavement below, splashing wet marshmallow slime everywhere as well as burned marshmallow chunks which were like giant boulders of black and brown charcoal. Once Stay Puft had exploded, the magical serpentine dragon and all the multicoloured lightning bolts evaporated into thin air; vanishing before everyone's eyes as if they had never existed.

"What was…? How did…he…do that?" Ilyssa thought out loud once her mind had rebooted itself after recovering from the shock of witnessing a real act of magic being performed by the Shikigami user who had now fallen unconscious due to overexerting himself.

"You'll figure all of it out later Ilyssa, just focus on trying to climb back up to the top of the building's edge so you can get to safety." Sango said with a smile now that all of the danger was behind both Ilyssa and Michiru or at least the majority of the danger apart from falling.

After a few seconds, Egon and Winston arrived in Ecto-1 with the operational Muoun trap and were surprised to hear from Venkman that Stay Puft had already been defeated which explained the messy marshmallow covered road that they were driving through before they parked. Ray informed Egon and Winston of their current predicament and urgently asked them to race upstairs to the roof so they could help him and Venkman save Ilyssa and Michiru who were both still hanging thirty-stories above the ground. The two shocked men sprinted inside of the building and luckily found an operating elevator to get to the top floor, and once they arrived; all four of the Ghostbusters managed to pull their endangered friends up to the edge and on to the roof. After discovering that Michiru had fallen unconscious, everyone quickly made their way downstairs to get to Ecto-1 and drive home where they could tend to their fellow employee, Sango accompanied them all the way down as well and kept her eyes and hears focused on both Michiru and Ilyssa.

"You're all clear; I'm not detecting any paranormal anomalies coming from you." Egon said, deactivating his PKE meter after quickly scanning Ilyssa for anything unusual, Sango stood at her side while looking back and forth from Ilyssa to Michiru over and over again.

"Is Mitch going to be alright?" Ilyssa asked in concern, looking at the boy's sleeping face while earning a warm smile from Sango as well.

"Yeah, he just outdid himself; that's all." Ray answered, trying to reassure Ilyssa so she wouldn't worry. "I can assure you that he'll be just fine once he wakes up after getting a good rest back at Headquarters. How do you feel after experiencing all those frightening events?"

"Pretty good, considering that I was hanging from the top of a thirty-story building. Plus I almost got killed by all those freaky marshmallow monsters and captured by that giant manifestation of Gozer." Ilyssa answered. "I guess I owe you guys my life, and Mitch most of all."

"Don't forget that Ray and I were both holding the two of you up by the harness belt so that you both wouldn't fall during that whole battle." Venkman added as he drew Ilyssa's attention while Ray, Egon and Winston just shook their heads when they knew where this conversation was going. "I'm sorry but I just realized that you look very familiar. Didn't you give me the cold shoulder when we met earlier at the Sedgewick Hotel?"

"My name's Ilyssa, Dr. Ilyssa Selwyn. And…" Ilyssa answered.

"I am Dr. Peter Venkman, and it's a pleasure to meet you…again." Venkman interrupted so he could properly introduce himself and the others in front of young woman. "This is Egon. These two guys are Winston and Ray, and the unconscious kid here is Mitch whom you've already met while you were hanging thirty-stories above the ground."

"His name is Michiru, not Mitch and he isn't a kid." Sango said while placing her hands on her hips and glaring at Venkman, feeling a little annoyed that she could neither be seen or heard for just this one moment even though she had no idea that it was normal in the modern era for people to address each other by using nicknames instead of their real names. "He's a very brave and kind hearted young man."

"Ilyssa, have you ever been involved in any paranormal events before?" Egon asked. "Anything unusual that you could tell us may provide some clues that would explain how Gozer returned and why he was after you at the time you met up with Ray and Mitch."

"Well first of all, I was at the Museum of Natural History and a mysterious pulse of blue light surged through the building. Next thing I know, I was standing outside of a room on the thirteenth-floor of an old Hotel. It was pulling me like a powerful magnet, and I felt as though I was in a deep sleep having a weird dream. When I came to my senses, I ran back here to the building where you and Mitch found me before we all headed up to the roof."

"What do mean you ran "back here" to the building?" Ray asked curiously.

"I'm using it as a temporary office while I'm staying in Manhattan; I came to do some research after I woke up." Ilyssa answered.

"Call me crazy, but the old hotel that you're referring too could be the Sedgewick Hotel could it not? Winston asked. "It was also filled with ghosts and paranormal activity just like the very building you were inside of with Ray and Mitch."

"That's true, but the Sedgewick Hotel doesn't have a thirteenth floor." Ray replied.

"If you don't mind, we'd like you to come to our lab so we can run some brief tests and ask you more questions regarding the paranormal events you've experienced." Egon asked.

"Sure, that's not a problem." Ilyssa answered. "I'd like to be there so I can thank Mitch personally for saving my life…again, after he wakes up of course."

"Here's an easy question; would you like to go out for dinner at a Thai, Mexican or Japanese restaurant?" Venkman asked, trying to make a move on the beautiful young woman.

"Wow, Dr. Venkman. That time you went almost forty-five seconds without saying something abrasive, wanna try for a whole minute next time?" Ilyssa answered in a sweet voice while she smiled, giving Peter the hint to avoid being an annoyance.

"Ha, ha, ha! Well said Ilyssa, well said." Sango blurted out with some laughs after hearing the leather clad beauty's brilliant comeback.

"A doctor and a fiery one too, yet charming as well. What a surprise to find such a great combination in a lady eh Ray?" Venkman countered as Ray pulled him by the shoulder to move him along before he got too encouraged while Winston and Egon removed the proton pack and the other tools which were strapped to Michiru before carefully placing him in the back of Ecto-1.

"So this is how Michiru became acquainted with Ilyssa, he saved her life three times on this night, now I can see why she's been doing so much to help him over these last couple of days." Sango deduced thoughtfully as she recalled all of what Inuyasha had found out about Ilyssa helping Michiru to learn how to use his Shikigami powers to travel back and forth in time so that the Kururugi boy could eventually return to visit her again someday. Suddenly, everything around Sango went dark which told her that the memory was now over, leaving the demon slayer to ponder over all she had seen thus far until the next of Ilyssa's memories would be revealed to her.

Meanwhile, Ilyssa had witnessed many more of Sango's memories with Michiru during the boy's Feudal era adventures, this new one however started off with Sango roaming around since she was looking for her companion Kirara, so the older female followed her around keeping her hears open for any thoughts on Sango's mind while glancing at the peaceful scenery of the lush green environment once they had left the village and wandered out into the forest just a short distance away. After a few minutes of wandering down several dirt paths in search of Kirara, Sango eventually came to a halt when she happened upon Michiru who was presently knelt down on the ground with the tiny two-tail in front of him, Ilyssa watched and waited patiently for what would happen next.

"I was looking for you Kirara." Sango said before her own thoughts echoed out loud. "I was getting worried about you since I had no idea of where you had gone of too, and here you were all this time with Michiru, you're such an adventurous cat going out on your own."

"Do I detect a hint of jealousy coming from you Sango?" Ilyssa asked humorously while quietly giggling to herself.

"Oh, hello Sango." Michiru responded, turning around after hearing Sango's voice as he got up on his feet and stood out of the way.

"Oh, thank you for feeding Kirara." Sango said gratefully as she knelt down to pick Kirara off the ground so she could cuddle the furry feline in her arms, taking notice of how happy and affectionate Kirara had become after having been cared for by the Kururugi boy. "You've made Kirara very happy, I can tell."

"Oh it wasn't much, I didn't know where you were and I thought Kirara would know where to find you and so I followed her, I just happened to have some left over dried fish on me and so I thought I'd feed her while I waited for either of you to find each other." Michiru answered, running his hand through his hair and blushing lightly for hearing Sango's words as he scratched the back of his head. "The two of you have been together as loyal companions for quite a while so Kirara always knows where to go and look for you doesn't she?"

"Wow Michiru, it looks as though you have more experience than you give yourself credit for when it comes to socializing with girls, underneath that shy exterior of yours is a brave young man just waiting for the right time to break out of his shell like how a butterfly emerges from its cocoon." Ilyssa said softly, admiring the Shikigami user for trying his best to interact with the beautiful demon slayer.

"Yes, she's family to me; Kirara and Kohaku are the only family I have left." Sango said, gently stroking Kirara's soft fur with her hands.

"Kohaku, isn't he the one that Naraku…" Michiru responded softly before stopping in the middle of his sentence once he figured out the answer to his question, the smile on his face disappearing altogether which revealed how he imagined the sadness and pain that Sango must be forced to endure because of all this, never knowing when, how or if the female demon slayer would ever rescue Kohaku alive from Naraku's evil clutches.

"I can see why Michiru is always worried and concerned about you Sango, you've had to endure so many painful hardships in life even though you're still so young and you have no family who can give you any comfort or guidance in order for you to find the strength needed to keep going ahead." Ilyssa said quietly while Sango and Michiru continued to talk with one another. "That's also why you must be so afraid of hurting those around you because your friends are the only companions you have even though they aren't a part of your family, and staying together is the only possible way to defeat Naraku and rescue your younger brother back, you'll get him back soon Sango.

"Kirara likes you, I've never seen her like anyone other than Kohaku and I, I think we will get along fine." Sango said with a tender smile, causing Michiru to wonder what she meant by that as her thoughts echoed out loud again. "Kirara's a very good judge of character so she knows how much of a good person you are Michiru, and I do too, I'm looking forward to getting to know you better as a close friend."

"Aw, that's so sweet of you Sango, but you really should have said those things to Michiru as well." Ilyssa said before she suddenly remembered how shy and easily embarrassed the young Japanese student usually was when ever he received any high compliments from a young woman, letting out a few giggles as she pictured Michiru's blushing red face. "On second thought, you were right to keep those thoughts to yourself, but that doesn't mean you have to keep them bottled up indefinitely."

Suddenly, everything vanished and Ilyssa found herself seated comfortably on the floor inside a house in another Feudal era village altogether and this time, everyone was seated together around a stone fireplace, it morning sunshine beamed into the spacious interior from outside the open doorway and it was time to start off another day. It was decided to have another day off and everyone nodded in agreement before deciding who to pair up with and what to do to occupy themselves for a while. Inuyasha and Shippo left the house to go out for a nice long walk, they were followed by Miroku and Kagome who left a moment later to do the same, leaving Michiru who was still seated on the floor until Sango got up and held out her hand invitingly to the young boy as she waited for him to take it.

"We can't just sit around here while it's such a nice day outside, come on Michiru, let's go." Sango said with a smile, causing Michiru to reach his hand out for hers and get to his feet before following her outside, Ilyssa walked behind them until they both halted at the doorway of the house.

"So Sango, what would you like to do today?" Michiru asked, waiting patiently for the female demon slayer to answer him.

"I need to do my laundry so I'm going to the river for a little while." Sango answered, drawing Ilyssa's attention to herself.

"The river uh?" Ilyssa said curiously as she watched Sango suspiciously for a moment.

"Would you like me to come along and help you so that it'll get done faster?" Michiru asked, "It would be unfortunate if your day off was wasted and spent doing work, don't you think?"

"No, not now, but maybe later once I'm done." Sango thought to herself before replying. "That's okay, I can do it quickly by myself, but you can help me carry the kimonos afterwards once I'm finished if you wouldn't mind coming to help me a little while later this morning."

"Okay Sango, I'll see you later then, just be sure not to get wet or fall in the water." Michiru replied with a little joke at the end before leaving to occupy himself for a while until he thought it was time to meet at the river, leaving Sango to decide what she should do next.

"Good, now I can do my laundry and have a bath in the river, I'd better be off then." Sango murmured quietly to herself before heading out.

"A bath in the river, that sounds very nice, that is if the water's not to cold." Ilyssa said, realizing which memory this was since she remembered hearing it from Michiru's tales even though he had told them from his own perspective, but now was Ilyssa's chance to see this memorable experience from Sango's perspective instead and she was very much looking forward to it. "Oh, this is going to be fun."

After a short walk, Ilyssa followed Sango to the river and admired the peaceful scenery of the lush forest around them along with the pleasant sound of the water from the flowing river and the water fall as well, this helped her pass the time while she waited for the Sango to finish the task of washing her laundry before she could have a bath. Taking a minute to walk around the area where the water flowed down stream after leaving the little cove at the base of the water fall which was nearly surrounded on all sides by massive stone boulders and a faint mist of water vapour coming from the water fall itself, Sango was satisfied that she was completely alone so she could remove her clothes and step into the clear cool water to bathe herself without having to worry about any unwanted intruders disturbing her or ogling her nude form with prying eyes.

"Ah, that feels nice, just what I need after an early morning of work." Sango thought out loud as she felt her body relax itself in the water, using her hands to wash her naked body, moving around slowly to avoid getting cold and so she could also listen for what went on around her in the forest. "Maybe I should have asked Kagome to join me since I know she would have enjoyed this too, but she's having a walk with Miroku and the last thing either of us would want is to have him and possibly Inuyasha too so oh well ruin it by peeping on us so oh well, that's just too bad for her I guess."

"I know that this is merely one of Sango's memories, but…" Ilyssa said while pondering to herself for a moment, unable to resist the temptation after seeing how much Sango was enjoying herself from relaxing in the river. "Since this is a dream as well, it won't hurt if I join her, I don't know how long I'll have to wait for Michiru to arrive and the water looks so cool and pleasant to take a dip in right now."

And so, the leather clad beauty followed Sango's example and did a quick perimeter check before coming back to the river to undress herself and placing all of her clothes beside those with belonged to Sango which were neatly folded and piled together on a flat stone by the water's edge, Ilyssa then lowered herself into the water slowly as she got used to the sudden cool temperature until she was in with just her head and shoulders above the surface of the flowing water. Everything felt so peaceful, there were no noises except for the continuous sounds of wildlife echoing all around them, the rustling of the wind in the trees coupled with the gentle sound of the nearby water fall made this location seem just like heaven, and the only sign of human existence around them other then themselves and their clothes of course was the small wooden bridge located a short distance away which had been built over the river to allow people to cross safely from one side to the other.

"Well, I guess I'd better get out so I can dry myself off and get dressed before Michiru comes and…" Sango said quietly standing up with the upper half of her fully naked body out of the water and was about to step out when she suddenly paused and went silent as a ghost, her eyes widening and cheeks flushing pink which caused Ilyssa to look around for what had given the female demon slayer such a fright to leave her momentarily petrified like that, only to have her eyes fall on Michiru who had accidentally arrived on the scene at the worst possible time and under the most embarrassing of circumstances.

"No need to be so alarmed Sango, its only Michiru." Ilyssa said with a few giggles while she watched from where she was seated in the water even though she knew it was only natural for Sango to be embarrassed like this, it was easy for her to laugh since she couldn't be seen or heard and mainly because she was a fully matured female adult, but she also wouldn't have minded anyway even if she was actually there with Sango since she knew Michiru well enough that she had nothing to fear from him given how honest and polite he was.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaah!" Sango cried out loud before ducking her body beneath the water, leaving her head and shoulders visible above the surface as she made a loud splash, keeping her eyes fixed on the Kururugi boy who had nearly fallen backwards off the bridge when he stepped back to leave in order to give Sango her privacy. "You idiot! Don't look over here!"

"I-I-I'm s-sorry!" Michiru mumbled loudly in response after finding his voice, still looking at Sango and hoping that she wouldn't think ill of him just because of this unfortunate accident. "I thought you were done doing your laundry, I-I didn't know you were having a bath too!"

"Whatever! Just turn around and don't look over here!" Sango said, having calmed down despite the fact that she was instinctively reaching for her Hiraikotsu to arm herself with even though she knew that Michiru wasn't to blame for this embarrassing incident, thinking out loud again while carefully watching Michiru's actions. "Now now, its my own fault for not telling Michiru that I was going to have a bath right after I finished doing my laundry, b-but I was afraid that he might have…I guess I should have had more trust in him, he's so much more polite and kind after all and he doesn't seem like the type of person who would be disrespectful to try spying on me while I bathe."

"I'm sorry Sango, I'll leave now so you can…hey, don't throw that!" Michiru replied as he turned around, but not before catching Sango reaching for her massive boomerang weapon which he feared she was going to hurl at him for having violating her privacy even though this was merely an accident. The Shikigami user now stood still at attention looking the other way with his back facing the female demon slayer, all while fidgeting with his own nervousness and even afraid to look at Sango face to face from this point on. "Do you always have your Hiraikotsu in your possession even when you bathe?"

"Is that strange?" Sango asked curiously, still watching Michiru with her full attention while staying in the water, she resisted the instinctive urge to grab her Hiraikotsu now that Michiru had turned around and was no longer looking at her, but mainly because she was the one who was at fault instead of him and also because he wasn't a peeping tom like she knew Miroku to be from passed experiences.

"Y-Yes." Michiru answered, having calmed down enough to engage in conversation with the female demon slayer even though he wasn't looking at her while they talked back and forth like this due to the awkward circumstances of the recent accident involving them both. "It's strange because you're a girl."

"Really?" Sango replied in surprise while Ilyssa continued watching and listening to the two young teens. "But I've had this with me since I was a little girl."

"I see, well I can understand that given your heritage as a demon slayer and that you began training with it since you were little." Michiru said.

"Yeah, it's almost like a part of my body now and I can't go anywhere or do anything without having it with me." Sango added softly.

"I see, well that's not so strange now that I know why you have it with you all the time." Michiru added while his mind was split between the rational and irrational sides which were arguing about what he should and shouldn't do, urging him to look at Sango and so on, etc.

"AAAAND?" Sango asked loudly with a hint of annoyance in her voice as she thought out loud once more. "Why isn't he leaving yet? Why is he just standing there with his back turned while talking as if this was nothing? Is there something about him I don't understand?"

"Be patient Sango, you'll figure it out soon, Michiru's a kind hearted boy after all." Ilyssa said soothingly even though her words fell on deaf ears since this was just another of Sango's memories, but now that this experience was almost at an end, the female adult decided to get out of the water to dry off and get her clothes back on so she'd be ready for what would happen next in a short while from now.

"What?" Michiru asked, not really catching on to what the female demon slayer was driving at all of a sudden even though he could tell she still felt annoyed and uncomfortable about what had happened between the two of them.

"How much longer are you going to stand there on the bridge Michiru?" Sango asked as all of the feelings inside of her blurred together so she was all mixed up and confused about what to do and how to feel at this point.

"Oh, well…I uh…" Michiru mumbled with hesitation since he was afraid of how she would react to his answer even though he meant well.

"I can't get out of the water to dry myself off or get dressed until after you leave!" Sango said, stating the obvious in order to send her point across to the Kururugi boy.

"I'm sorry, I thought it couldn't hurt if I stood watch just in case anyone else happened upon you like I have, then I could warn you or tell who ever drew near to go away." Michiru replied in his own defence, but ultimately deciding to leave as Sango had asked in order to respect her privacy, doing anything to offend her was the last thing he ever wanted to do to Sango. "But I'll leave you to be alone if that will make you feel more comfortable, I'll help you carry the kimonos if you still want me to assist you so just meet me back at the house when you're ready, bye Sango."

"Oh Michiru, always acting out of concern for others, even when it's embarrassing." Ilyssa said with a sigh at feeling a bit sorry for her Kururugi friend as she proceed to get dressed now that she was ready, although she wasn't completely dry, she was dried off enough to put her clothes on.

"Bye Michiru!" Sango said loud enough for the Shikigami user to hear her voice before he left to walk back to the village, leaving her alone with nothing but her thoughts amid the peaceful silence which accompanied her when ever no animal noises could be heard. "I'm surprised he wasn't mad at me for calling him an idiot, he didn't even bring up the fact that this was my own fault instead of his. Why on earth wouldn't Michiru react like that? Did he just want to let it go so it would be easier for both of us to move on? Oh, I should have thought this through more carefully first before deciding to take a bath right after doing my laundry, this whole thing could have been avoided if I had just told Michiru the truth from the beginning or if I had asked Kirara to stand guard and watch for Michiru's arrival so that I could dry myself off and get dressed before he got close enough to see me. No sense worrying about what can't be undone, I better finish up here so I can return back to the village, a-and I should apologize to Michiru before I do anything else this morning."

A short while later after she had dried herself off and put her clothes back on, Sango retraced her footsteps along the dirt path which lead back to the village with Ilyssa following close behind, they both arrived at the house and found Michiru sitting inside petting Kirara who was being cuddled in the young boy's hands. Ilyssa came over to sit down across from Michiru on the other side of the room, Sango took a minute to make sure they were alone in the house before walking over and sitting down beside the Kururugi boy who instantly noticed her presence, Kirara jumped out of the teenager's hands to sit down and watch her two human companions talk to one another.

"Sango, I'm sorry I intruded on you like that, I never meant to…" Michiru spoke up, only to be interrupted when the demon slayer cut him off in mid sentence all of a sudden.

"Don't apologize Michiru, I'm the one who should be saying sorry, not you." Sango cut in, but speaking softly in a gentle voice in an effort to dispel any feelings of guilt that the young boy might be burdened with because of what had happened. "I told you I was going to the river to do my laundry and its my fault for not telling you that I was also going to take a bath right afterwards, I'm sorry for causing what went on back there and I'm also sorry for overreacting when I yelled at you and called you an idiot. Can you ever forgive me for what I said?"

"Of course I can Sango, I understand why you overreacted when I saw you…bathing in the river and you had every right too so please don't feel bad for yelling at me because it's alright and perfectly natural." Michiru replied softly, his and Sango's faces both turning a shade of pink as he paused in mid sentence, causing Ilyssa to giggle at the two of them, they were both blushing lightly with embarrassment even though they were both smiling and staring at each other. "But the next time you want to do your laundry, please tell me whether or not you're going to have a bath in the future just so this doesn't happen again, and if you don't want anyone else wandering in on you, I can stand watch for you as a guard or you can ask Kirara if you're more comfortable with her being close by instead of me. Okay?"

"Okay, thank you again Michiru, I'm glad we settled this misunderstanding so we could put it behind us." Sango said happily with a smile.

"So am I, now that that's done, would you still like me to help you carry the kimonos?" Michiru asked hopefully with a light smile.

"Yes please, I would very much appreciate your help, thank you Michiru." Sango answered back, feeling glad that they were still on good terms with one another and that their friendship hadn't been damaged by this misunderstanding, and she also knew Michiru felt the same way.

"You're welcome Sango." Michiru replied, rewarding Sango with a handsome smile which made the warrior woman's heart fill with warmth.

"Follow me then, I'll show you where the kimonos are kept." Sango stated, standing up as Michiru did the same before they walked back into one of the rooms of the house where all of her belongings and that which Kagome possessed were kept during their stay, her thoughts then echoed through the interior of the house for Ilyssa to listen too. "That was nice of him to volunteer as a guard to stand watch when I decide to have a bath again, perhaps I should ask both Michiru and Kirara to stand watch together later on tonight so I can show that spot by the water fall to Kagome, I know she'd like to relax in the water for a while on our day off. Thank you again Michiru, thank you for all that you've done for me ever since we've gotten to know each other as travelling companions, and as close friends."

"Oh, I'm so happy for both of them, pity that this is a dream and I can only record this to my own memory instead of with an actual video camera." Ilyssa said to herself joyfully with a happy smile on her face as she watch the two of them carrying the kimonos together before exiting the house, leaving her alone with Kirara who sat on the floor purring affectionately which showed she felt as happy as Ilyssa did even though she was unaware of the young woman's presence in the room. "How ironic that such a humorous accident would help bring them closer together as friends, I'm glad it ended up like that though, and now Sango knows that she can trust Michiru because of how respectful he is. What? Aw, come on now, is this the end already? But I wanted to see how the rest of their day off went! Oh…Why Me?"

While Ilyssa continued witnessing more of Sango's memorable experiences with Michiru, Sango herself was doing the very same thing, watching more of the grown woman's memories of her interacting with the Japanese student during the passed couple of days ever since she joined the Ghostbusters and did all she could to assist them with their efforts to keep the city save ever once they became aware of the dangerous paranormal incidents occurring all over the place. The female demon slayer had actually enjoyed seeing them, for they not only allowed her to see the bond of friendship which had formed between Ilyssa and Michiru, but she also got to see the Ghostbusters and their home in which the Shikigami user was temporarily living in during his brief stay in a far away country. There were many moments when the warrior woman found herself laughing along with everyone depending on what she was witnessing or listening in on, just being able to see Michiru in person made Sango feel so happy inside, and hearing how hopeful and helpful his new friends were in assisting the Kururugi boy to return home again gave her more hope for the future than she had ever had in a long while.

Since all of them were very busy with hunting ghosts and that Ilyssa and Michiru weren't with each other for all of each day, it didn't take Sango very long to witness the vast majority of the memories that Ilyssa had shared with Michiru thus far, this was also because Ilyssa had spent only a couple of days with him where as Sango had spent about four months with Michiru during the vast majority of his duration in Japan's Feudal era if you measured the amount of time each of them had spent with the young teenager numerically in days. But Ilyssa learned a lot of Michiru's adventures from him telling her himself so even though she wasn't able to see each individual memory involving Michiru as Sango got to witness, the leather clad beauty was able to figure everything out by accurately recalling events from Michiru's story telling when ever she witnessed a new memory even if a large number of days existed between it and the previous one, so it was only a matter of time until both of them eventually came into contact with one another given that they were each aware of what they were experiencing in the middle of their unconscious states.

Sango was presently following Michiru and Ilyssa as they wandered over to the spare room behind the reception office which had been made up as a bedroom for the female curator to use and share with Janine, she had learned quite a lot from the grown woman and held a great amount of respect and gratitude for all that Ilyssa had done for Michiru when no one else was able to help him in ways that she had, especially with comforting him when ever he was feeling sad and when he needed help discovering how his Shikigami powers worked. Despite the fact that Ilyssa herself had also developed feelings of her own for the young Kururugi boy whom she had come to know so well in such a short amount of time, Sango was neither jealous nor hateful towards the older woman after witnessing so much from Ilyssa's perspective and understanding that even in an era hundreds of years ahead of her own with an infinite number of changes and difficulties that were all part of it which made Modern Japan immeasurably different from Feudal Japan, human beings would always remain the same as would their hearts and feelings no matter what.

"Michiru?" Ilyssa spoke up before the Kururugi boy could leave, turning around with a look of shame written on her face which caught Michiru's attention as her thoughts echoed out loud for Sango to hear. "I have to tell him now, for the sake of our friendship, I have to tell him now."

"Yes Ilyssa?" Michiru replied, giving his female friend his full attention and looking her in the eyes as if he was searching for an answer which would suddenly explain Ilyssa's change in state. "Ilyssa…why do you look sad all of a sudden?"

Ilyssa took Michiru by the hand and lead him through the door with Sango following behind walking along until the three of them were inside of the room where they had all the privacy without having to worry about anyone overhearing or disturbing them from the outside, Michiru was very confused since he couldn't deduce any kind of reason for Ilyssa's sudden change in mood, for they had shared quite a handful of enjoyable experiences together this morning in only a few hours leading up to this moment. However, he would find out in a moment as they sat down comfortably on one of the beds, still holding hands together and waiting for Ilyssa to find the right words to answer him. Sango could already guess what the leather clad beauty wanted to say after witnessing all but one of Ilyssa's memories involving Michiru which she was about to see right now, but she watched quietly and waited patiently for what was to come, for there was a good chance that the demon slayer would finally come into contact with the female curator once this experience was over.

"Michiru…I just wanted to say I'm sorry for what happened between us earlier this morning." Ilyssa said calmly, having recovered enough so that the sad look on her face had now disappeared altogether even though she still felt a little ashamed on the inside.

"Sorry?" Michiru asked in confusion since he didn't follow her. "Sorry for what Ilyssa?"

"I'm sorry for kissing you like that, it was very wrong of me to do such a thing without asking for your consent first and especially since we've only known each other for just a couple of days." Ilyssa explained with a calm and gentle voice, looking Michiru in the eyes as if she was pleading for his forgiveness. "As an adult, I should have had more control and I should never have done what I did even though I knew in my mind that it was wrong for me to do that to someone as young as you, I am so sorry for taking advantage of you like that."

"Ilyssa, please…" Michiru replied, forcing both of them to take a pause before continuing any further. "What you've said is true, but don't think for one moment that I would ever hold this against you or that you've ruined the friendship we both share, you're still a good person and this doesn't change that."

"I won't, but I still stole your first kiss on the lips Michiru, you really shouldn't be so forgiving." Ilyssa said softly while staring at Michiru. "He still so young and he has no idea how society would view this if they found out, it's inexcusable for a grown woman like me to take advantage of an underage teenage boy like you! This is just as bad and unforgiving then what Michiru's friend Miroku would normally do had he lived in this era instead, society doesn't tolerate inexcusable behaviour, people are sentenced to prison for that and their lives along with the lives of their family and those whom they've taken advantage of are either ruined or inalterably changed forever."

"I'm beginning to understand why its so difficult for Kagome and Michiru to live, interact and grow up in an era when society expects so much from everyone and then punishes those who can't abide by the laws and rules whether they're at fault or not, guilty or innocent." Sango deduced quietly, watching and listening carefully as the conversation went back and forth between Michiru and Ilyssa. "This also explains why Inuyasha didn't try to go after Michiru when the Sounga took him to another country far from the one in which they both live, it would only escalate the situation and make things even more worse than they were already, I wonder if Kohaku and I would both be able to adapt to a new life in that era and live out the rest of our lives together with Michiru as well as his family and Kagome's family."

"Do you remember when I told you of my travels throughout Feudal Japan?" Michiru asked once he had finished speaking his mind.

"Yes, I remember." Ilyssa answered, keeping her own thoughts to herself until she had heard all that her young Japanese friend wanted to say first even though Sango could hear them out loud. "How could I forget such an adventurous tale as that Michiru? You were summoned back to Japan's Feudal era where you discovered you possessed magic powers, you faced many dangers and fought many enemies, you made new friends and even fell in love with one of them too!

"Oh Ilyssa." Sango said with a sigh. "Well I suppose I can't really blame her, from what Kagome's told me, no demons or magic exist in her era so it's only natural to be excited about finding that they in fact did exist for real at one point in time until they eventually vanished."

"There was a time on Asagiri Island when Sango was injured and she tried to get up and walk regardless of the fact that she would only cause further injury to herself, so I picked her up and carried her in my arms in order to prevent her from doing so, I did it even though I didn't ask for her permission beforehand." Michiru explained, still making eye contact with Ilyssa while holding hands. "She understood and didn't think anything less of me because she knew that I only wanted to help her and also because she trusts me, I know you had nothing but good intentions even though it looked as though you took advantage of the situation from an outsider's point of view, you still had a moment of weakness when you gave in to your temptation and there's nothing wrong with that because everyone has a moment of weakness every once in a while regardless of who they are or how old they are."

"Oh Michiru…" Sango and Ilyssa said in unison, Ilyssa then pulled Michiru into a tender hug and held him for a brief moment as her gentle voice was heard again, Sango smiled softly and felt relieved that everything was alright again between the two people beside her. "Thank you, thank you for putting it like that, it means a lot that you forgave me for all of those reasons instead of..."

"I know what you're afraid of Ilyssa." Michiru continued, cutting Ilyssa off when she paused in mid sentence. "You thought that I was overlooking what you did just because of how attractive you are and although you are very attractive Ilyssa, only someone like Miroku would ever think like that, I'm not like Miroku even though both of us are still guys and let me also say that you aren't like him either."

"You know something Michiru?" Ilyssa said before releasing Michiru from her embrace so she could look at him, smiling sweetly while talking out loud. "You really have come a long way in just a few days, I was the one who consoled you when you were feeling hurt or depressed, now our roles have reversed and you're consoling me while I'm sad even though I'm an adult and you're a young teenager."

"After everything that you've done for me, it's the least I can do for you in return." Michiru replied, with an embarrassed look on his face. "I should go so you can enjoy your nap, better relax now while you can when the day is still young, we'll both be busy later on after all."

"Yes, you're right; we do have a busy day ahead of us." Ilyssa said in agreement while watching Michiru head for the door. "Bye Michiru."

"Bye Ilyssa, don't let the bed bugs and the monsters under the bed bite." Michiru added with a chuckle, earning him a few giggles from Ilyssa for his humorous remark before he left the room, leaving the female curator to rest herself and shut her eyes for a short while.

"I'm glad that's all over and done with, it's going to be so sad to see Michiru go once the city is saved from disaster." Ilyssa thought out loud as she gradually lost consciousness and fell asleep on the bed with Sango still sitting at her side, watching quietly without saying anything until she was certain that the older woman had fallen unconscious. "We've had so little time together and we've become so close in just a few days, but its all for the best, he has his own family and all of his friends waiting for him back home in Japan and I don't want to come between him and them. Then there's Sango, she's waiting for him back in Feudal Japan and after all that she's had to endure, she needs Michiru much more than I ever would. I'll be happy so long as Michiru's happy and I know that he'll be happy with Sango at his side, I just hope that Sango's willing to give Michiru a chance, and he'll find out once he finally sees her in person again."

"Ilyssa, I can't begin to thank you enough for all that you've done to help Michiru stay strong in order to get through this difficult time before he decides to come home and by helping him, you've been helping me so that Michiru can also return to my era and visit me as well." Sango said, all of the feelings inside of her began to twist and knot themselves inside of her already fragile heart so she slowly lost her train of thought, saying anything that came to mind as if she had committed every sentence to memory for a speech which the female demon slayer was now recalling and uttering out loud for Ilyssa to hear even though Sango could plainly see that the young woman was fast asleep. "Ever since Michiru said those words to me, I've never felt the same afterwards, watching him vanish before my eyes and hearing his voice for what I thought would be the last time impacted me on the inside more than any injury I've ever been forced to recover from. I know his words were sincere and that there was no lie in his eyes because I know Michiru well enough that he would never ever be dishonest with me, b-but…now that I-I have to let him know how I feel in return, I honestly don't know what to do."

Meanwhile, a little earlier, Ilyssa was watching everyone together. Naraku had been defeated for good and Michiru had said his final farewells to his ancestor Utsugi, the Kururugi boy had given his word to bury him at the Kururugi Cemetery where he could rest in peace with the other family members, Michiru had just finished covering the grave site over by using his Shikigami magic to create a blanket of fertile earth and lush create grass in order for flowers to eventually grow and bloom over top of Utsugi's final resting place. Ilyssa waited patiently for what was about to occur next, for she also recalled this moment from listening to Michiru and so she knew that his Feudal era adventure had at last drawn to its end, even though the young boy had no idea he was about to return home until it was too late.

"Please don't feel badly Michiru, Utsugi's death was not your doing, he can now rest in peace together with Kakuju and you've honoured both of them well by fulfilling each of their last requests." Sango said soothingly, standing behind Michiru while he paid his respects until she along with everyone else noticed a faint array of light rising up from the ground which surrounded the Shikigami user. "Hey, what's happening?"

"What is this strange magical light coming up from the ground around me?" Michiru asked curiously as soon as he noticed it as well.

"Could it be because Utsugi's magic has disappeared now that his soul is resting in peace?" Miroku guessed after thinking for a bit.

"So…you're finally able to return home again back to the modern era?" Kagome deduced once she had caught on after hearing Miroku.

"Sango…" Michiru said with an emotional expression on his face which revealed how much he didn't want to leave Sango so soon.

"Please don't feel sad Michiru, in about four and a half months or so, you'll be able to return here so you can see her again." Ilyssa said comfortingly even though her words couldn't be heard while she stood next to Michiru, Sango now stepped forward say something.

"W-Wait! This is too sudden Michiru! I-I don't want you to leave." Sango called out, suddenly struck by the realization that the Kururugi boy whom she had gradually become close friends with was now being returned to his own home, unable to cope with the fact that this could be the last time she saw him in person again which made her thoughts and feelings erupt from inside her. "Its just not fair, we've finally defeated Naraku for good and rescued my brother Kohaku, but now the very person who's done so much to help us achieve our goals has to be taken away from us at the end of all this."

"Poor Sango, she's already feeling lonely before they say their goodbyes, and Michiru still has too…confess his feelings to her." Ilyssa said softly while watching quietly.

"Sango, its time to say goodbye, we both knew this had to happen eventually even though its much sooner then we thought." Michiru said softly in a vain effort to try and comfort the female demon slayer who he had eventually lost his heart too, but his words reminded her that he needed to return home to his family and she understood even though she felt lonely and incomplete without him by her side.

"B-But you were summoned here so suddenly and now you're leaving so suddenly, you're such a busy boy." Sango replied softly with a sigh as she also wore an emotional expression on her face which showed how much she would miss Michiru's company, her own thoughts echoing again amid the uncomfortable silence hanging over everyone. "I understand that you've been searching for a way to go back to your own home since the day when you were first summoned here Michiru, and although I don't want to keep you apart from your family, I just…I really wish that you could stay…here…with me…at least for a little while longer now that all of our troubles are over."

"This is it Sango, I want to tell you something before I go home." Michiru declared, finally finding the courage within him to verbally share his feelings of affection openly with Sango in person despite how painful the circumstances would make this for both of them.

"What is it Michiru? What do you want to tell me that's so important?" Sango responded, giving the Shikigami user her full attention as she awaited his reply, searching his eyes with her own just in case he was taken away before he could say everything he wanted, the anticipation was too much and she couldn't control her train of thought any longer at this point. "Well what is it Michiru? Tell me! Hurry!"

"Sango, I…" Michiru said softly, making sure he was speaking loud enough for only Sango to hear, his eyes locked with hers until he vanished from sight once the light totally enveloped his body while leaving only the sound of his voice until he was gone. "I…love…you."

Sango's mind and heart felt as though both of them had just stopped working properly even though they were functioning just fine since the warrior women was still alive and breathing, but she was standing so still and breathing so shallowly that from a glance, the female demon slayer had suddenly become petrified. Ilyssa suddenly turned to glance at the others standing just behind Sango to see if any of them had overheard Michiru's final farewell words, and although it looked as though no one had, she managed to caught Inuyasha glancing at Sango with a concerned expression on his face which told her he had heard them too thanks to his superior sense of hearing. Eager to give Sango some space and time alone to herself, Inuyasha began wandering back in order to leave the Kururugi Cemetery and by extension, Kururugi village itself. Kagome along with Miroku and Shippo took notice of the half demon leaving the area and followed after him, leaving Sango by herself for a short while which gave the young woman a much needed opportunity to recover from what she had just went through.

"I love you, I love you, I love you." Sango recalled and repeated Michiru's last words in her mind over and over again as she felt something inside of herself she had never felt before, the feeling one gets when they're parted from someone very dear to them without knowing when or if they can ever see that person ever again in life, Sango's eyes began to water and the strange thing was that she suddenly sounded as though she was crying her heart out even though she was just standing there rubbing the tears out of her eyes as they came. Ilyssa immediately deduced that something wasn't making any sense right now, looking around while listening to the demon slayer's thoughts echoing all around her amidst the pauses when ever she cried, the grown woman eventually realized that this was the moment she had been waiting for. "Why does everyone precious to me always get taken away? What have I done wrong to deserve such a fate? How can either of us move on with our lives now that we've been separated with no hope of ever seeing each other again?"

"Sango, please calm down." Ilyssa urged softly in the hopes that Sango would be able to recover herself without drawing any unwanted attention or suspicions from her Feudal era companions, but as she heard more thoughts echoing out loud around her, the female curator suddenly noticed that the voice she was listening too was actually coming from Sango's own unconscious mind instead of the memory in which she was still witnessing. "Sango! If you can hear my voice, it's Ilyssa! I know you wish to see me and that you asked Utsugi and Kakuju to cast a spell so that our souls can connect while we're both asleep, I know I'm actually asleep and that this is a dream, please follow the sound of my voice so you can find me! If you can't move follow from where you are now, call out loud and I'll follow the sound of your voice until I can find you!"

A bright red star shaped pentagram appeared beneath the ground on which Ilyssa and Sango were presently standing and while she waited for what was about to occur, Ilyssa wrapped her arms around the demon slayer in front of her, holding the crying girl in a gentle embrace as the two of them were enveloped in a blinding light of Shikigami magic which forced the older woman to momentarily close her eyes shut. Upon opening them, Ilyssa found herself standing inside of the Firehouse where she remembered taking a nap on her bed inside of the spare room behind the reception office, but she instantly discovered she wasn't alone because she was now holding a trembling Sango in her arms who was crying out loud like a sad and lonely, little girl who was in more pain than she could bear.

"I-Ilyssa?" Sango asked in between sniffles, her teary eyes blinking after raising her head up to look Ilyssa in the face. "Is it really you?"

"Yes Sango, I'm here and this isn't a dream or a memory because we can both see and hear each other." Ilyssa answered back with a warm smile in an effort to cheer up the trembling teenage girl whom she held in her tender embrace, taking the initiative while Sango was still hesitant to believe it for herself even though she had known from the beginning that she would eventually come into contact with the female curator whom she had wanted to meet. "Why don't we dry those eyes of yours first before doing anything else? As Michiru has told me more than once already, crying will ruin your pretty face."

"Ah, ha." Sango suddenly blurted out, the older woman's humorous comment with the mentioning of Michiru in it had the desired effect of causing a few laughs to escape the lips of the young warrior woman who had managed to stop crying while she let Ilyssa use a handkerchief to dry her eyes and face. "T-Thank you for your kindness Ilyssa, I appreciate it and I've already had Michiru's famous line stuck in my mind after witnessing all of your experiences together with him, they made me feel better even though you found me crying."

"I see…" Ilyssa said softly, having a wave of guilt come over her about finding out that Sango had witnessed every single one of her memories which involved herself and the Kururugi boy whom each of these young women both cared for so much, hoping that this wouldn't ruin the opportunity for both of them to get to know each other as friends. "I also…witnessed a lot of your memories as well, although not all of them like you got to see, and I'm very sorry for anything that's I've said or done to Michiru which may have made you upset."

"Upset?" Sango responded, shaking her head in denial, taking one of the older woman's hands in both of her own before continuing further. "Ilyssa, you've done nothing to make me feel upset, not a single thing. Please remember that while I saw and learned a lot from all of the times you've spent with Michiru, I understood from the beginning that you only wanted to help him out as much as you can after he had saved your live three times on the night that you both first met, its perfectly natural to develop an attachment to someone who had saved your life and to befriend them as well too so please don't think you're a bad person because I don't and neither does Michiru."

"Sango, I…thank you." Ilyssa said simply with a grateful smile, causing Sango to smile lightly in response before moving forward.

"I imagine that I was able to see all of your memories because you and Michiru had only known each other for just a couple of days, where as I had been travelling with him along with Inuyasha and the others for roughly about four months, but you've still become an important person in his life and that's saying a lot." Sango deduced quickly, pausing for a moment before she continued. "I'm sorry for saying something that you've already heard before, but Michiru says he trusts you and that he would never think anything bad about you at all and I feel the same way as he does, even though we've only just met each other for the first time…as ironic as that might seem to you Ilyssa."

"Would you mind hearing me out for a moment before we talk any further?" Ilyssa asked politely before putting away her handkerchief.

"N-No, not at all Ilyssa." Sango replied before going quiet so the older woman could speak her mind and say what she needed to let out.

"When Michiru saved my life three times on that night when we had first met each other, I admit that I was a little taken with him, I've never seen such bravery in someone as young as him before." Ilyssa explained slowly in a calm voice, allowing Sango to listen while she carried on. "But when I was informed of his predicament and that the Sounga had brought him here all the way from his home in Japan, I felt I owed him everything for what he had already done for me and that's why I vowed to do all that I could to help Michiru find his way home again, and that's how we befriended each other. As we spent more time together and got to know each other a little more with each passing experience, we became close friends, almost…best friends even though it was all happening so fast and that the gap in our ages didn't mean anything to either of us. I was so fascinated by the fact that Michiru possessed magic powers, that all of what he had experienced with being summoned to Feudal Japan and travelling around with you and your friends was all true; it was so much to take in. A-And then…during the last two days when Michiru's life was at stake because of the Sounga, I couldn't imagine having him being taken away after all the good he had done and all that he was capable of doing, he really is one of a kind and I mean that literally."

"I…understand Ilyssa, it's hard having to lose someone whom you've come to cherish and hold close to your heart, and to let go of too." Sango replied while they both shared a momentary pause in order to search through their feelings and gather their thoughts together.

"For the longest time, I had feared the worst even though I still knew of Utsugi and Kakuju's plan to try and save his life with your help, seeing Michiru alive and walking around after he was asleep in bed for so long took me by surprise which is why I had to hold him in my arms just to be sure I wasn't hallucinating since it was in the middle of the night when we had encountered each other." Ilyssa continued. "For a time at the beginning when I had first gotten to know Michiru, I thought that he was just an ordinary teenage boy apart from his Shikigami magic of course, but then I eventually saw that there was a lot more to him than I had guessed because he wasn't just the brave young boy who was so easy to embarrass due to his shy personality. He's a kind, sincere and well mannered individual, someone who will always be honest and compassionate now matter what life decides to throw at him. Although Michiru's still quite young, he's very mature and responsible unlike most teenagers his age, all of those qualities are what make him such a great young man whether he possesses Shikigami magic or not. Anyway, I'll stop now and hear you out Sango; you do want to talk to me after all."

"Yes I do, but I'm glad I got to hear you out as well too, thank you Ilyssa." Sango begun. "When the two of us met for the first time in Kaede's village so many days ago, I knew it would take me quite a while to get to know Michiru and so I naturally had to be patient and let fate run its course since all of us were busy hunting down Naraku, searching for leads on clues that would explain how and why Michiru was summoned to my era, etc. My first impression was that he was a well mannered young boy who came from Kagome's era and that he wasn't used to possessing magic or combating dangerous demons like the rest of my friends and I were, he reminded me of my younger brother Kohaku in a funny sort of way because of how kind and gentle he was which made up for his lack of strength. During our second day off, Michiru approached me while I was training and practicing physical combat with my Hiraikotsu, he asked me if I could train him so that he could gradually become stronger in order to avoid being a burden to everyone else in our group during a fight."

"This morning, I happened to catch Michiru training and practicing physical combat shortly before everyone else woke up for the day, he told me that he mainly did it because it reminded him of all the times you both trained together during his stay in your era and that helped to ease his pain of being separated from you for four and a half months or so." Ilyssa cut in, causing a smile to light up Sango's face even though it was a small one, temporarily chasing away all the pain the demon slayer was burdened with. "Sorry for interrupting you like that Sango, please go on."

"Its okay, I remembered hearing Michiru sharing that with you when I witnessed that very experience you mentioned, I had just forgotten about it for a time after being forced to confront my own feelings and face the reality of what my future will be after I finally come to a decision about who I love and want to spend the rest of my life with." Sango replied before picking up from where she had left off. "I admired Michiru for wanting to train and become stronger, I myself felt the same way he did back when I first became included in Inuyasha's company of friends, and I especially admired him for wanting to become stronger in order to help protect others. Our company survived countless battles against hordes of demons that would ambush us as we traveled throughout the lands because of Michiru's Shikigami powers, I would even argue that without his inclusion in our company and his magic, none of us would have lived long enough to finally face and defeat Naraku. However, there were also times when Michiru was in danger of being attacked or killed while he was separated from Inuyasha and the others, I was even with him on such an occasion while all of us were searching Asagiri Island and we were unable to escape or fight together because I had been injured from an explosion which had set off by a demon bat."

Ilyssa sat quietly without saying a word while she waited for Sango to collect her thoughts and continue her story, for even though she already knew this story after hearing from Michiru, she needed to her Sango's side of it along with all the thoughts and feelings from the experience itself. While this wasn't the main subject which the warrior woman had wanted to discuss with Ilyssa, that would eventually arrive in time once Sango had finally finished sharing all of her feelings and emotions which had been weighing heavily on her delicate heart ever since the young Kururugi boy had confessed his hidden feelings of affection to her at the Kururugi Cemetery.

"Because I couldn't move from where I was, I told Michiru to run away, there was a small chance that he could safely escape and then come back with the others so all of them would stand a much better chance of facing the two enemies who were approaching us at the time, even if it meant leaving me behind to face danger alone." Sango went on after the end of the pause. "But instead of running away as I had told him too, Michiru chose to stay and stand his ground to protect me despite the fact that he didn't stand a chance of surviving a fight against either of the two opponents, let alone both of them at once. For that brief moment, I was so scared for him, but Kikyo unexpectedly showed up and drove them off with one of her sacred arrow before she gave me some medicine to help heal my wounds. Although I wasn't fully healed since it was only a few minutes later, I felt better enough to try standing up on my own, but then Michiru picked me up in his arms and offered to carry me a-and…"

"I know what you're trying to say Sango, I may not have seen that memory of yours, but I can guess since Michiru told me his side of that experience when the two of you were together on that Island." Ilyssa stated quietly, hoping to help Sango get passed that difficult subject so she could move on to another in order to open up her heart which would make it easier for the grown woman to help Sango find the answers she needed to know if she was ever to figure out her own feelings and make a decision based on how she truly felt in her heart.

"I knew it was very foolish of him to try and protect me by himself, but at the same time, it was also very courageous of him." Sango continued. "And when he picked me up in his arms, I was surprised by how much stronger he had gotten especially after recalling that one day off we shared when he had fallen over because my Hiraikotsu was too heavy for him to carry, he had really come a long way in just a couple of months. But what really caught me off guard was the look in his eyes while he held me in his arms, there was no dishonesty or anything deceitful in them and he was unafraid of what might have happened had Kikyo not been there to save us, he was concerned for my wellbeing and he didn't try to take advantage of the situation or of me even though I was injured and unable to move."

"Sango, how do you feel about Michiru now that you know he loves you? Do you love him or are you still in love with that other young man named Miroku?" Ilyssa asked, taking both of Sango's hands in her own and forcing the young girl to look her in the eyes while speaking in a soothing tone of voice. "If you don't know how you feel, I'm here to help you, but I can only help you if you tell me everything that's on your mind and in your heart. We both know enough about Michiru from witnessing each other's memories of him so I think its time you focus your attention on Miroku for now, Michiru tells me he's a young Buddhist monk who can cast spells and perform exorcisms, but he also warned me that I had to be on my guard if I ever met Miroku because he would ask me to bear his children."

"Yes, that's true, Miroku has a bad habit of flirting around with lots of young women and he'll always ask them that regardless of how disrespectful it is." Sango said reluctantly, clearly disappointed in the monk for that one particular habit of his, feeling the anguish inside from all the times she had to witness or put up with Miroku's immoral behaviour which was unforgivable and inexcusable for any monk.

"For the longest time ever since we've developed feelings for each other, I believed that Miroku and I would eventually be together someday after we helped to defeat Naraku for good, I also hoped that Miroku would eventually change himself for the better by letting go of all his bad habits in order for the two of us to be together. But I'm not so sure if that will ever truly happen, I want to believe that Miroku can change himself, but I've had to keep my guard up just the same and it pains me to say that I can't fully trust him because of all the times he's abused that trust and taken advantage of me or of others just like he's been doing for most of his young adult life."

"Was that really so hard to say?" Ilyssa asked softly after putting her hand on Sango's shoulder, feeling the poor girl tremble at her touch.

"Yes it was, I don't like to talk badly about those who I've come to know and grow attached too, but that's how I feel about him." Sango said, the shame written on her face as she continued through this difficult situation. "Ever since I've found myself alone without any family left alive other than Kohaku and Kirara, I've become very close to everyone I've made a close friendship with and I don't want to hurt anyone or ruin our bond of friendship, that's why I'm so afraid of what to do and how my choices or actions will effect others because I don't want to be left all alone in the world again. And its not just hurting the others that I'm worried about, I'm afraid of what I'll have to live with once I've made my choice, I'm afraid of my relationship deteriorating and falling apart over time no matter who I wish to be with."

"And that's alright Sango, there's nothing wrong with being afraid of hurting those closest to you or of looking ahead into your future to see how you'll be living, everyone does that no matter who they are or what era they live in." Ilyssa cut in, pulling the demon slayer into a tender hug in order to comfort her while she talked, hoping that her words could help Sango find the right path in life so she didn't feel so lost and afraid. "Its good that you're thinking of other people's feelings as well and I understand why you're afraid of hurting someone when you eventually have to break the news that you love someone else instead of them, but in the end…your own happiness has to come first Sango because its your choice and this is your life that will be effected the most, especially when you're in love with someone."

"No matter which of them I choose, I'm going to be breaking someone else's heart while filling the hearts of my other friends with anger and rage, and I don't want to live with that on my conscience, a-and…I don't know what kind of life I'll be living once I'm made my decision Even though I could honestly see myself living a happy life with Michiru in my own era, I don't want to keep him apart from his family, and because only he can use magic to travel between eras and not me, I-I would never be able to tell his parents of his passing if something happened and we wouldn't be able to greave together." Sango let out, crying softly while drawing all the comfort she could from Ilyssa who continued to hold her gently in her arms. "I already know how difficult it would be after hearing all of the problems Kagome has to contend with when ever she's in my era for many days at a time instead of her own, her family misses her deeply and they worry about whether or not she's alright, then there's the life she's had to leave behind which will effect her too and I don't want to put that kind of strain on Michiru because it might be too much and it could even pull us apart years or so down the road from now."

"It's alright Sango, just say what you're feeling and let it all out, you'll feel much better afterwards." Ilyssa said soothingly. "Once you know how you truly feel, it will be much easier for you to find the right path to follow so you can make the right choice for yourself, trust me.

"And as for living a life with Miroku, I can't even begin to imagine what kind of life I'll be living, in fact I don't think I'd want too and I don't think I ever could! Although we've both been through a lot together and he's helped me to let go of the pain I've felt from losing my family and deal with Kohaku being under Naraku's control, Miroku is still someone who takes advantage of others in order to get by in life, he cheats people by conducting fake exorcisms in exchange for food and shelter for the night or even precious valuables as well. He flirts constantly with other girls and even has the gall to ask them to bear his children, sometimes when I'm close by to watch for myself, I've been harassed and humiliated by those sorts of actions and also when he's touched me inappropriately without warning and without my consent. Kagome has told me to try and be patient so that Miroku can change for the better, but she's never had to put up with him like I have and I can't see Miroku ever changing for the better at this rate, not even if that was the price he had to pay in order to be with me."

"Sango, let's just say for the sake of argument that you choose to be with Michiru instead of Miroku, one of you is going to have to leave your home and era behind so that you can start a relationship together and settle down in a new home where you may eventually raise your own children and have a loving family of your own." Ilyssa suggested. "I understand you not wanting to come between Michiru and his family and forcing him to experience a life long routine of living a life divided up in half between both eras, especially from the pain you've suffered from losing your own family because of Naraku's evil deeds. But, have you ever considered moving to our era and living a life with Michiru in Modern Japan? From what I've learned of your past, you wouldn't be leaving anything or anyone behind, but I will admit that the most challenging problems for you will be to adapt to all the infinite changes that make our world different from your own and also that you would be going through the same fate Michiru is right now for your whole life because you aren't a citizen of Japan."

"I-I asked Inuyasha if he could talk about that with Michiru so I could know beforehand whether or not I would be able to live in your era without taking the same risks that Michiru is by being with you and the Ghostbusters in another country which he doesn't belong in." Sango replied quietly as she realized herself from Ilyssa's embrace so she could look her in the eyes. "I've yet to hear back from Inuyasha, but I don't know if they've been able to talk together yet or if Inuyasha is going to come back to visit me in my home village, I guess I'll have to return to Kaede's village in order to see him so I can speak with him in person again. B-But, I don't really know if I could live a lifetime of what Michiru's going through because Kohaku and I would be forced to live in fear of being caught and then the two of us would be imprisoned along with Michiru and his whole family for letting us live with them and I don't want that to happen either."

"Sango, I'm going to give you some advice, just keep it in mind until you've made your choice. If you want to do yourself a favour, then please give Michiru a chance at sharing a relationship with you because he truly is one of a kind, the kind of young man that's nearly impossible to find in any era whether it's yours or mine." Ilyssa said, allowing her hers to sink in before adding. "And if you want to do me a favour, go ahead and settle down with Miroku and see where that takes you because I have to be honest with you, I would gladly take the chance to have a relationship with Michiru. I know I'm not his age and that I'm sounding a little irresponsible and maybe even a little jealous right now when I'm saying this, but none of that matters to me even though modern society doesn't deems this as inappropriate, I know I would be truly happy with Michiru if I ever had the chance to share a romantic relationship with him because that's just how I feel." Michiru's a kind and brave young man with so many good qualities that make him one of a kind, believe me, I know and I've looked for a long while now, I would give anything to be ten years younger so I could be with him because he will never be unfaithful or dishonest."

"Would a part of you be sad to see him with me instead of you Ilyssa?" Sango asked out of the blue, not wanting to hurt Ilyssa's feelings.

"No I wouldn't, because I'll be happy so long as Michiru is happy and I know that he'll be truly happy with you because you're the one he's in love with Sango." Ilyssa answered, cupping Sango's face while looking into the young girl's eyes. "Remember what I told you that when it comes to falling in love, you have to put your happiness ahead first because it's your life, and don't let anyone say otherwise."

"I know, and I think I've finally figured out my own feelings after so many days and nights of pondering endlessly, but I'm still worried about what to do next and how to take the next step in further developing our relationship once I've chosen who I love." Sango stated.

"Well how about this then?" Ilyssa suggested. "If you decide you want to live with Miroku and live out your life with him in your era, you should make a declaration and list out all sorts of demands you want him to follow, that will hopefully motivate him to make a good effort to change himself for the better in order to be with you and then you'll be justified for having to break up and leave him in the event that he doesn't remain faithful or well behaved as every loving husband should be. As for developing a relationship with Michiru, you'll have to live in one era or the other because there's no way around that, even if it means that Michiru has to be separated from his own family either temporarily or indefinitely in the event that the two of you decide to build a life together in your era with Inuyasha and the others. I know how afraid you are of putting Michiru and his family in danger if you choose to move to his era in order to begin a new life with him, but there are ways that can help you achieve that even though they aren't easy or entirely permitted, just keep that in mind. If you'd like, I can have a talk with Michiru myself and see whether its possible for you to live a life in Modern Japan without putting him and his family in jeopardy, and then he can share everything with you when he visits you so that the two of you can decide what to do for yourselves. And don't worry because I'll leave out the fact that both of us got to commune with each other in our sleep just as you and Michiru did last night, all that we've witnessed and talked about together will be between just the two of us, I give you my word on that as a promise."

"I appreciate that very much Ilyssa, seeing as how you're much older than Michiru, you'll have a better understanding of how the modern world works thanks to all the lessons and knowledge that you've learned as a matured adult." Sango said gratefully before sharing the other thoughts on her mind. "I admit that although I spent most of my time training to fight in combat because of my family's heritage of demon slaying, I would eventually have to walk down the path that all women do when they reach adulthood and start looking for a young man to marry and raise a family of loving children with, but I had to put all of that aside when Naraku killed all of my family and took my brother Kohaku away from me. That's when I joined with Inuyasha and the others so I could rescue Kohaku and kill Naraku in order to prevent him from killing and bringing pain to others, he's done terrible things to Inuyasha and Miroku as well, Michiru even got a taste of Naraku's cruelty when he saw his ancestor Utsugi die after being manipulated and used as a means to an end. I didn't know how long I would have to wait until I find someone whom I could truly see myself living out my life with as their soul mate and I thought I would never find them, but I did even though I didn't yet know it at the time."

"Michiru didn't know either, but that's how true love is, it has to develop slowly as two people get to know each other as friends until they become close enough that they're inseparable from one another." Ilyssa said, knowing in her mind and heart who Sango was truly in love with now that she had helped the young warrior woman to figure out her feelings which had been kept hidden deep within herself. "Which reminds me, I witnessed that memory when Michiru walked in on you accidentally while you were having a bath and although both of you were embarrassed by that experience, the two of you were able to resolve the matter and your friendship grew stronger because of it."

"It must have been funny to watch from your perspective Ilyssa, I admit that even I now find it funny as well even though it was my fault for causing the whole thing in the first place, I can still remember each of us blushing when Michiru and I talked about it and apologized to each other in the house afterwards." Sango said with a cute smile, feeling butterflies inside of her stomach as all the feelings of affection which she now felt in return for Michiru rose out of her heart and made her feel happy and at peace with herself.

"You know Sango, I'm sure you're already aware of Michiru's shy personality and how easily embarrassed he gets when ever he encounters a situation like the one you both went through or if he gets teased about anything to do with girls or what ever, but he's also just as much afraid of hurting you and hurting others just as you are." Ilyssa pointed out before sharing one of her mischievous thoughts. "If you ever feel that you're ready to advance your relationship a little further, you can take the initiative yourself because that will show Michiru that's you're alright with it and that you trust him which will help him to gradually open up so he won't be so shy all the time, that will definitely make it easier for the two of you to deepen your relationship together and I'm sure you'll also find it enjoyable as well."

"You're right Ilyssa, Michiru is a kind hearted, brave and honest person; I would have made my choice many days ago if I wasn't so afraid of hurting others or putting people's lives at risk." Sango said after a light blush appeared on her face from hearing Ilyssa's last remark. "This sounds ironic coming from a demon slayer, someone who's battled many foes in combat without fear, only to feel afraid and worried about how the consequences of my decision will affect the lives of others whether it's putting our bond of friendship at risk or the lives of others at risk. I didn't think falling in love or being confronted with the opportunity to fall in love would be the toughest battle I've ever had to fight and win. But being in love and living out a long life with the one that you love will be worth experiencing once I openly declare who I'm in love with, now I can finally move forward and pick up where I left off in my pursuit of happiness thanks to you Ilyssa."

"No wonder Michiru loves you so much Sango, you're as brave as you are beautiful and there aren't many young girls who could endure all that you've had to go through in your life so far, I'm glad we got to meet each other like this." Ilyssa said with a warm smile before sharing one last friendly hug with Sango who hugged her back, both of them had tears of joy watering up in each of their eyes.

"So am I, goodbye Ilyssa, thank you for all that you've done for Michiru and I." Sango replied, smiling back while blinking her eyes to stop the tears from falling down her face. "We'll never forget your kindness and we'll always treasure your friendship for the rest of our lives."

"Likewise Sango, goodbye to you too." Ilyssa said blinking her eyes as well to prevent the tears from coming out, everything going dark around them which showed that each of them were slowly regaining consciousness. "Stay strong, Michiru will be back to visit you soon."

Meanwhile in Feudal Japan, everything was quiet in Kaede's village except for the faint sounds of people sleeping safely in their beds and the distance echo of occasional noises coming from the wildlife living in the forest which surrounded the small human village, the odd person would wake up in the middle of the night and either go back to sleep or get up to walk around outside for some air to make sure that everything was peaceful and safe from any danger lurking nearby in the forest. Kaede and Totosai were both sound asleep in each of their beds, breathing in and out with no movement at all, except for the rise and fall of their chests. However, Miroku was still mumbling quietly in his sleep as his mind was plagued by dreams of lechery involving himself and a certain female demon slayer whom he was so intensely infatuated with, completely unaware that he was even dreaming at all since he was too caught up in enjoying the experience which his imagination had brought to life so realistically.

"Sango, oh Sango, I've wanted to…do this with you…for the longest time now." Miroku murmured, so caught up in the dream that he was unaware his own body movements had caused him to crawl out of bed, driving himself across the floor of the hut a few inches at a time which each stretch that he took in the process. Being face down on the floor and using his legs to slide himself along, causing him to move around like how a cartoon worm or caterpillar would do on a TV show, making his way to the main room of the house where people would cook and eat together while sitting comfortably around the small fireplace built in the middle of the floor. "Oh…Oh, you're so hot, and I feel so... Wait a minute; it smells like…something's burning, even though I'm feeling like I'm on fire right now. Hmm? AAAAHHH! FIRE! FIRE! I'M ON FIRE!"

Miroku had unknowingly crawled his way into the middle of the main room until he was over top of the fireplace and although the flames of the fire had gone out a short while earlier, the embers left in the ashes were still hot and the fabric of his blue kimono provided the perfect source of fuel needed for fire start itself up again. By the time Miroku had awakened, he found himself face down on the floor which the fire place directly underneath where his hips were and upon flipping himself over on to his back, the panic stricken monk saw that his kimono was now on fire in the area of his groin. His loud shouting for help had woken Kaede and Totosai up and when they came to see what the commotion was, they couldn't help but chuckle at Miroku's misfortune as they inwardly wondered just how the monk had managed to get himself in such a predicament.

"HURRY! PUT ME OUT!" Miroku cried while frantically waving his arms around, kicking hot coals and embers from the fireplace everywhere in the process which threatened to burn the place down if the wooden hut caught fire as well. "I'M ON FIRE! PUT ME OUT!"

"I'll clean up the mess on the floor Totosai, you find a way to put the out the fire on Miroku's kimono." Kaede said quickly, taking charge as she grabbed a broom to sweep all the hot coals and embers out the door and on to the dirt path were they would eventually burn themselves out; Miroku was still kicking around after falling down the step in the process. "Hurry or he'll wake up the whole village."

"We don't have any water or dirt available so we'll have to resort to the old fashion method of putting out a fire, sorry about this Miroku, but this is going to hurt you a lot more than it will me I'm sorry to say." Totosai warned before placing the head of his long hammer to pin Miroku's right hand to the floor while using his foot to hold down the monk's left hand, positioning his other foot between the young man's legs to stamp the fire out by a series of repeated kicked and stamping blows to Miroku's groin over and over again. "Almost out Miroku."

"AH! STOP! THAT HURTS! AH! AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Miroku cried out in agony until Kaede came over and shoved the brush part of her broom right in his mouth to silent his screaming in order to prevent the monk from waking up the whole village with his loud cries. The young man's eyes were wide open as a stream of tears poured out from them, he was released a minute later once the flames on his kimono had been put out, but he was in such a bad mood and in too much agony to even give his two savours a thank you in return before storming outside for a walk to vent his frustrations despite how uncomfortable and painful it was to move his legs right now. "UGH! Of all the times to be crawling around in my sleep…oh well. I wonder how Myoga's doing with that little errand I sent him on? Inuyasha, Shippo and Hachi have been gone for a while, everything seems dull with them being away from the village, and perhaps their not going to return until Sango decides to come back. Were they able to succeed in saving Michiru like Inuyasha mentioned? And if so, how are Sango and Michiru both doing now that they've had to meet again in spirit rather than in person and under horrific circumstances?"

Author's Note: I apologize for the long delay, but life is hard and I encountered one heck of a writer's block which kept me from updating any of my stories for these passed few month, and this chapter was especially challenging and complicated to type out as well. Nevertheless, I sincerely hope that everyone enjoys reading this latest chapter, there's a lot of emotion in it due to the majority of it focusing on Sango and Ilyssa along with the relationship that each of these female characters share with Michiru, I would like to give a special thanks to J4RRE77 for sharing ideas about future events for this story and thereby providing a much needed morale boost which I greatly needed to carry on with this story. I would also like to give thanks to Orionpax09 for his help in expanding the relationship between Michiru and Ilyssa; it was a difficult task which made the task of writing out the final scenes with Ilyssa and Sango much easier.


	19. Sango's Heart and more Memorable Moments

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, Ghostbusters; or anything associated with either of them. This story is being written just for fun and enjoyment.

Chapter #19: Sango's Heart and more Memorable Moments

In the remnants of Demon Slayer village, everyone was now sleeping comfortably, breathing in and out softly while staying motionless. Only the faint crackle of the cooking fire made any noise at all during the night and it would eventually burn itself out, leaving only charred chunks of wood and ashes in its place by the time the dawn came, but it was presently several hours after midnight and so sunrise wouldn't arrive for at least a couple of hours or so. Sango and Kohaku were both sleeping inside one of the huts while Shippo, Hachi and Kirara were sleeping by the fire outside just a short distance away; all within the confines of the fortress like village. There was no wind, so everything was peaceful and quiet, although it was a little bit chilly given how early in the morning it was.

"Hmm…Oh, I'm awake now." Sango murmured softly, her eyes opening as she slowly awoke in the middle of the night, looking around and finding herself laying in bed. "That's right, I remember seeing…all of Ilyssa's memories w-with…Michiru, a-and then we got to meet each other and talk with one another for a while. I must have fallen asleep right away after going to bed, that would explain why I feel well rested and awake right now, but its still dark outside so dawn hasn't arrived yet."

Being unable to go back to sleep, the female demon slayer rose out of bed and decided to go out for a walk, the fresh night air would help her to feel better and she could use the opportunity to collect her thoughts about all that she had went through during her dream state when she had communed with Ilyssa throughout the passed few hours. Making sure to stay quiet to avoid waking up Kohaku who was presently still asleep a few feet away in the hut, Sango put on her kimono which she usually wore over top of her night attire along with her footwear before wandering outside to get a breath of air, but her actions didn't go unnoticed by Kirara who had now awoken as well thanks to the cat demon's sharp animal instincts. Once outside, Sango briefly checked that Shippo and Hachi were sound asleep before doing a quick walk around to inspect the remnants of Demon Slayer village to make sure everything was as it was without anything being out of place, then the young woman wandered over to the gravesites of her parents and knelt down in front of them.

"F-Father, M-Mother, I just wanted to talk a-about…a lot of…important matters." Sango said softly, gathering all her thoughts and feelings to herself even though her heart stilled ached from the painful memory of having her entire family taken away from her so many days ago because of Naraku's cruel treachery, breathing in and out as she tried calming herself. "Naraku's finally dead, Kirara and I finally have Kohaku back, we can move on with our lives now, b-but…it hasn't been easy for all of us. Kohaku's still recovering from being under Naraku's control, Kirara's doing her best to watch over the two of us a-and I…I've been struggling with the feelings in my heart and it's because…I-I've fallen in love… with someone."

"Meow!" Kirara let out after sneaking up right beside Sango and giving the demon slayer a brief scare, only to have her turn around and smile affectionately before picking her up and cuddling her in a gentle embrace, purring and rubbing her furry body against Sango's face.

"He's honest and kind hearted, he's a very brave person and he's done so much for me over the passed couple of months even though I haven't known him for very long, but…I can honestly say that I'm as much in love with him as he is with me, w-which brings me to why I needed to let you hear all of this." Sango continued, blinking to control the tears of both sadness and joy that were rolling down her cheeks while Kirara jumped down and transformed into her giant fighting form so she could better comfort the warrior woman. "I love Michiru with all of my heart, a-and I-I'm going to give him my whole heart even if it means hurting those I care deeply about, I don't want to be alone any more and being with Michiru will give all of us the chance to move forward and live out our lives together happily as you would have wanted. Kirara's been both a friend and a member of our family for as long as I can remember and she's also taken a liking to Michiru as well, I've never seen her like anyone other than Kohaku and I, her approval is proof enough that I've made the right choice."

"MEOW!" Kirara moaned affectionately in response with a deep tone now that she was in her giant fighting form, earning a warm smile from Sango as the demon slayer hugged her massive head with her arms and resting the side of her face against Kirara for a moment.

"Now although I know I'll be truly happy with Michiru at my side for as long as we both live, there's no escaping the fact that we each come from different eras and live in different worlds which have an infinite number of changes and dangers that I myself aren't aware of yet." Sango carried on, arriving at the final obstacle on her mind which she felt she needed to share with the souls of her loving parents, still blinking to keep her tears under control as she talked. "I already know how difficult it will be for one of us to leave our old life behind in order to start anew in another world, but I don't want to separate Michiru from his family because that just wouldn't be fair and I don't want him to suffer as I've had to suffer, trying to grow up and survive without a family to draw support and guidance from. What I'm saying is that I'm prepared to move to Michiru's world so that we can be together, I know it won't be easy for myself or for Kohaku and Kirara, but that's the best decision I can make with what choices I have available and I just wanted you and my family to know all of that. We love and miss all of you so much, although I had hoped to grow up and spend my whole life here in this village, fate has laid out another path for the three of us to take and that's what we're going to do. I hope you understand and that I have your blessing to do what I feel is right for myself and for all of us, thank you for all that you've given us while you were alive, please rest in peace now and forever."

Sango closed her eyes and bowed her head forward respectively while taking a moment of silence to honour her family and comrades who were buried in the ground before her, Kirara did the same as well, but both of them were suddenly forced to open their eyes when a glowing light emerged from each of the gravesites. Once the light faded a little so that both of them could look without being blinded, the cat demon and the demon slayer were in awe when they saw the spiritual entities of every member of Sango's family along with all the demon slayers she remembered living with before Naraku's treachery ended their lives. Sango's heart melted as she beheld the appearance of her mother and father whom she instantly recognized, sad that she couldn't embrace them, but happy for getting to see them again even for one brief moment.

"All of us are already at peace Sango, there's no need for you to worry about us any longer, you worry about your own life now." Sango's father said soothingly, wearing a warm smile on his face just like all the other spiritual entities who had returned for this brief visit. "You've been doing so well despite all that you've been forced to suffer from all this time, we're all so proud of you Sango and you have our trust and our blessing to do all that you wish no matter what, you're not the little girl you once were and Kohaku is growing up fine as well. I'm sorry that none of us can be there with you in person to help you as you would like, but that doesn't mean we aren't watching over you, we love you and we'll always be with you in spirit while we watch over you along with Kohaku and Kirara. Goodbye…my daughter."

"Goodbye…Father." Sango said softly, smiling again and blinking her eyes to keep the tears away, watching as all the souls of her family and fellow demon slayers waved goodbye before soaring upwards into the night until they vanished amongst the starlit sky up above. Once that was over, a heavy weight had suddenly been lifted from Sango's shoulders, one which she had been carrying for many days now ever since Naraku's defeat and Michiru's sudden return to the modern era. But there were still two other matters which Sango was still burdened with, one being the matter of confronting everyone about her decision regarding who she loved and wished to spend the remainder of her life with, the other she was now about to share openly with Kirara which was about her communing with Michiru and later again with Ilyssa while she had been asleep earlier tonight and the night before. "Kirara? I need to talk with you too about something."

"MEOW?" Kirara moaned curiously after turning her head to look at Sango in order to give her full attention, sitting down comfortably on the ground while the demon slayer prepared herself to share all that she had seen from both experiences, beginning with Michiru's nightmare when the Sounga had nearly succeeded in killing him while he was stuck in a comatose like state for a day and a night or so.

Meanwhile, over in America, Michiru and Ray were toiling around inside of Ray's Occult bookstore which was hopefully going to be open for business before the weekend was out. Luckily, all the furniture, bookshelves and other belongings had already been moved into position and organized yesterday which left only all of the books to be unloaded and sorted out on the empty shelves all along both walls on each floor. Despite being a difficult task, Ray knew where everything needed to be so Michiru only had to read out the title of a book he wasn't sure where to place and Ray merely had to reply back with an answer, so progress was being made even though they were proceeding rather slowly. Saya and Slimer were also there too in order to lend a helping hand so that the monumental task would be accomplished that much quicker, but to do so, the windows had the shutters pulled down and the closed sign was flipped around so no one would peak in or walk in and accidentally catch a glimpse of the two spiritual entities floating about the place sorting through books.

It had been more than several hours already since they had eaten breakfast together back at the Firehouse, Michiru had even managed to tough out wearing the scanning helmet again so that Egon and Ray could conduct all of their tests to make sure the Kururugi boy was perfectly fine and had made a full recovery from his dire predicament involving the Sounga, almost three quarters of all Ray's books had been organized and put on the shelves by now so the majority of the work was over, the four friends just had to carry on until there were no more left to unpack which only left the empty boxes and containers to be stored away at the back of the bookstore. Besides calling out the names of books and replying where to put them, everyone occasionally took the opportunity to tell a few jokes here and there as well for the sake of keeping everyone's moods up, so all of them got to have a lot of laughs while working for about several hours.

RING! RING!

"That's the phone ringing, don't worry, I'll get it." Ray ordered, walking around the counter to pick it up and listen for who was calling. "Ray's Occult? Oh hey Egon, what's up? We're still unpacking and sorting through books, but we should be done in about another hour or so. Yeah? She has…and you've told her to what? Uh huh? Got it, I'll meet you back at the Firehouse in an hour…okay Egon. Bye."

"Everything alright Ray?" Michiru asked curiously, standing at the top of a ladder and reaching up to place a book at the top of a tall bookshelf, taking a pause to look back behind him while using his free hand to hold himself steady by grabbing on too the bookshelf.

"Yeah, everything's cool, no need to worry Mitch." Ray answered back, checking his watch briefly before going over to the stack of full boxes which had yet to be emptied of the books they contained, the door opened a minute later and Ilyssa came inside. "Hey Ilyssa."

"Hello Ray, hey Michiru." Ilyssa replied with a smile, drawing a glance from everyone in the store, causing a momentary pause from the work being conducted in the process as well. "So how are all of you fairing with unpacking and sorting all of your books might I ask?"

"Oh, not too shabby, we'll be done in about an hour." Ray answered, confident that they would finish without falling behind schedule. "We may even get done earlier now that you're here to give us a helping hand, that is, if you wouldn't mind helping us with what's left Ilyssa."

"Not at all Ray, in fact, that's why I took a taxi cab to come over here in the first place." Ilyssa said, wandering over to where Michiru was neatly placing some books on the shelf, the Kururugi boy was presently standing on top of a ladder which made him stand about four or five feet off the floor. "Hello Michiru, I see you're working hard as always, even when you're not fighting ghosts and paranormal monsters."

"Nice to see you too Ilyssa…" The Shikigami user replied back, looking down from where he stood on the ladder with a light blush on his face as soon as he made eye contact with the leather clad beauty who was smiling back at him. "Looks like you had yourself a nice nap."

"Oh yes, one of the best naps I've ever had on a long while, but that wasn't even the half of it." Ilyssa remarked after recalling her dream when she had witnessed a lot of Sango's most treasured memories with the Kururugi boy followed by communing with Sango herself.

"Really?" Michiru asked, his curiosity getting the better of him after hearing Ilyssa's words. "Sounds like you must have had a really great dream then while you were unconscious having your nap; you were asleep for at least an hour or more after all. So what happened?"

"Nothing…" Ilyssa answered, deliberately using a mischievous tone of voice in order to draw Michiru's suspicions and make him even more curious than he was already, causing the teenager to blush yet again from looking her in the face once more in response.

"So Ray, I take it Egon told you over the phone about what his schedule was for the rest of the afternoon until dinner time tonight?" Ilyssa asked, facing Ray while Michiru carried on putting more books away with Slimer and Saya who were both floating around behind her.

"Yeah, including your part of his plan to keep you know who distracted for a while too, two to three hours at the most." Ray replied quietly, though his whispering was drawing the suspicions of the other three occupants in the store who were now staring at them from a short distance away. "So…you have any ideas for keeping our young Experimental Equipment Technician busy for a few hours Ilyssa?"

"Not yet…but I'll think of something eventually so just leave everything to me." Ilyssa answered back while looking through some books.

"What are you two whispering about over there?" Michiru asked suspiciously, interrupting the two adults and causing them to face him.

"Nothing, nothing at all." Ilyssa replied, trying to put on an act and dispel the teenager's curiosity, but the Shikigami user wasn't buying any of it. "Just carry on with what you're doing Michiru, you'll find out later tonight once we all finish our tasks and chores for today."

"When ever someone says nothing, that means that they're trying to cover up the fact that they're up to something, when I say they, I mean you and Ray." Michiru replied back, not at all amused by the sudden secretive mood that his adult friends were in right now. "So spill it Ilyssa. Are you going to tell me what's going on here or do I have to come down from this ladder and make you talk myself?"

Ray swallowed a lump in his throat after hearing the Kururugi boy's words, but Ilyssa wasn't fazed, this turn of events had in fact given her an opportunity she had been looking for and now it was her turn to reply back and say her choice of words to take this to the next level. Slimer and Saya had stopped loading the bookshelf and were looking back and forth from person to person as they waited to watch what would happen next, Slimer was drooling with anticipation while Saya had a hunch that Ilyssa would somehow turn this around in her favour.

"You wouldn't dare Michiru, you're a gentleman after all, and you wouldn't want to ruin your reputation as a well mannered young man now would you." Ilyssa countered playfully with a mischievous tone of voice, followed by a few giggles at the end of her sentence since she knew full well that she had succeeded in calling the teenager's bluff and turned the tables against him in this humorous situation.

Sadly, Michiru couldn't think of any possible comeback and was therefore forced into defeat, remaining silent as he carried on with the task of putting away more books with Saya and Slimer at one side of the bookstore. With Ilyssa helping them out, Ray and the others managed to unpack and shelve all the remaining boxes of books, they accomplished it in about three quarters of an hour which was sooner than Ray had anticipated. Now that the titanic task was done and over with, Michiru took a break in order to read a thin magazine he had found at the bottom of a cardboard box he had just emptied. Sitting at the top of the ladder, he tossed the box down on the floor and flipped through the pages of the magazine looking and reading through the many articles and advertisements it contained.

"Great job everyone, we got all the books put away, that just leaves the data files to organize." Ray said, looking around and finding that Michiru wasn't paying any attention since he was still focused on the magazine in his hands, Ilyssa took notice of this as well and quietly wandered over to find out what Michiru was presently reading. "So if anyone has anything else that they'd rather do, please speak up."

"You're not looking through a dirty magazine are you?" Ilyssa asked teasingly, snatching the thin magazine right out of Michiru's hands without even glancing at it and holding it out of the Kururugi boy's reach with her outstretched hand while using her other hand to restrain Michiru once he jumped down from the ladder to try and get it back. "Michiru, I am shocked at your behaviour! Now what would Sango say if she knew you were looking at something like this? She'd think you're turning into a lecher, and I thought you were better than that."

"It's not a dirty magazine! Give it back Ilyssa!" Michiru replied defensively in response, trying in vain to reach for what had been taken from him, unfortunately being a fifteen year old boy with a shorter height compared to the young female adult who was nearly twice his own age didn't help at all in this situation, Ray and Saya chuckled in response watching the two fighting over the magazine while Slimer snatched it from Ilyssa and rapidly flipped through the whole thing thinking that it really was a dirty magazine when in fact it wasn't one.

"This isn't a dirty magazine!" Slimer snorted with disappointment, throwing it on the floor, allowing Michiru to recover it quickly. "Humph!"

"I told you didn't I?" Michiru replied back only to have Ilyssa giggling at him since she was just joking around with him the whole time.

"Ah, ha! Ha! Ha!" Ilyssa responded as she calmed down and eventually stopped giggling. "I'm sorry Michiru, I was just joking around, but I am curious what you were reading about in that magazine since you didn't even look up to face Ray when he was talking just now."

"Well…I uh…" Michiru mumbled back, flipping through the magazine to the page he had been looking at as a light blush appeared all over his face; luckily Ilyssa ignored the temptation to tease him any further for the moment so he could continue telling her his answer. "There's an ad here on this page in the middle, I just thought it would be nice if I could…well…b-buy an engagement ring for…Sango."

Michiru was all flustered, blushing redder little by little while looking at Ilyssa with embarrassment for thinking of such a thing for someone so young as himself, but the female curator smiled warmly at him in return which told him that she didn't think anything was wrong with it even though the thought of a fifteen year old boy buying an engagement ring did sound kind of sudden. However, this little revelation had given Ilyssa the opportunity she had been looking for in order to spend an hour or two with the Kururugi boy and to keep him away from the Firehouse so that Ray and the other Ghostbusters could make preparations for their surprise later on this afternoon.

"Ray?" Ilyssa called out, getting the man's attention as she took Michiru by the hand. "Michiru and I are going out for an hour or two after I call a taxi to come and get us, we've got some shopping to do, I hope you can manage the filing with only Saya and Slimer to help you."

"No problem at all Ilyssa, you two have fun, be sure to take your winter coats with you so you both stay warm." Ray replied back.

"B-But Ilyssa!" Michiru protested, as much as he really wanted to buy an engagement ring for Sango, there was no getting around the fact that he had left his wallet back at the Firehouse and also that he had nowhere near enough money to pay for one anyway.

"Ray?" Ilyssa asked, getting the man's attention yet again. "Would it be possible for you to pay Michiru all the money he's earned thus far so he can have it on him? I know that's a lot ask, but do you think that would be alright?"

"I'll tell you what, call for your taxi and then while you're waiting, I'll call Egon and Janine and see if they're okay with it." Ray answered.

"Sorry to impose a request like that on you all of a sudden Ray." Michiru said apologetically, feeling a bit guilty for asking such a favour.

"No need to apologize Michiru, you're one of us after all and after all the work you've done for us, you deserve to spend your hard earned pay." Ray countered with a grin, making Michiru feel a little relieved, but Ray hadn't heard the conversation between Michiru and Ilyssa so he hadn't any idea of what the Shikigami user was planning to spend his hard earned money on.

"Thanks Ray." Michiru replied gratefully, keeping the magazine hidden behind his back so Ray wouldn't guess what he wanted to buy.

"Could you call a taxi for us please Ray?" Ilyssa asked, drawing Michiru's attention as she tightened her grip on the young boy's hand with her own. "Michiru and I need to have a talk, call us down when it arrives to pick us up."

"Sure thing Ilyssa." Ray answered back, watching the leather clad beauty drag the Kururugi boy upstairs to the second floor of the store.

"Ilyssa, what's gotten into you all of a sudden?" Michiru asked once they arrived inside of the room which felt kind of cramped given that there were book shelves along the walls and in the middle of the room itself, leaving only enough empty space for walking in between them around and around, the door at one end of the room and a small window at the other which looked outside made the place look like a storage room rather than an extension of the bookstore.

"I'm so happy for you Michiru, if your parents knew what you're doing; they'd both be happy and proud of you too." Ilyssa said warmly while wrapping her arms around the Japanese student in order to give him a comforting hug to show her support and happiness for him.

"Ilyssa, as much as I'd like to buy something special for Sango, I don't think I could afford something as expensive as an engagement ring even if I did have a huge sum of money on me." Michiru said, gently hugging Ilyssa back in response while the two of them held each other in the privacy of the room above the main floor where Ray was still doing the filing with Saya and Slimer. "I mean, I know I brought over a handful of gold coins from my feudal era adventures, but even they wouldn't be worth enough to cover the cost of a ring."

"I know that Michiru, but I'm sure we'll think of something." Ilyssa said encouragingly before releasing Michiru from her gentle embrace.

"I have a lot more gold back at home, but I wouldn't be able to get it and even if I could, I wouldn't know where to go in order to exchange it for cash." Michiru said out loud before the door behind him suddenly closed shut with a slam, making him and Ilyssa think that they were in danger for a moment until they were suddenly met by the spiritual entities of Kakuju and Utsugi who had come to visit yet again.

"Hello Michiru, it's been a few days since our last visit, we're happy to see you alive and well again." Kakuju said smiling with Utsugi as they both exchanged eye contact with their great, great, great grandson and Ilyssa as well.

"Hello Kakuju, hello Utsugi, Sango was able to save me thanks to your help." Michiru replied back with a light smile on his face. "I am feeling much better and the Sounga's been imprisoned again so it won't harm anyone else, but I still have to help save the city today."

"Yes we both know Michiru, we've been watching over you for a while ever since we came back for another visit and found you had recovered, but we both decided to remain hidden so we wouldn't disturb you with our presence…until now anyway." Utsugi answered.

"So I see." Michiru replied, wondering what the reason was for the ghosts of his ancestral grandparents for wanting to choose this particular time and place to pay him a visit like this. "Have you come here to visit me because of something important or urgent at all?"

"No, actually we came here to visit you because we thought that we could be of some assistance to you." Utsugi stated. "Is that alright?"

"I'm afraid I don't quite understand Utsugi, you and Grandma Kakuju have done a lot for me already when you helped Sango and Inuyasha save my life thanks to the plan you devised together when I was bedridden and in a comatose state with the Sounga stuck in my grasp." Michiru answered. "And the first time when you brought me that duffle bag with my cloths and belongings from home too."

"Well, we both happened to overhear you telling Ilyssa that you wanted to buy an engagement ring for Sango…" Kakuju answered, feeling a little guilty for eavesdropping on Michiru, but she figured offering to help him with it made up for that. So we thought we'd…"

"Could you please?" Michiru asked pleadingly with a rather childish look on his face, making Kakuju and Utsugi chuckle in response. "There's a large casket like a treasure chest hidden underneath my bed beside my desk in my bedroom, its locked, but the key is back at the Firehouse with my other belongings. If it's no trouble and if it isn't too heavy for both of you to carry, could you bring it over here for me please? It contains the rest of the gold I collected throughout my adventures in Feudal Japan with Inuyasha and my other friends."

"Gold is a very valuable item Michiru, you're already going to be paid a large amount of money for all the work that you've done while working with the Ghostbusters." Utsugi reminded him, showing his concern as any grandparent would do. "Are you sure you'll need it?"

"I only want to have it in case my pay isn't enough to cover the expense, I know I haven't looked for an engagement ring yet, but it still couldn't hurt to have it just to be prepared." Michiru answered, looking back and forth from Utsugi to Kakuju in the hopes that they would understand.

"Utsugi's right Michiru, but I have an idea which could help you out a little; we'll go back to the Firehouse first in order to collect your pay." Ilyssa suggested. "While Utsugi and Kakuju are travelling to your home in Tokyo to go get your casket of gold, we'll go looking for an engagement ring in order to figure out how much money you'll need, and then we can go to some place in order to exchange enough of your gold for some cash so you can purchase the ring. That way, you can keep what ever gold you have left over for yourself, the price of gold varies from country to country after all and you can triple the value of your gold depending on which country you invest or spend it in."

"Sounds like a good plan, thanks Ilyssa." Michiru said gratefully with a smile. "But how will Utsugi and Kakuju find us if we're not back at the Firehouse when they come back?"

"No need to worry about that Michiru, we gave Ilyssa your amulet after we found you had left to come to this bookstore and we waited for her to wake up from her nap so we could follow her over here, we'll know where to find you as long as you have your amulet." Kakuju answered, telling a half truth and half lie in order to cover up the fact that they had placed it around Ilyssa's neck so that the woman could commune with Sango in her sleep while she had been taking a nap earlier that day, causing Ilyssa to pull it out of her pocket.

"Here you are Michiru, sorry I didn't give it back to you earlier when I first arrived." Ilyssa said, handing it back to the Shikigami user.

"Thanks Ilyssa, thank you Grandma Kakuju, thank you Grandpa Utsugi." Michiru replied gratefully, making all three of them smile, especially his ancestors for having being addressed as grandparents before the young man had used their names. "I mean it a lot."

"That's alright Michiru, we'll see you in a while then, good bye for now and good luck finding a special engagement ring." Kakuju said in return, smiling affectionately before she and Utsugi took their leave and disappeared, leaving Michiru alone on the second floor with Ilyssa.

"Ilyssa?" Saya called after flying up to see them, causing both Ilyssa and Michiru to turn around. "Your taxi has arrived, its waiting outside for you."

"Thank you Saya, come on Michiru, grab your coat and put it on so we can leave." Ilyssa said with a slightly excited tone of voice.

"You don't have to hold me by the hand Ilyssa; I'm not a little kid you know!" Michiru replied while the lady dragged him down the stairs to the main floor where they both grabbed their winter jackets so that they would be dressed warmly before going outside in the cold.

"Oh shush Michiru, besides, I have to look after you while you're still over here in America." Ilyssa countered teasingly with another of her famous expressions which always had the successful effect at making the young Japanese student blush red in response. "Though you may be a well mannered and responsible person who possesses magic Shikigami powers, you're still just a young teenage boy after all."

"I am not!" Michiru protested, making Ilyssa giggle again while Ray, Saya and Slimer chuckled in response at the young boy's embarrassment even though Michiru was no longer forced to hold hands with Ilyssa since they were now getting their winter jackets on.

"Oh yes you are, you're fifteen year old boy and don't you forget it, where as I am a twenty-eight year old woman." Ilyssa countered, reminding Michiru of his present age which brought the humorous little feud to a close…until the Kururugi boy thought of a comeback.

"Yes I can see that, but from the way you're acting and how you enjoy teasing me so much, you aren't exactly all that more mature than any other ordinary teenager." Michiru countered cleverly which made Ilyssa turn around in response after hearing his words, making him grin with delight for having turned the tables on his adult female friend who was now glaring evilly back at him. "What's wrong Ilyssa? Cat got your tongue?"

"Come on Michiru, we mustn't keep the driver waiting." Ilyssa said, holding the door open for Michiru to walk out of, inwardly angry at Michiru getting to have the last laugh instead of her, but then she spanked the teenager from behind as a means to satisfy her revenge for losing to him. "Hurry up and get a move on Michiru! Time's a wasting and it will be dark in several hours from now so let's go!"

"Hey!" Michiru responded, turning around and glaring momentarily at Ilyssa for spanking him on his behind like that, he then walked over to the taxi cab and held the door open for Ilyssa, playfully glaring at each other as she got into the taxi before he followed and shut the door.

"Please take us to Firehouse at Hook and Ladder 8, 14 N. Moore Street, Man Hattan." Ilyssa instructed, buckling up her seatbelt along with Michiru who was doing the same, she then pulled out that magazine Michiru had found the jewellery ad inside of and flipped it open to the page in order to find the address in the hopes of locating the jewellery store here in the city if that was a possibility. "Oh, I know where this place is, I've visited this store a few times myself on occasion so this'll be easy to find once we're ready to go there later."

"Glad to hear it, but let's not get ahead of ourselves Ilyssa, we still have to figure out how to get my pay without causing any trouble for the Ghostbusters first since I'm…you know…" Michiru replied, twiddling this thumbs while holding his hands together and blushing.

"Don't worry Michiru, everything will be fine and don't be so flustered, you should be feeling happy for being able to do something as special as this." Ilyssa said running her hand and arm behind the teenage boy and so she could rub his back and then pull him closer to her by his shoulder in an effort to cheer him up. "You're very lucky Michiru, there aren't many people who can experience such a thing as love, let alone prepare for getting engaged or married when they're as young as you are, and most people nowadays have to wait until they're in their early twenties before they can undertake that experience."

"I know Ilyssa, but I feel nervous and excited all at once and I've never felt this way before so it's a new experience for me to be feeling, especially after all of the experiences I've had in the passed four and a half months or so." Michiru replied, smiling back at Ilyssa.

The drive back to the Firehouse wasn't very long, the two friends occupied the time chatting back and forth, enjoying each other's company along with a few laughs and giggles when ever a humorous subject or moment was brought up. After a short while, they arrived at the Firehouse and the taxi parked right at the main entrance in front of the garage door, Michiru exited the vehicle and waited for Ilyssa to pay the driver before going to let themselves inside. Ilyssa told the driver that they'd be back in ten or fifteen minutes so he had no problem waiting, especially when he found out his customers were employees of the Ghostbusters, so he didn't mind waiting at all for Ilyssa and Michiru to sort out their business and ready themselves for where ever the two of them had planned to go next.

"You realize Ilyssa, that Egon and Janine will have to do up some paper work and then go to a bank themselves in order to withdraw my pay, I really don't think they'd be foolish enough to keep a large amount of money here at the Firehouse and take the risk of getting robbed even though this is where the Ghostbusters live and work." Michiru pointed out, waiting by the door so Ilyssa could unlock it.

"I understand Michiru, by the way, I've been meaning to ask you something and I'm sure you've already been thinking about this too." Ilyssa said, bringing up another touchy subject which needed to be addressed in order for Michiru and Sango to be together as a one newly formed loving couple. "Have you thought about how you and Sango can live together and which world the two of you will live in for the rest of your lives in the event that she loves you in return? I'm sorry for being nosy, but like I've said before, I want to help you out as much as I possibly can so you can be happy even after you eventually return home in the next few days once the city has been saved."

"I have thought about that, and…I'm afraid I don't have an answer yet, it's complicated as you already know." Michiru answered while pondering all the possible options and alternatives available to him which could help solve that difficult dilemma, hoping that Sango would be alright in accepting which ever decision was best for the two of them to start a new life together no matter which era they chose to live in. "Although it would be easy to either of us to move from one world to another, it's a whole different matter of adapting to all the changes that each world has to offer and even though I've gotten used to spending time in the Feudal era before, spending a lifetime in it will be very different than a mere four and a half months."

"You've got that right, I'm sure Sango's been thinking carefully about that too just as you have." Ilyssa said, choosing her words and tone of voice carefully in order to cover up the fact that she had been able to commune with Sango during her nap this morning which had given her the opportunity to talk with the young warrior woman about this issue along with her feelings for the boy both of them deeply cared for so much.

"I know it sounds close to impossible, but if it could be done, I would really like it if Sango could move here to the modern era with Kohaku and Kirara in order to start a new life in modern Japan where they would have the added support from my family and Kagome's family along with the benefits of modern medical care and education, etc. I want to give Sango the kind of life that Kagome and I both get to have, one with loving parents and the chance to go to school and everything else, she deserves a second chance in life and so does Kohaku and Kirara after all the painful experiences they've all had to endure together."

"That's very thoughtful of you Michiru, and I understand how difficult it will be, but please don't lose hope or feel discouraged about it because we'll figure out a solution together just like we've done for you when you had to learn more about your Shikigami powers and so on." Ilyssa said softly with a gentle smile, using a hand to rise Michiru's chin up so that he would look her in the eyes, blinking once at him and widening her smile which cheered up the young teenager as he managed to smile back at her in return for her support. "Now I know we're pressed for time and it'll be dark in several hours or so, but its 2:30 in the afternoon so we might as well get ourselves a snack to keep ourselves going until supper time later today, we can eat out or when we come back depending how long we're out for."

"Sounds alright, it would probably be better to eat out so we don't keep the taxi driver waiting outside for too long." Michiru replied, suddenly having a flashback of when he and Ilyssa were leaving Ray's Occult bookstore, recalling the brief spank Ilyssa had given him a short while ago; taking his winter jacket off once he was inside while waiting for Ilyssa to remove her winter jacket as well. "Shut the door already Ilyssa! Or else the cold air will get in!"

"EEEEEK!" Ilyssa burst out, abruptly turning around in a flash with the palms of both hands on her bottom where she had unexpectedly received a light spank from Michiru who was standing in front of her as if he had nothing to do with what had happened, holding his hands behind his back and doing his best to wear an innocent expression even though Ilyssa saw right through it after a moment or two.

"Now we're even, see you upstairs Ilyssa." Michiru said casually, turning around to walk towards the staircase, but Ilyssa's suddenly broke into a run which forced him to sprint off in order to make a getaway, inwardly laughing to himself for how Ilyssa had reacted.

"Oh no you don't! You aren't getting away from me Michiru!" Ilyssa shouted playfully, although she hadn't been offended and she was inwardly impressed by the fact that Michiru was slowly becoming bolder little by little as far as joking around was concerned, her pride wouldn't allow her to let this slide and so she now had to exact her revenge on him yet again…and no one was going to stop her.

"Get back here you sneaky little stud! You better stop right there and beg for mercy while still you can Michiru! You've got ten seconds!"

"I'll only beg for mercy from you in ten seconds if you can catch me in ten seconds!" Michiru countered sarcastically, looking behind him briefly while racing up the staircase to the second floor of the Firehouse with Ilyssa hot on his heels, catching Janine's attention and causing enough of a ruckus to interrupt the intellectual lady from the work at her desk. "Besides Ilyssa, we both know you enjoyed it!"

"Oh did I really?" Ilyssa responded playfully again, enjoying this unexpected experience along with Michiru's boldness as she continued to chase after him. "And what makes you think I enjoy having my bottom spanked by the likes of a young teenage boy like you Michiru?"

"Because you didn't retaliate violently or shout your head off at me like how you did to Slimer earlier this morning!" Michiru replied, racing into the bedroom at the other end of the second floor and using the fireman pole to make a quick getaway. "See you later Ilyssa!"

Unfortunately for Michiru, Ilyssa was a lot craftier than he had thought her to be and he hadn't bothered to look behind him before grabbing hold of the fireman pole to use as a means of escape, his worst mistake was that he had forgotten that there were two fireman poles instead of just one. As it turns out, Ilyssa had used the sound of her voice to make Michiru think she was still chasing him on foot when she had already guessed what he would do next and so she had used the fireman pole just outside across from the kitchen to slide downstairs to the main floor of the Firehouse just seconds before Michiru was about to do the same, she was now already waiting for him below and Janine was also positioned close at hand so that the Kururugi boy was heading down right into a trap.

"Gotcha!" Ilyssa shouted triumphantly as she grabbed Michiru by his ankles once he had come within reach, he had tried to slow down to halt upon seeing her, but he wasn't fast enough and Ilyssa was now dragging him down with Janine's assistance. "Hold him Janine!"

"You don't play fair Ilyssa, two on one is hardly a fair fight and besides, Janine has nothing to do with this!" Michiru protested frustratingly in response while struggling in vain to break free from his female captors who had know restrained him, after pulling him down by his ankles, Ilyssa grabbed each of Michiru's wrists and pinned them behind his back and the fire man pole so Janine could hold him still.

"Well, you know what they say Michiru, all's fair in love and war." Ilyssa countered humorously with a satisfactory smile on her face while eyeing the now helpless Shikigami user who was unfortunately at her mercy, of which she was prepared to give him none until after she forced him to beg for it. "You've been a bad boy Michiru, bad boys need to be disciplined and properly punished so that they'll behave nicely, hold him Janine."

"Ilyssa please, this isn't necessary…AH!" Michiru pleaded, before crying out with laughter while he was mercilessly being tickled to death by Ilyssa, unable to break free from Janine's restraining hold on him no matter how much he shook and struggled. "Ah! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Please stop! You've made your point! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! You've won Ilyssa! You get to the have the last laugh! Ha! Ha! Ha! You win! I lose! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Stop! I'm sorry! I won't do that ever again, I swear to you on my life! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Mercy! Please! Ha! Ha! Ha!"

"You swear to me on your life Michiru? Are you truly a man of your word?" Ilyssa asked with a grin, halting her tickling assaults on the poor teenage boy in front of her and placing her hands on her hips while eyeing him in the face from up close. "I can't hear you Michiru."

"Y-Yes, I swear to you on my life that I won't do that again, you have my word and Janine to act as a witness for you as well." Michiru answered back, panting from laughing so hard in such short moment, slowly calming down now that Ilyssa's tickling assaults were over.

"Very well, you can let him go now Janine, I think Michiru's endured enough tickling for one afternoon." Ilyssa replied back as Janine released her hold of Michiru's hands, though she was still wearing a playfully evil look on her face which made Michiru stay on guard.

"Alright, does one of you want to fill me in on what went on between the two of you just now please?" Janine asked, still confused about what had been the cause of such mischievous behaviour between her two youngest fellow employees who had gotten along so well in the passed few days as close friends. "What was it that you did to upset Ilyssa and make her chase after you like that Michiru?"

"I was about to close the door shut behind us at the front entrance when Michiru spanked me from behind, like the bad boy that he was." Ilyssa answered with a hint of sarcasm in her voice, she wore a playful expression on her face while staring at Michiru like she was the victim here even though she wasn't as innocent as she let on which the young Japanese student was now about to reveal to Janine.

"Well Michiru, it seems as though there's a bit of bad inside of you after all, you naughty little devil you." Janine said, looking at Michiru.

"Excuse me for arguing Janine but I was merely getting even because someone had spanked me on my bottom first before we both took a taxi ride back here from Ray's Occult bookstore." Michiru countered, using the same tone of voice as Ilyssa. "Isn't that right Ilyssa?"

"Oh, I see…yes, I do see." Janine replied, glancing back and forth from Ilyssa to Michiru until a smile eventually came to her face since this was obviously looking like child's play between the two of them despite the gap in each of their ages. "Well it seems to me as though there's only one solution to resolve this little cat and mouse fight of yours here, we're going to have to end it on equal terms in order to be fair to each of you, which means that its now Michiru's turn to tickle you Ilyssa. No complaints or hard feelings now okay? Fair is fair."

"Janine!" Ilyssa playfully whined after the red haired lady grabbed Ilyssa by surprise, and with Michiru's help, pulled her arms behind her and restraining the her with her back to the fireman pole just as she had done to the Shikigami user a mere moment ago. "You're supposed to be on my side you traitor!"

"No whining Ilyssa, you're the one who started this by spanking Michiru first, he then got you back later and since you got to exact your revenge by tickling him while I held him still, now its his turn to the same to you so put up or shut up." Janine replied with a caddy smile.

"Besides Ilyssa, you said so yourself, all's fair in love and war." Michiru added humorously while wearing a goofy grin on his face, causing Ilyssa to glare evilly at him for getting to have the last laugh. "Don't look so ticked off Ilyssa, a smile suits your face a lot better."

"Don't you worry Michiru, you'll see a nice big smile on Ilyssa's face just as soon as you make her laugh when you tickle her like how she did to you so hurry up and get it over with." Janine said, continuing to restrain Ilyssa while the leather clad woman mentally prepared herself for the torturous experience she was about to endure, looking Michiru in the eyes with her own as if she was searching his sole.

"Well what are you waiting for Michiru?" Ilyssa asked, not wanting this to be dragged out any longer than it had too since she was waiting in anticipation for the Kururugi boy's hands to tickle her attractive waist, however…Michiru apparently wasn't going to go through with it.

"Yeah Michiru, hurry up and get this over and done with, I can't hold Ilyssa forever you know." Janine cut in afterwards in response.

"No." Michiru replied, shaking his head momentarily, surprising both Ilyssa and Janine by declining his chance of revenge in order to have the last laugh which would officially end this little feud, causing Janine to release her hold of the young woman. "If I did that, this would continue again and again without a stop and besides, I can't tickle Ilyssa while she's restrained and helpless because I wouldn't feel right about that. I think I'll let her have the last laugh this time…if she promises not to spank me again just as I promised that I wouldn't spank her again either, that'll be enough to satisfy me. Ilyssa may be a bit of a bad girl, but only just a little when she's in her teasing mode. She's still a great person and a great friend through and through after all, and no one knows that better than I do."

"Well, now that this dispute has been settled, perhaps you should carry on with your afternoon before the daylight runs out." Janine commented, pinching Michiru on the cheek briefly before walking back to her desk while Ilyssa pulled Michiru into a tender hug to show her appreciation for the teenager's kind words and show of mercy, holding each other for ten seconds or so.

"Always playing the part of a gentleman, you silly little sweetie pie." Ilyssa commented with a few giggles before she finally released Michiru from her embrace, allowing the two of them to go over to the reception office so that they could talk with Janine about seeing if Michiru could receive his accumulated pay for all the work he had done so far. "Janine, where you and Egon able to figure out if Michiru could be paid or not? I know that you can't conventionally do it or have any written evidence of it due to his identity, but still."

"No need to worry Ilyssa, Egon and I already came up with a solution, here you go." Janine answered; producing a cheque which she had hidden away in her desk after writing it out once Egon had calculated the accurate amount of money that Michiru had earned throughout the passed few days of his temporary employment. "This is a cheque which you can take to which ever bank you do business with, since we have to keep Michiru's name off the books and all that, we decided to write your name on the cheque instead of his. This will give the appearance that you're temporarily employed with us so that you can deposit and later withdraw this money from your account on Michiru's behave, although you've only been with us for roughly one week, we can always say that we're giving you an advance payment in case anyone asks how you got paid so much so fast. We'll give you another cheque with all the money Michiru's earned between now and when he returns home to Japan in case you're wondering, I had to hide this cheque to avoid making Venkman jealous, being the Experimental Equipment Technician does give him a good hourly bonus on top of his starting wage after all."

"Sounds great, thanks very much Janine, sorry to impose on you and Egon so suddenly like this without warning." Michiru stated gratefully before he paid his apology for requesting his hard earned pay at such short notice, luckily for him, it wasn't a big problem.

"No problem Michiru, you've done such a great job for us and so have you Ilyssa, I hope you don't have a problem resorting to trickery in order to keep Michiru's presence a secret while he's still working with us." Janine replied with a friendly smile before turning to Ilyssa. "Make sure Michiru doesn't spend it all at once now, he's a teenage boy after all, and you're going to have to watch him like a guardian angel."

"Oh that's alright Janine, Michiru did save my life a number of times this passed week so I owe him more than I could ever give in return." Ilyssa replied gratefully, using a hand to pat Michiru on the back once before running her fingers gently through his light brown hair as if he was a pet puppy. "And don't you worry; I'll be watching him very, very closely. Just like Kakuju and Utsugi would watch him."

"Ilyssa, we mustn't keep the taxi driver outside waiting any longer, we really should get going, we're burning daylight after all." Michiru pointed out, bringing this conversation to a quick close so that the two of them could leave and simultaneously ending it before any embarrassing moments might arise.

"Oh, we'd better get our coats on then and head out fast, go on ahead Michiru and let the driver know we'll both be just a minute." Ilyssa responded, checking the time quickly before following the young man in the direction of the main entrance at the other end of the building. Michiru quickly ran upstairs to go grab his wallet and keys so that he'd have the key to unlock his casket full of gold in the off chance that Kakuju and Utsugi met up with him and Ilyssa while they were out shopping together for an engagement ring. By the time he arrived back at the front door after sliding down the fireman pole, Ilyssa had already gotten her coat on and was ready to head outside. "Thank you again Janine, we really appreciate this, we'll both see you again when we come back in two or three hours!"

"Gotcha Ilyssa, I'll call you on your cell phone when you guys can come back at supper time, have fun you two!" Janine replied back, waving goodbye to Ilyssa and Michiru until they both exited the Firehouse through the front door and disappeared from her view.

"I thought I told you to let the taxi driver know that we're coming." Ilyssa said, wondering what Michiru had run upstairs for in such a hurry.

"Sorry Ilyssa, but I had to go get my keys, or else we wouldn't be able to unlock my casket once Kakuju and Utsugi come back." Michiru answered apologetically, holding the key on the key ring to show the young female adult while standing in the cold, still with his winter jacket held in one arm.

"Okay fine, now hurry up and put your coat on before you catch cold!" Ilyssa replied suddenly, not wanting the young teenager to become bedridden again since once was more than enough for her after how close the Kururugi boy had come to dying in his sleep because of the Sounga just over half a day ago. "Shikigami magic or not, you're still a human being and you're every bit as vulnerable to the cold as every other person on this earth Michiru."

"Don't worry, I know that…but I have you to watch out for me Ilyssa, and you would make a great guardian angel." Michiru said with a sincere smile, catching Ilyssa off guard with his remark and causing her to stare blankly at him until a gorgeous smile crossed her face, telling the Kururugi boy that his female friend had been truly touched by his kind words. "All you need now are a pair of angel wings and a heavenly outfit to go along with them."

"Come on now, we're already behind schedule and we've got a lot of running around to do with only a few hours to shop." Ilyssa said, regretfully ending the moment right then and there since she didn't want to fall behind any more than they had already, daylight was running out and Michiru had to help the Ghostbusters search the Hudson River under cover of darkness to avoid getting into trouble with Peck and the Paranormal Contracts Oversight Commission, for this could be their only chance to seal the final Mandala node so that the city would be saved before the Ghost world could attempt to take its place in this physical plane of existence.

"I'm glad that worked out Ilyssa, but what do we do if Kakuju and Utsugi return while we're at your bank or shopping in a jewellery store?" Michiru asked curiously, getting his winter jacket on as they both opened the taxi doors to get inside quickly so that they could head out.

"It'll be fine; they managed to visit you at Ray's Occult bookstore after tracking you down without any incidents so I'm sure they'll wait patiently for the right time when they can see you again." Ilyssa answered as they shut the doors and buckled up their seatbelts. "We're going to the bank, then to a jewellery store, we've got lots to do and only a few hours to do it so step on it okay."

"You're not planning on robbing a bank and then robbing a jewellery story are you?" The taxi driver asked jokingly in response, causing Michiru to laugh out loud, followed by Ilyssa until she managed to give the driver instructions for where to go and how to get there.

On the other side of the world at the Higurashi residence, Kagome had woken up and found that she could not yet fall back asleep due to being so rested from the hours that she had been asleep already, laying in bed waiting to fall unconscious again was a slow and boring process. Nevertheless, she did her best to relax herself and focused her thoughts on her homework for a bit until they were eventually replaced with the matter of her talking with Michiru over the phone and how their last conversation had ended badly. Glancing at her alarm clock to check and see what the time was, Kagome then realized it was afternoon over where Michiru was, now was probably the best opportunity that she could possibly catch the Kururugi boy and try to patch things up with him over the phone in the off chance that he was available to talk and there was no telling when she'd be able to speak to him again so there it was right there.

"I know it's still early in the morning and that I shouldn't be out of bed at this hour of the night, but still…there's nothing else for it and besides, what better way to pass the time then by trying to amend our friendship over a talk on the phone together?" Kagome thought in her head before nodding and climbing out of bed, putting her slippers on and then getting up to head for her bedroom door. "Now all I have to do is get downstairs without waking anybody up, I hope everyone is fast asleep or else I've had it."

Once she had turned the door knob, Kagome eased her bedroom door open inch by inch at a time to avoid making any creeks or noises, all while listening carefully for any sounds echoing from the other bedrooms upstairs. After taking a momentary pause to ensure that everyone else was asleep in their beds, the reborn priestess slowly tiptoed her way down the stairs until she reached the bottom, she then wandered into the kitchen to glance around for a bit, waiting for her eye sight to adjust a little more as she went about looking for the phone.

"Where is it? Where is it? Ah, there it is." Kagome thought in her mind until her eyes picked out the telephone just by the kitchen counter near one of the large cupboards, making her sigh in relief once she found it, dialling Michiru's cellular number after picking up the phone.

Kagome waited patiently for the Shikigami user to answer her call, although it was still early in the afternoon over where Michiru was, it was possible that he was preoccupied combating ghosts and other paranormal monsters with the Ghostbusters which would explain why he wasn't able to talk with her over the phone right now. Although this wasn't the case, the high school girl was getting worried about losing her chance to set things right again with her friend, for today was the now Sunday for her in Tokyo while it was still Saturday over in New York where Michiru and the Ghostbusters were. The weekend was already half way over for Kagome and although she had miraculously managed to avoid going to school due to her Feudal era adventures, she was at home in Modern Japan trying to catch up from having fallen behind in school work so who knows how much longer she could continue getting away with it at this rate, never mind the troublesome task of facing everyone back in Inuyasha's era once Michiru finally returns after returning home to Japan first.

"Michiru here, please leave your name and a message so I can get back to you later when I'm available to talk, thank you and goodbye." Michiru's voice said, indicating that the Kururugi boy couldn't be contacted right now and that Kagome would have to leave a message.

"H-Hey Michiru, its Kagome here, I-I just wanted to talk…and to say I'm sorry for all of those things I said which may have hurt you." Kagome said softly, thinking carefully about what else to say since she only had a few seconds to reply. "I promise to let Sango resolve that matter with you and…Miroku once…she's made up her mind a-about…both of you. Anyway, please call me back when you can so we can talk and set everything straight between us, goodbye."

"Meow." Buyo let out, rubbing his fat body against Kagome's leg affectionately to get the girl's attention, sending a chill up her spine since she didn't know who or what was rubbing against her until she looked down and saw that it was only her overweight house cat.

"Oh, it's just you Buyo, you gave me a fright you stupid cat." Kagome said in relief, hanging up the phone while looking down at the cat, turning around afterwards only to stop and stare directly into the eyes of Inuyasha who was standing before her with a glare. "AAAHH!"

"What are you screaming for Kagome?" Inuyasha grumbled in annoyance after hearing the girl's startled cry for suddenly receiving a scare from seeing someone unexpectedly like this in the middle of the night, flicking the switch on the wall and turning on the kitchen lights to show himself in the hopes of calming Kagome down before she woke everyone up even though it was probably too late for that. "It's only me!"

"I didn't know it was you Inuyasha! Geez! Couldn't you have called out or something instead of sneaking up on me like that in the middle of the night?" Kagome replied back angrily even though she had calmed down now that she realized it was only Inuyasha standing right there, her pride getting the better of her for having been scared by her half demon friend under such circumstances.

"I was keeping quiet because I didn't want to interrupt you while you were on the phone, I was assuming you were talking with Michiru when I heard your voice from the living room, but I didn't realize you were leaving a message instead." Inuyasha explained calmly.

"Michiru isn't answering his cell phone so he must be busy because he's out catching ghosts or something." Kagome suggested.

"It's just as well; you and I need to have a talk, no ifs ands or buts." Inuyasha declared seriously, crossing his arms in front of his chest as he collected all the thoughts on his mind to openly share with the reborn priestess in this conversation regarding their Kururugi friend. "You better promise what you said when you left Michiru that message over the phone, because what you said during your last conversation and the one before that with him was low, especially for you. I hope you're feeling guilty for hurting Michiru again Kagome, especially after he was saved from being enslaved or killed by the Sounga thanks to Sango, you've done a very bad thing Kagome and you should be ashamed of yourself for it. That's all I'm going to say, now it's your turn, so let's hear all of it with nothing but the truth."

Kagome was absolutely shocked, she had expected Inuyasha to be down right furious with her and yell in her face with a loud voice like he always does when ever the two of them ever have the misfortune to find themselves arguing, but the half demon was choosing instead to remain calm and talk seriously like ordinary everyday human beings would normally do and Kagome was completely unprepared for this sort of behaviour. Naturally, it took the high school girl a good fifteen seconds to gather up all of her own thoughts from those two conversations which she had shared with Michiru over the phone some time ago and also to figure out what to say since she was talking with Inuyasha, not Michiru as she had hoped she could do at this hour of the night.

"A promise is a promise Inuyasha and I'm doing it for all our sakes, not just for my own or for Michiru's, of course I'm going to try and straighten everything out between us so that we can amend our friendship or else I wouldn't have the right to call myself Michiru's friend now would I." Kagome replied blinking in order to stop her eyes from watering while trying to stay strong under Inuyasha's watchful eyes.

Inuyasha stayed silent and still, not moving at all except of course to breath in and out slowly, his chest moving in and out with each breath while he waited for Kagome to say anything more on her mind before deciding what he should say next in response. Kagome was now a loss for words for nearly a full minute and she was inwardly wondering why the half demon hadn't blurted out anything to counter what she had just said, so all they could to was look into one another's eyes as if they were searching each other's soles for the answers which eluded them seeing as how words alone where not getting them anywhere fast, or for the moment anyway.

"Are you going to yell or say anything else Inuyasha?" Kagome asked since she was unable to take another moment of Inuyasha's gaze any longer, it was rather ironic for her to ask such questions given that she expected him to yell and cuss at her instead of giving her the silent treatment in this particular instance. "Yes, I feel ashamed for hurting Michiru, there, I said it. Does that make you happy? Don't you want to yell at me for what I did, or are you keeping quiet to avoid waking everyone else up?"

"No I'm not going to yell at you and although I would most certainly enjoy it for what you said and did, Michiru asked me not to be hard on you when we have this talk, you can thank him for me taking this so easily with you." Inuyasha answered calmly.

"Michiru asked that?" Kagome asked in surprise, totally unprepared for Inuyasha to show her some mercy because of Michiru's saying so.

"Yes he did, so you should thank him next time you're on the phone together because that's why I'm not yelling at you right now." Inuyasha replied back, his words sinking into Kagome's mind. I also don't want to wake up the whole house, although it's probably too late for that after hearing that loud scream of yours Kagome."

"Well I only screamed because you scared me by appearing so suddenly without warning. Anyway, thank you Inuyasha, Michiru may have asked you to go easy on me, but I'm thanking you anyway too." Kagome replied softly, a tiny smile crossing her lips, making the half demon do the same in response which made the teenage girl feel so much better now that things were slowly getting better from this moment onwards. "I will thank Michiru later once we're both free to talk to each other, once he comes back home, we can all visit the Feudal era together and then hopefully everything will be alright for everyone."

"I know how much you've wanted to see Sango and Miroku together Kagome and I can't speak on Sango's behalf when I say this, but…I really think she's already chosen Michiru over him and he's the one she wants to love and spent the rest of her life with regardless of everything and everyone else around them." Inuyasha stated out of the blue, although his words were flying in the face of everything Kagome had come to know and feel, he had to at least try and make her look at this from someone else's side whether it be Sango's, his own or Michiru's. "I know you think otherwise Kagome, but this is just what my feeling is about the matter, I'm only saying."

"Michiru is a good person Inuyasha, but even if they try to start a relationship together in your era, Michiru has to come back to keep in touch with his own family every once in a while like I always do." Kagome replied seeing where this conversation was now going as soon as Inuyasha had stated who out of Michiru and Miroku he thought Sango would love in return and seek a relationship with. "He's never had to go through that kind of burden like I have and it'll be even worse for Sango because she can never come and see him in this era since she doesn't have magic or any abilities to use the Bone Eater's well like how you and I do when ever we want to see each other."

"That won't matter to them if they both decide to live together in your era instead of mine, and then Michiru's family won't be separated from him either." Inuyasha countered calmly, glad that this little talk was being conducted so calmly so no hatred would arise between Kagome and himself like their last argument had which had ended badly when she had used her sit commands on him numerous times.

"Yes, what you're saying is true, but Sango can't simply move to begin a new life with Michiru in our era just like that." Kagome countered, knowing just how impossible such a thing was given how everything worked and evolved in the modern world despite all the innumerable advancements and other advantages that mankind now benefited from compared to the living conditions from Sango's era. "You know how big the world really now that you've seen a world map for yourself and that things aren't so simple like how life is in your era, and besides that, Sango still has to have some of her feelings for Miroku seeing as how they've known each other for a lot longer. Miroku's done a lot for her too, he's helped her stay strong when ever Naraku's hurt her by using Kohaku and he's done other things too."

"How many times would you be able to take Miroku's harassment if you were in Sango's position with having his hand on your bum without permission?" Inuyasha asked, knowing full well that Kagome wouldn't be able to counter that comment. "You wouldn't want to be married to some lecherous person who dreams of having you in bed with him day and night, Sango's suffered for far too long and now that Naraku's finally dead, she deserves someone who will love her and treat her with respect. Don't you want Sango to find happiness?"

"Of course I do Inuyasha!" Kagome blurted out, calming her voice down before continuing. "But like you said, it's her decision to make and I'll promise to let her resolve it once Michiru returns home again, then we can visit your era and see for ourselves what comes next."

"Thanks, that's what I hoped you would say, now we can move on and put this behind us." Inuyasha said softly, wearing a gentle smile. "Besides, if it wasn't for Michiru, we would never have been able to defeat Naraku or survive all the countless battles leading up to that final battle in which we finally killed him. You remember that one battle in the Old Temple when Michiru saved you, Shippo and I from that giant spider demon? We wouldn't have made it out alive or lived to see another day if Michiru hadn't been there to save our lives."

"Yes Inuyasha, I remember, even though it feels like it happened so long ago." Kagome answered,

"What are the two of you doing up and out of bed at this our of the night?" Mrs. Higurashi asked in dismay upon arriving on the scene, drawing Inuyasha and Kagome's attention at once, both of them wearing guilty looks on their faces for having been caught in the kitchen.

"I only came down to try and talk to Michiru over the phone Mom, its still afternoon during the day over in New York after all." Kagome answered, still wearing a guilty expression on her face, Inuyasha didn't really care though since he was welcome to come and go as he pleased. "But he didn't answer so I had to leave a message, I was just about to go back to bed when Inuyasha snuck up on me and gave me the scare of my life, that's what made me scream if you happened to hear me from upstairs."

"Yes I did hear you, I never knew you had such a high tone of voice Kagome, keep that up and you'll be an opera singer." Mrs. Higurashi joked briefly before returning to the subject at hand. "Now get yourselves back in bed and go to sleep or else you won't have any energy for tomorrow. You've still got a lot of homework to do Kagome and you're going to take advantage of every free minute of every day off that you have until it's all done and handed in without any errors on it."

"I'm aware of that Mom so please don't remind me again." Kagome complained with a sigh as she wandered out of the kitchen and up the stairs to her bedroom so she could go back to bed and get the rest she needed to prepare herself for the long day of homework.

"Inuyasha, stay a moment if you would please, there's something I wish to discuss with you." Mrs. Higurashi said quickly, getting the half demon's attention and stopping him from leaving the kitchen. "When I heard Kagome's scream, I got up and came down here to see what had happened and I just happened to overhear the two of you talking with one another. Did you mean what you said about Michiru saving your lives from a giant Spider Demon while all of you were inside of a Temple back in your world? Were you and Kagome really in a life threatening situation? Please understand that I'm not cross with you for being involved in such danger, I'm merely asking out of concern as every other mother would do for her daughter."

"Yes I meant it, we were ambushed inside of an Old Temple by a giant Spider Demon as big as or bigger than that kitchen table of yours, none of us could fight back because we were weakened and tangled up in its sticky webs and the thing would have eaten us if Michiru hadn't come to our rescue." Inuyasha answered reluctantly, already he could see the pain on Mrs. Higurashi's face for finding out that she had nearly lost her daughter Kagome and had Michiru not been there to intervene, Kagome would have been killed during that moment and Mrs. Higurashi wouldn't have any idea of what had happened. "I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough to protect Kagome on my own during that incident, there are times when I forget that I'm not the strongest person and that even I need help to defeat a dangerous enemy in battle which is why I'm lucky to have friends like Kagome and Michiru along with the others who live back in my world."

"No Inuyasha, please don't apologize, you've been doing all that you can to keep Kagome save from harm even though you and your other friends have to face danger constantly while journeying together in search of the sacred jewel shards." Mrs. Higurashi said gratefully in an effort to dispel Inuyasha's shame, Kagome told her enough of the adventures that she shared with Inuyasha when ever she came home for a brief break so although Inuyasha was momentarily shocked to hear this, it was natural that Mrs. Higurashi knew enough to know the basis of what was going on during their time in Feudal Japan. "I am so very grateful for all that you, Michiru and your other friends have done to keep Kagome save during her time in your world while she's away from mine, please don't hesitate to ask me for anything that you might need because I would gladly do anything that I could in return for what you've done for Kagome and I. Okay?"

"Okay, I can't really think of anything that I would need from you, but I'm sure you could help Michiru and my other friends out if any of them ever needed anything from you like advice or what ever." Inuyasha replied scratching the back of his head while thinking carefully.

"I'm glad, if by chance I happen to catch Michiru over the phone, I'll talk with him and ask if there's anything I can do for him too." Mrs. Higurashi answered with a smile. "I'm aware he still has to come home again, but it couldn't hurt to let him know anyway since he'll have time to think of anything that he might need."

"Thanks, when I look back now, I realize Michiru helped us a lot more than I had thought because of his courage and use of Shikigami powers even when he was still just learning how to learn and harness his magic in the face of danger on the battlefield." Inuyasha said. "But in the end, all of us finally defeated Naraku together and that's something I'm especially proud off, he was our worst enemy ever."

"Well I suppose we should call it a night and head off to bed; we both need our rest too after all, night Inuyasha." Mrs. Higurashi said.

"Hold on a minute…" Inuyasha asked, getting Mrs. Higurashi's attention before she could turn off the kitchen light. "I know Kagome has to catch up on her homework and that it's all really important, but…would it be okay if she would be allowed one afternoon to visit my era after Michiru returns home again? She needs to be there so that we can work out an…important matter between all of us, we'll come right back once we're done and I'll even promise to carry Kagome on my back myself if she tries to get out of returning back home on time. And if I can't bring her back here by myself, Michiru can help because he also knows how much Kagome needs to catch up on all of her homework. Please?"

"I'll decide once I see how much of her homework Kagome manages to get caught up on tomorrow, my answer depends on Kagome's progress and I'll explain that to her in the morning at breakfast, good night Inuyasha." Mrs. Higurashi replied, flicking off the kitchen light.

"Good night Mrs. Higurashi and thank you for considering the offer." Inuyasha said gratefully before walking back to the couch in the living room and lying down on it comfortably so that he could go to sleep, pulling the blanket over himself as he got comfortable, Buyo once again climbed on and sat himself comfortably on the half demon's lap before he eventually fell asleep himself after a few minutes.

Mrs. Higurashi however, made it half way up the stairs before she paused for a few moments and let out a deep breath of air while focussing on the newly discovered thoughts of just how much danger her daughter Kagome was actually encountering during her adventures in Inuyasha's world, the thought of nearly losing her daughter was painful enough and she began to wonder whether or not she should allow Kagome to visit that era again even though the danger of fighting Naraku was finally over. But there were surely many other dangerous foes such as the giant spider demon Inuyasha had mentioned, although she was confident that Kagome would be safe enough as long as she had friends like Inuyasha and Michiru protecting her, the mother couldn't help but wish that Kagome would just stay here at home even though the task of recovering the remaining Shikon jewel shards was still far from complete.

"I really wish Kagome didn't have to spend such a long time away from home, I know recovering the jewel shards is important to her and her friends, but…" Mrs. Higurashi whispered softly to herself before letting out a sigh. "Maybe I should put this matter aside for now, I'm sure a solution will present itself soon and I can always talk about this later on with Inuyasha, Kagome and Michiru when they're together again after Michiru returns home."

At the end of the hallway inside of Kagome's bedroom, the reborn priestess was presently talking on her cell phone with Michiru, the Shikigami user had received her message and decided to call her back by dialling her cell number instead of the home phone number to avoid waking up the house given how late the hour was. Unfortunately for Kagome, although she was talking quietly, she had left her bedroom light turned on which gave away the fact that she was awake instead of being in bed and asleep as her mother had asked her to do so it would only be a matter of time until the high school girl was caught yet again.

"I'm sorry I couldn't answer you when you called earlier Kagome, but I was caught up in something so I had to wait until now, we should keep this short though because I'm still busy and you have to get to sleep." Michiru said apologetically. "Thank you for what you said in your message Kagome, it means a lot to me, I hope Inuyasha wasn't too hard on you when he talked to you about our last argument."

"He held back like you had asked and we took things slowly between when we both talked, it happened just after I had left you that message because he overheard me from the living room and startled me when he came to see who I was on the phone with, that was probably the first time Inuyasha's ever gone easy on me while we've had an argument before so thanks so much for asking him to do that for me." Kagome replied gratefully, smiling happily that everything seemed to be getting better between herself, Michiru and Inuyasha. "I'm sorry for discouraging you like I did, it was wrong of me and I'm sorry for hurting you when I said those things, I have to say this again now that we're on the phone together instead of just leaving an apology in a message for you. Can you ever forgive me?"

"Of course I forgive you Kagome, we're still friends, I just hope that it will be this easy for everyone else to forgive and forget as well." Michiru replied, realizing that he'll eventually have to face both Sango and Miroku in person once he finally returns to Feudal Japan within the next few days or so. "Kagome, you already know that I love Sango and care for her a lot, but I still feel badly for how this is going to affect both her and Miroku. Did you ever feel like that when ever you thought of how your love for Inuyasha would affect him and Kikyo?"

"Yes I did, thank you for calling me back Michiru, I'm glad that we could talk to resolve this and I hope that it will be just as easy for Sango and the others to resolve everything else too." Kagome answered, happy that everything was alright again between them both.

"I'm glad too Kagome and thank you again, please say hi to Inuyasha for me when you both see each other at breakfast." Michiru asked, just as Kagome's bedroom door opened, revealing the girl's mother who had caught Kagome up in the middle of the night again.

"Kagome, I thought I asked you to get to bed." Mrs. Higurashi asked, causing Kagome to wear a guilty expression as she sat still on her bed, still holding her cell phone to the side of her head since she was caught in conversation. "Who are you on the phone with Kagome?" 

"Its Michiru, he got my message and called me back, s-sorry Mom." Kagome answered sheepishly before holding her cell phone out for her mother to take so she could speak to the Kururugi boy and learn that Kagome was telling the truth.

"Hello Michiru, did you call Kagome back on her cell or did she call you?" Mrs. Higurashi asked over the cell phone.

"I called her back after finding out she left me a message a little while ago, I dialled her cell because I didn't want to wake up everyone else by calling your house number, I'm sorry for calling at such a late hour Mrs. Higurashi so please don't put the blame on Kagome." Michiru replied.

"Don't worry Michiru, its fine, but I'm afraid you'll have to talk to her another time because she needs to get to sleep so she can be well rested enough to do more of her school work tomorrow." Mrs. Higurashi answered, holding the cell phone out but still out of Kagome's reach so that Kagome could hear Michiru's voice from where she was sitting. "Say your goodbyes then, and go to bed Kagome."

"Yes ma'am, bye Kagome, catch you some other time." Michiru said, his voice echoing out for Kagome to hear from a few feet away.

"Bye Michiru, have fun catching ghosts or what ever you're busy doing." Kagome replied, speaking loudly enough for Michiru to hear her.

"You can have your cell phone back at supper time so that you aren't interrupted from your homework, good night Kagome, see you in the morning." Mrs. Higurashi declared before leaving Kagome's bedroom with the cell phone in hand, but she didn't hang up yet. "Are you still there Michiru?"

"Yes Mrs, Higurashi." Michiru answered, wondering why Kagome's mother hadn't hung up the cell phone now that his conversation with Kagome was over.

"I'm sure you're busy right now since its afternoon time in New York where you are, but I would still like it if we could talk for a bit about something, would that be alright with you Michiru?" Mrs. Higurashi asked, closing the door to her bedroom and sitting down on her bed.

"Yes, it's not a problem." Michiru answered, suddenly wondering what had brought this on this conversation. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes Michiru, everything is fine, I merely wanted to ask you about what you and Kagome went through in your adventures together in Inuyasha's world." Mrs. Higurashi replied. "Did all of you face many dangers and become involved in many battles during your travels?"

"Yes we did, but all of us banded together and helped each other to get through each one until we were safe from danger." Michiru answered, figuring out that Kagome's mother was asking out of concern for her child as every mother would do. "Why are you asking me this all of a sudden Mrs. Higurashi?"

"I just needed to hear you say what you did ever since I overheard a conversation that Kagome and Inuyasha shared about a battle in an Old Temple where you had saved both of them from a giant spider demon." Mrs. Higurashi replied. "Do you remember that event at all?"

"Yes I remember, but I don't really understand why you're asking me about it if you've already heard this from Kagome and Inuyasha." Michiru answered back in confusion.

"Michiru, I know this isn't the best of times to bring something like this up since you're still stuck over in America, but I wanted to thank you for all that you've done to keep Kagome safe while the two of you were both in Inuyasha's world together." Mrs. Higurashi answered. "If there's anything that I can ever do for you, anything at all, you only need to ask. I just wanted you to know that alright Michiru?"

"Your welcome, I'm sorry that I can't think of anything else right now at this very moment, but I promise you that I will ask for your help when ever I feel I have need of it." Michiru answered. "Thank you Mrs. Higurashi, I'd better hang up now so you can sleep, good night and thank you again."

"Good night Michiru, and your welcome, bye." Mrs, Higurashi replied before hanging up, placing Kagome's cell on her dresser and getting into bed so she could go to sleep, glad that she could at least express her gratitude to both Inuyasha and Michiru for helping to keep Kagome safe when ever her daughter was away from home having adventures in Japan's Feudal era with all of her friends.

Kagome hadn't fallen asleep just yet, for her mind was still awake with the thoughts from her conversation on the phone with Michiru, especially on the matter of the two love triangles in which each of them were a part of. Although Michiru had brought up such a sensitive subject, his reasons were understandable given that Kagome herself was also involved in a love triangle too so it was only natural that the Kururugi boy ask her for advice about dealing with feeling guilty, especially since this had been going on for many days before Michiru had come into her life and the lives of her Feudal era companions whom they had both befriended together over their duration spend in Feudal Japan.

However, Kagome couldn't help but envy Michiru for the fact that he had been brave enough to openly declare his feelings of affection to the person whom he loved and also for the fact that he was dealing with two people who were somewhat easier to interact with. Sango was both strong and gentle at the same time and although Miroku was a lecherous idiot every now and again, he had proved to be an understanding person when ever they encountered a dangerous or complicated situation where innocent lives were at stake, namely when people were being used as manipulative pawns like how Kohaku and innocent villagers were on many occasions. Inuyasha and Kikyo on the other hand were two very different people altogether and sadly; the bond of love which had once bloomed between them had been shattered and changed drastically because of Naraku's treachery as were their lives.

Inuyasha had grown up alone and in a harsh life were being strong is the only way of surviving, being hurt very easily had also caused the half demon to close himself off which made it difficult for anyone to make any attempt at forming any sort of bond with him whether it be friendship or love. Kikyo had possibly suffered even more from Naraku's treachery because of the fact that she was the keeper of the Shikon jewel, for her soul was shattered and she no longer expressed her feelings of love for Inuyasha as he still did for her when ever they encountered each other, she was also no longer a living person after being resurrected from the dead and it was sad that the priestess had chosen to close herself off in order to avoid showing sign of weakness just for the sake of trying to defeat Naraku all by herself as she had been doing for so long ever since her resurrection.

"Maybe after Sango's settled the matter of who she loves, then I too can one day tell Inuyasha how I feel just as Michiru told Sango how he feels for her, I just hope Inuyasha can decide between Kikyo and I so that he can find happiness as well." Kagome though to herself, staring up at the ceiling of her bedroom while going through her thoughts and feelings until sleep finally came over her that night.

Meanwhile in Feudal Japan, Sango had just finished telling Kirara all of what she had seen and experienced when she had communed first with Michiru and later with Ilyssa while she had been unconscious thanks to the Shikigami spell that the spirits of Kakuju and Utsugi had cast upon the amulet in order for such a spiritual encounter to occur, even while both Michiru and Ilyssa were separated from her across a vast amount of time and space. Although Sango had been crying lightly whilst telling Kirara of the horrific nightmare she had to witness because of the Sounga and all that she had seen and done in order to save Michiru's life, the giant faithful feline had done her best to console and comfort the female demon slayer in her time of great need until the painful process was eventually over.

Kirara was thankful that Sango's second communing experience wasn't horrifying and although it was still somewhat sad to due the inescapable fact that the feelings she harboured in her heart were causing her some pain, this one was undoubtedly a much better one since Sango wasn't crying anymore, especially that it had many happy memories in it and more importantly because Michiru's life wasn't on the verge of death as it had come very close too being during the first time. Now more than ever, the giant two-tail had become even more attached to the Shikigami user whom Sango loved so very much and although Michiru had not interacted with her nearly as often as he had done with Sango, Kirara still harboured her own deep feelings of loyalty and friendship for the Kururugi given how much he had made Sango happy during the many days she had travelled with him along with Inuyasha and the others.

Upon hearing Sango tell all of what she knew of Michiru's newest friend Ilyssa, the woman who had helped Michiru quite a number of occasions, Kirara was glad to know that there were kind people who existed in Michiru's era and that this same woman had also helped to comfort and counsel Sango during her time of need whilst they had communed together tonight in their sleep. Although Kirara herself hadn't seen anything of the modern world from where Michiru and Ilyssa both lived in, she used her imagination as best as she could as she listened carefully to everything Sango said while she sat comfortably and gave the warrior woman her fullest attention. By the time Sango was finished telling all that she needed to share with Kirara, they realized that dawn was now only a few hours away even though the sky was still dark and everything around them was tranquil, except for the soft breeze coming down from the mountains.

"K-Kirara, I need to know how you feel about this too." Sango said after the last of her sniffles had escaped from her, feeling much better than she had before now that she had been able to talk to someone besides Ilyssa herself about all that weighted heavily on her heart. "I know it's a lot to ask, but would you be willing to move to Kagome's world so the three of us can live our lives together with Michiru at my side?"

"Meow!" Kirara moaned affectionately in a soft tone of voice, smiling and waging her huge tails back and forth in approval to show Sango she was perfectly happy with that, she was more than willing to do just about all that Sango asked of her anyway, but she was nevertheless thankful that the female demon slayer would still consider her needs as well before making a choice as important as this.

"Thank you Kirara, it means a lot to me that you're alright with this, I don't know how I'll be able to explain this to Kohaku though…his mind is still recovering from being manipulated by Naraku for such a long time." Sango replied, sharing a tender hug with the two-tail.

"Meow!" Kirara moaned affectionately again, rubbing her huge nose against Sango's cheek and lightly licking her face once or twice to show her affection even more, successfully causing some cheerful giggles to come out of Sango in the process as they sat comfortably.

Unbeknownst to either Sango or Kirara, Myoga was hidden nearby watching and listening in on the two of them while the warrior women poured out her heart to the giant two-tail, sharing all of the experiences and feelings harboured deep within her mind and her heart which caused the tiny little eavesdropper to silently weep for Sango in response. Even though he had been blackmailed to spy on Sango because of Miroku's threats to rat him out to Shoga whom he was so desperately trying to evade, Myoga could no longer bring himself to tell everything he had learned to the manipulative monk who he would later return too back in Kaede's village, not after finding out how much Sango had been suffering and especially after what Michiru had been through before the demon slayer had saved his life.

"I can't do it, I'll just tell Miroku that Sango managed to save Michiru's life and that she's been through too much to figure out what her feelings are about who she loves, Miroku will just have to content himself with that and wait for her to return before finding out everything else." Myoga declared quietly amid the many sniffles he had let slip throughout the entire duration of Sango's lengthy tale to Kirara, forcing him to blow his nose over and over again as well on a small cloth he had pulled from his sack of belongings which he had carried on his back when ever he traveled throughout the lands. "I suppose I'll have to tell Inuyasha about this too even though he'll be angry with me for spying on Sango. I'm his guardian so I'm sure he'll understand that Miroku blackmailed me into…wait a minute. What's this?"

Myoga was hiding safely amidst some weeds which had been growing here and there on the ground inside the interior of the fortress like village, but although he was presently focussed on watching Sango and Kirara, he was in for an unexpected surprise when he saw a moving cloud of blue light which had now arrived in the vicinity. Kirara had also took notice of this as well and let out a warning growl which told Sango of the unknown intruder now hovering in front of them, Sango however felt that there was something familiar about it so she wasn't faze or alarmed by its appearance, the question of who or what this presence was became known once the light faded and revealed the ghosts of Utsugi and Kakuju whom Sango had met once during the night she had been tasked with saving Michiru's life after she communed with him the night before last.

"It's alright Kirara, they're our friends, there's nothing to worry about." Sango said softly, petting Kirara's fur gently to assure the furry feline that everything was fine and that the two spiritual entities were not a danger to them. "Hello Utsugi, hello Kakuju, its nice to see both of you again."

"Again?" Kakuju asked in surprise, glancing at Utsugi for a moment before redirecting her attention back to Sango. "This is the first time we've met like this Sango, now that Utsugi and I are both ghosts I mean. Are you positive that you've already met us once before tonight?"

"Yes, yesterday night when I fell asleep with Michiru's amulet around my neck, both of you communed with me after you had cast a spell on it so that I could save him from the Sounga." Sango answered until it suddenly dawned on her that although she was talking with Utsugi and Kakuju, they were not from Michiru's era which means they had no knowledge of the events which had recently occurred. "You've only been spiritual entities for just a couple of days ever since that day when each of you died after completing the art of soul infusion haven't you?"

"Yes Sango we have." Utsugi answered. "Are you trying to tell us that you've met our future selves from Michiru's era where he presently exists?"

"Yes, that's what I mean." Sango answered, realizing that they would have to wait hundreds of years until they could see Michiru alive and in person. "How long have you been here? Did both of you arrive just now?"

"No, we've actually been here for two nights now and we…overheard you talking with Kirara ever since you woke up." Utsugi answered.

"I see…" Sango replied softly with tears coming to her eyes once more as the combined pain from all that she had shared with Kirara began aching within her again, causing her body to shake lightly which alarmed Kakuju who came over to the demon slayer's side.

"Please don't be angry with us Sango, we only wanted to know how Michiru is doing ever since that day we both passed away and became ghosts, we knew Michiru returned to his own era and we wanted to come and speak to you about him ever since we detected the power of our amulet while you wore it in your sleep which is what lead us here to your village." Kakuju said, trying to provide some comfort for the warrior women as she held her arms around her even though she was a ghost. "Its perfectly fine to cry when ever you're feeling hurt or sad, we already know you've been through a lot and we only wish to help in any way that we can, so please try to cheer up okay?"

"T-Thank you." Sango whispered quietly as she managed to keep herself relatively calm, feeling better for having Kirara and someone else to talk and draw comfort from. "I guess there's no need to explain anything else since you've already heard me share everything while talking with Kirara."

"Well actually, there is one thing that needs to be explained." Utsugi stated, causing Kakuju to whisper something in Sango's ear quietly.

"Are you sure?" Sango asked, receiving a nod from both Kakuju and Utsugi before she turned and looked down towards the small pile of weeds on the ground just a short distance ahead of her. "Myoga? I know you're hiding in the weeds and that you've been watching and listening in on Kirara and I for a while, I'm not angry with you Myoga, I only want to talk to you and know why you've been hiding all this time so please come out where we can see you."

"Please forgive me Sango, I didn't mean to snoop." Myoga asked pleadingly after darting out of his hiding place and landing in Sango's hands once she cupped them together in order to hold the tiny demon flea so she could speak with him, looking guiltily at Sango's face.

"Its alright Myoga, I'm not going to yell at you or hurt you like Inuyasha always does, so calm yourself and relax." Sango stated before sitting comfortably on the ground and leaning her back against Kirara's massive furry body. "Could you please tell me why you needed to hide yourself from us after coming all the way here from Kaede's village?"

I came back to Kaede's village looking for Inuyasha even though he had left with Shippo and Hachi to come here according to what Miroku told me, Miroku wanted to find out whether you were successful or not in saving Michiru from the Sounga and when I suggested we visit you ourselves, Miroku rejected the idea because he felt his presence would only infuriate you since you both parted on bad terms before you and Kirara came here for a break." Myoga explained, causing Sango to recall her last encounter with Miroku had how it had ended after going downhill no thanks to the monk's rude and uninvited advances on her. "Anyway, he suggested that I come here by myself to find out what had happened so that I could tell him upon my return to Kaede's village afterwards and when I refused, that's when he blackmailed me into spying on you like this because he threatened to rat me out to Shoga whom I've been trying to hide from."

"I see." Sango replied, fully understanding just how much Myoga wanted to avoid marrying the female demon flea despite the vow he had once made to her, and knowing Miroku's long history of blackmailing along with his fake exorcisms and who knows what else, she could see Myoga had been pushed into a corner with little or no way out of doing as Miroku had bid even though it was wrong. "Thank you Myoga, but since you were spying on me, I must ask you to do something to repent for your actions if that's alright with you."

"So long as it doesn't involve anything dangerous." Myoga replied watching as Sango grabbed some paper and one of the writing utensils from his drawing materials which Kagome had given to him as a gift, the young women then proceeded to write out a letter.

"I want you to take this letter with you when you travel back to Kaede's village and give it to Inuyasha the next time you see him okay Myoga?" Sango asked as she continued writing carefully. "But you're not to read what's on this letter or tell Miroku about it, just pretend as though we never had this discussion when you see Miroku again, and stay with Inuyasha after you give him this letter alright Myoga?"

"Alright then Sango, if that's all you want." Myoga replied, feeling a little uneasy about this whole situation even though Sango had apparently let him off the hook so easily, the demon flea secretly wished that his master Inuyasha could be as compassionate and forgiving as she was.

"Thank you Myoga, remember what I told you, pretend nothing happened when you speak with Miroku and that this letter is for Inuyasha's eyes only, not yours and especially not Miroku's." Sango said once she had finished writing, folding up the piece of paper so that it would be as tiny as possible in order to make it easy for Myoga to carry. "Can I trust you to do all that I've asked of you Myoga?"

"Yes you can Sango, I may be a coward, but I'm still Inuyasha's body guard." Myoga answered, taking the small folded up piece of paper and trying in vain to carry it given that he was so tiny, it was comical watching him try so hard. "I think this letter is so big for me to carry."

"Thank you Myoga, I know it's a lot to ask, but I appreciate you doing this for me." Sango said gratefully, still holding Myoga in her hands.

"We can carry it for you Myoga, or better yet, we can carry it and you back to Kaede's village." Kakuju suggested while looking at Myoga.

"I would very much appreciate your help, thank you very much." Myoga said gratefully. "But I thought ghosts can't carry physical objects."

"We can, and we can pass through physical objects as well, being spiritual entities is a little difference than what one would expect." Utsugi stated, taking the note with Myoga sitting on top of it before clasping Kakuju's hand. "We'll be on our way then, take care Sango."

"I will Utsugi, thank you again; both of you for helping me out like this." Sango replied gratefully as Utsugi and Kakuju prepared to depart.

"Sango, I know Utsugi and I don't know as much as we'll eventually know in the hundreds of years between now and Michiru's era, but we'll always be willing to help you out of you ever need to speak with us about anything that troubles you." Kakuju said. "Just ask okay?"

"I will, thank you Kakuju, good bye and thank you again to all of you." Sango replied with a smile, waving her hand as the trio flew away.

"Your welcome Sango and don't worry, you can count on me!" Myoga's voice replied until he along with Kakuju and Utsugi were gone.

Well Kirara, I suppose we'd both better get some sleep since we've been up for a while, I'll see you in the…" Sango said as she was about to head back to the small hut where she had slept when she noticed that Shippo was crouched over and crying with tears running down his cheeks, out of concern for her young friend, she went over and knelt down beside the fox demon to rouse him from sleep and find out what was wrong. "Shippo? Wake up Shippo; come on now, wake up. Are you having a bad dream or something?"

"I wasn't asleep Sango, I only pretended to be asleep so that I wouldn't interrupt you while you were talking with Kirara and after overhearing everything you said about Michiru and all, I couldn't help but cry." Shippo replied before balling out loud like a little kid, causing the demon slayer to hug the poor fox demon in an effort to comfort him as she had seen Kagome do on more than one occasion.

"We're both sorry Sango, we couldn't help but listen in, especially at the start when we heard you crying and that's when we saw you by the gravesites." Hachi said, sitting up and rubbing away the tears from his eyes and face as well. "Please forgive us, we didn't mean any harm, we only wanted to figure everything out so we would know how to help you afterwards even though Kirara gave you all the help and support you needed."

"Meow." Kirara moaned lightly, rolling her eyes momentarily in the process at the irony of this new situation, here were two of Sango's friends wanting to help her and yet she was the one consoling them now that they were crying from being sad instead of the other way around.

"It's alright Hachi, even though you and Shippo couldn't think anything to say or do, it's the thought that counts in the end." Sango said with a gentle smile, earning a goofy smile in return from Hachi who had recovered while Shippo was still crying which was understandable since he was a lot younger and also because he had known Michiru as a friend for just as long as Kagome and Inuyasha. "Please stop crying Shippo, what happened is already behind us and Michiru's doing just fine, he's still over in the far away country with Ghostbusters and I promise that he'll return to see all of us again soon in a few days from now so cheer up okay?"

"I'll try." Shippo replied looking up into Sango's eyes after pulling his face away from her chest, wiping his tears away with his hands.

"That's good to hear, being strong doesn't just mean being strong physically, and it means being strong mentally as well." Sango said as she released the young fox demon from her tender embrace, now that her two friends were awake and interacting with her, it couldn't hurt to spend a little more time out of bed even though dawn hadn't arrived yet. "You can tell that to Inuyasha the next time you see him again, how does that sound Shippo?"

"Sounds great Sango! Inuyasha may be bigger and stronger than I am, but I'm stronger than him in mind." Shippo said taking a stance and wearing a brave face, earning a chuckle out of Sango, Kirara and Hachi in the process. "What? You think that's funny do you?"

"Well yeah, Inuyasha's pride won't allow him to admit that you're stronger than he is in mind whether it's actually true or not, He'll probably laugh at you though." Hachi answered with a grin. "Ha! Ha! Ha!"

"Well he's just a big idiot; sometimes it takes brains as well as brawn to win a fight, just like how we defeated Naraku!" Shippo countered.

"I'm glad Miroku doesn't have his wind tunnel anymore, it must have been terrifying to have that knowing it would one day swallow him up like how his father and grandfather were when each of them were alive." Hachi stated. "That and that he'd threaten to use it on me if I didn't do his bidding."

"What?" Shippo shouted in dismay after all eyes turned to Hachi. "And I thought Miroku blackmailing Myoga was bad enough, that's it Sango, Hachi and I are officially protecting you until Michiru comes back to visit us again so get used to us being your body guards."

"Hey wait a minute Shippo, don't get me involved in this, I'm just happy watching from the sidelines so leave me out of it." Hachi replied.

"Well then, it looks as though I'll have to watch Sango all by myself then." Shippo declared, until he overheard a loud growl from Kirara which told him that the female demon slayer didn't need another body guard since that particular role was already occupied by her.

"Sorry Shippo, I'm sure Kirara can protect me on her own, but thank you anyway." Sango said playfully with a gorgeous smile on her face.

"B-But Sango, now that you've decided you're in love with Michiru, who knows how Miroku will react when we go back to Kaede's village." Shippo said worriedly with a concerned expression on his face while looking at Sango.

"That's easy Shippo, here let me give you a demonstration." Hachi responded, transforming himself into the physical appearance of Miroku like how he had done on a few occasions when he was up to some mischief which had unfortunately caused the real Miroku to get in a great deal of trouble while Sango and her companions had been travelling from village to village. After successfully getting the appearance down pat, Hachi then put his hands together as if he was pleading for mercy and forgiveness, but he had forgotten to alter his voice so he still sounded the same as he usually did which was going to ruin his great performance. "Sango! I don't want you to leave me! I want you to stay at my side as we live out our lives together as one, bearing many children and raising a family in the process!"

"Ah! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!" Shippo laughed out loud, holding his sides as he rolled over on his back, Kirara even let out a comedic moan to show how ridiculous she thought this was too even though Hachi's performance was entertaining enough to cause some laughter.

"Was it something I said?" Hachi asked before transforming back into his own appearance once again, earning a chuckle from Sango.

"You forgot to alter your voice Hachi! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!" Shippo answered back, still laughing hard. "You got Miroku's appearance, but you still sounded like yourself!" Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!"

"Oh, yeah I guess the person's voice is just as important as their appearance." Hachi said, catching on to what Shippo had just said.

"Hachi? Could you transform yourself to look like Miroku again? You've just given me an idea of how you and Shippo can help me out." Sango asked, standing up and thinking carefully about what had suddenly crossed her mind thanks to Hachi's little performance.

"Really? Okay then." Hachi replied, doing as Sango had asked and transforming into the physical appearance of Miroku once more.

"Shippo? You've disguised yourself as Michiru, Kagome and Inuyasha on more than one occasion. Could you transform yourself into Kagome for me please?" Sango asked, drawing both the attention of Shippo and Kirara since they wanted to know what was going on.

"Sure Sango, no problem at all." Shippo replied, transforming himself into the physical appearance of Kagome. "What do we do now?"

"Shippo, you remember all the times when Kagome has tried to set Miroku and I up together right?" Sango instructed, earning a nod from Shippo who was now in disguise just like Hachi was. "Good, now I want you to pretend that you're trying to encourage me to be with Miroku even though he's just done something to mess things up like you've seen time and time again. Hachi? You wait for your turn and we'll carry on from there once I'm done with Shippo."

"Okay Sango." Hachi replied, waiting patiently while remaining in disguise.

"Please Sango, I know Miroku acts like a perverted idiot every now and again, but he's not all that bad." Shippo said, mimicking Kagome's voice perfectly while playing the part of the reborn priestess. "Things will eventually get better between you and Miroku; just try giving it some time."

"I have tried Kagome, but things aren't getting better and at this rate, I don't believe that they'll ever get better." Sango replied back, imagining that this was the real Kagome she was talking too, but keeping in mind that it was actually Shippo who was in disguise. "A-And anyway, I-I already made up my mind and Michiru's the person I want to have a romantic relationship with, not Miroku."

"What?" Shippo said in surprise, keeping in character to how he would expect her to react to such news. "You're giving up on Miroku just like that after all that you've both shared together?"

"I know this might seem kind of sudden Kagome, but I've been thinking for a long while now and I can't see myself romantically involved with Miroku as you had hoped I would, there are a lot of bad qualities about him which I can't put up with and I know that Miroku won't ever get rid of them or improve himself because he's wasted all of the chances he's had." Sango answered, glad to have this opportunity to practice breaking the news of her decision like this since she needed to prepare for the coming day when she would have to confront the real Kagome and the real Miroku in person about this important matter which would be very painful and difficult, for this little make believe act would provide the additional strength she needed to get through that fateful event once it arrived in a few days from now.

"Bad qualities?" Shippo replied in response, making sure everything he said was simple and to the point which would allow Sango to control the direction of this conversation and therefore make it easier for her to find the right words to say so she wouldn't get stuck or cornered. "Like what? I know Miroku's always a lecherous pervert and all, but that shouldn't be the only bad quality to fault him for."

"Kagome, you must understand that I'm looking far ahead into the future and what my whole life would be like if I choose to be with Miroku, I can't carry the burden of having to watch out for him in order to make sure he stays out of trouble and that he stays faithful to me instead of going off to flirt around with other women he finds himself attracted too." Sango explained, hoping that the conversation that she'll eventually have with the real Kagome won't be a lengthy and painful feud like how their last conversation went when she left to come here to demon slayer village when both of them were crying after arguing against each other. "Its no use trying to change my mind Kagome, because I've already made it up and I'm choosing to be with Michiru, you'll find that he's a much better person for me once you understand why I'm in love with him and why he's the one I've decided to spend the remainder of my life with.

"Alright then, explain to me why you've chosen Michiru instead of Sango." Shippo asked, giving Sango the initiative she needed.

"Michiru's done more for me than Miroku's done the whole time that we've been travelling together, he's spent time with he during each and every day that we've taken a break from our travels and during each of those days, he's never ever done anything wrong or disrespectful to me at all." Sango begun, choosing her words carefully so that she would know what to say to the real Kagome later on. "He's shown me support, encouragement, comfort…and most of all; he's always acted honestly and respectfully no matter what we're doing together or where we are even when he himself is struggling with his own feelings and personal difficulties. I need someone who is honest Kagome, someone who will always be there for me no matter what, someone who will never abuse my trust or my feelings of affection like how Miroku has done when ever he gropes me rudely or spies on my while I'm naked having a bath or what ever. Could you see yourself married to Miroku? Could you honestly put up with a lifetime of mistrust, harassment and helplessness? Miroku will never make a suitable husband or any woman and he'll especially never make a suitable parent or role model for any children either."

"Well Sango, if that's what you've decided, then I'll stand by you when you confront everyone else about it then." Shippo answered.

"Thank you Shippo, I appreciate you acting out Kagome's role for me so I could practice breaking the news to her like this, it'll make all the difference for me once I talk to her face to face again in the next few days." Sango said gratefully, feeling stronger on the inside so that she'd be able to face the reborn priestess without being afraid of how that conversation goes in the near future just days away.

"You're welcome Sango, its too bad Inuyasha wasn't here to watch and take part in this, I'm sure he would have enjoyed it." Shippo said as he transformed his appearance so that he was now back looking and sounding just like himself again. "I guess you're up next Hachi."

"Right, I suppose you had better start out the conversation Sango, it will be easier for you that way and then I'll know what to say and how to react as Miroku would do." Hachi replied, clearing his throat and altering his voice accordingly to sound like how Miroku would.

"Okay, give me a second so I can think of what to say." Sango said, taking a deep breath and trying to think of what to say to begin the conversation with Miroku…only to find that her voice was lost and that her heart ached with both guilt and fear of what might happen as the situation unfolded. Tears came to her eyes and she suddenly looked as though she would break down right then and there which forced Hachi to transform himself back to his usual appearance before the very sight of the lecherous monk put Sango in any further pain.

"I'm sorry Sango, but I don't think you're ready to go through with this yet, you're trembling and it's not even the real Miroku you were looking at.?" Hachi said softly while he, Shippo and Kirara gathered together around the vulnerable demon slayer in order to provide all the comfort and support they could give. "We've all been up for a few hours too many anyway, especially you, we should all just go to bed and get lots of sleep for tomorrow. We can always try this again some other time when ever you feel that you're ready, and if you don't want to practice at all, than that 's fine too."

"Thank you, I'm happy to have all of you here with me and what you've done together in order to help me get through this little by little has done more than you can ever know and I'm so very grateful to have friends like you so thanks, thank you all so very much." Sango said, holding back the tears in her eyes and smiling as she expressed her gratitude to her three friends and companions.

"You're welcome Sango, now you've had a rough night so you should get to bed, and sleep in because you're here to take a break and there's no need to wake up or get up early." Hachi advised while getting himself comfortable so he could go to sleep. "Goodnight Sango."

"Good night Hachi, thank you again." Sango replied before wandering back to the hut where she could go to bed. "Goodnight Shippo."

"Goodnight Sango." Shippo replied, waving to Sango before the demon slayer entered the hut with Kirara behind her.

"Goodnight Kirara, see you when the sun comes up." Sango said after getting into bed, letting the tiny two-tail snuggled up to her before the two of them could go to sleep.

"Meow." Kirara replied affectionately while wagging her two tails before relaxing herself so that she would be able to fall asleep.

A short while had passed with only the sound of the wind and the occasional murmur of snoring and breathing in and out as everyone slept peacefully, but Kirara was suddenly wakened when her hears picked up the faint sound of Sango's voice, the female demon slayer was crying while she slept which made the two-tail worried about what she should do. Kirara tries several attempts to awake Sango by gently rubbing her nose against Sango's and even licking her as well, but it wasn't enough, she didn't want to resort to biting Sango and inflict injury on her despite her small size so she decided to arouse Shippo in the hopes that he could help her wake Sango from her troubled sleep. After wandering over to where Shippo was sleeping, Kirara transformed into her fighting form and proceeded to gently smack the fox demon on the back with her forepaw in order to wake him up, using a little more force with each smack until she had succeed.

"Huh? Hey!" Shippo said waking up and realizing Kirara had been the one smacking him just now. "What is it Kirara? What's going on?"

"Meow." Kirara moaned worriedly while turning her head in the direction of the hut where Sango was sleeping along with Kohaku.

"Is something wrong with Sango?" Shippo deduced quickly, getting a nod from Kirara which made him wander over to the hut with her so he could see what was wrong. Upon entry, he could see that Sango was crying in her sleep while her body shook slightly, there were tears running down her cheeks from her eyes as well. "Even if we wake her up, she could just as easily have another bad dream all over again and yet she needs to have her sleep. I think I know what might help Kirara, you don't mind if I stay here with Sango do you?"

"Meow, meow." Kirara said, shaking her head briefly which told Shippo that she was alright with it so long as it helped Sango out of this.

"Okay, I need you to help me lift Sango up a little Kirara." Shippo said, trying in vain to lift Sango up from underneath by her shoulders in an effort so that she would be sitting up, luckily, Kirara was able to accomplish that task for him by using her impressive strength which she got when ever she was currently in her giant fighting form. "Good, you can let Sango go now Kirara, just leave everything to me."

"Meow?" Kirara called out curiously as she watched Shippo position himself behind Sango's back, releasing the unconscious demon slayer in the process before a Shippo was engulfed in cloud that suddenly popped out of nowhere, causing the two-tail some worry for a moment until she saw who he had transformed himself into which put her mind at ease now that she figured out Shippo's clever plan.

"Sango? You can stop crying now Sango, everything's going to be alright now because I'm here for you even though you can't see me." Shippo said soothingly, holding Sango gently while disguising both his body and his voice as Michiru Kururugi whom he knew Sango loved so much. "Relax yourself so that you can fall asleep, we're in demon slayer village together with Kirara, Shippo and Hachi are here too. You remember them don't you? We're all here for you and we'll always be here to protect you from anyone or anything you're afraid of."

Kirara stood by while watching and listening to Shippo's attempt to calm Sango down, she found the fox demon's little impersonation to be very good, though she was resisting the urge to growl out of laughter at him since he was doing this for Sango's sake. Sango eventually calmed down and relaxed herself enough to that she slept peacefully again, her crying had now stopped too and she even wrapped her arms around Shippo in order to draw herself close to him even though she thought it was actually Michiru. Shippo slowly lost consciousness which meant his concentration would be lost as well and at that point, his transformation would be brought to an end. Sango awoke briefly and was surprised to find herself in the arms of who she thought was Michiru, she was awestruck and couldn't believe her eyes, turning to look at Kirara who was still at her side watching for an answer to this strange situation.

"How can Michiru be here Kirara? He's still in Kagome's era where…" Sango said softly before she was interrupted by a loud popping sound as a cloud appeared beneath her, transforming Shippo back to his little fox demon form in an instant and it was then that Sango suddenly realized everything that had happened, she then formed a smile on her lips before laying herself back down on bed and letting Shippo snuggle up to her as she had seen him do when Kagome at night. "Thank you Shippo, that was very sweet of you to disguise yourself as Michiru in order to make me feel better, even if only for a moment. I'm fine now Kirara, you can go sleep, thank you again."

"Meow." Kirara moaned affectionately, transforming back into her kitten form so she could snuggle up to Sango and fall asleep again.

In the modern era on the other side of the world, Michiru and Ilyssa had just arrived at a jewellery store after a lengthy stay at the bank where Ilyssa had cashed the check Janine had given her, Utsugi and Kakuju had returned with the Kururugi boy's chest of gold so that gave him the extra amount of wealth he needed just in case the cash alone wasn't enough. Although they had appeared out in the open, they were smart enough to wait for the taxi driver to leave for moment to get some coffee while Ilyssa was in the bank, leaving Michiru alone in the taxi so they could meet him and deliver what they had brought over with them from his home without being seen.

Once Ilyssa came back and found out that Michiru now had the rest of his gold with him, she calculated an estimate of how much he would need to convert to cash in order to pay for the engagement ring he wanted to buy for Sango, luckily the bank she did business with could also do exchanges for gold as well so that task was also solved quickly without incident. By the time the taxi driver had returned, Utsugi and Kakuju were both gone and they had taken the Kururugi boy's casket with the remainder of the gold coins left over to hide under Michiru's bed with his other belongings, they would stay there to watch over it so that no one and nothing could discover or steal it.

"Are you sure we have enough cash Ilyssa?" Michiru asked out of concern even though he doubt Ilyssa's calculating skills or knowledge about placing a numeric value on a piece of jewellery. "With all due respect, it might have been better to convert all of that coin to cash just to be on the safe side, I don't mean to doubt you or anything."

"Its okay Michiru, I've been here before so I know how much the most expensive pieces of jewellery will cost, trust me when I say you'll be able to afford paying for any engagement ring that you decided to get without going over budget." Ilyssa countered after paying the taxi driver who had driven both of them around for a while, the taxi cab then drove away and left the two of them standing outside at the main entrance which was up a short flight of stone steps. "You'll understand once you're home again, the gold coin that you have left is more valuable than paper cash because the price of any gold varies from country to country and you can make many times more money depending on which country you choose to sell or invest it in so it's a good thing that we only converted what we needed for this gift."

"Thanks Ilyssa and I'm sorry for being jittery and nervous about this, I've never ever spent this much money before or this much all at once." Michiru replied, feeling better after hearing Ilyssa's explanation had put his mind and concerns at ease just like that.

"Well, here we are Michiru, the most famous branch of jewellery stores in the whole world so you won't have trouble finding a beautiful engagement ring for Sango in this place." Ilyssa said encouragingly, turning to look at Michiru who was a little hesitant now that he was about to venture inside and start browsing around at the numerous jewellery pieces that lay in wait for him. "Come on Michiru, follow me, and let's head inside where it's nice and warm so we can both look around together."

Upon entering, Michiru and Ilyssa found themselves standing inside a massive display room which was filled with an infinite number of various pieces of jewellery and different gems to go with them, each display set was encased in clear glass which was illuminated on the inside by lights while the spacious room was kept dark to allow all those present in the area to observe and admire all the detailed work and beauty of each individual jewellery piece on display. Michiru was in awe, it was almost as breathtaking as watching the starlit sky at night in peace and quiet without any disturbances, one glance told Ilyssa that the Shikigami user was going to have a difficult time choosing a special engagement ring for the female demon slayer of his dreams whom he loved and cherished so much.

"Do either of you need any assistance at all miss?" a handsome employee dressed in a fancy black suit and tie asked politely in a soft tone of voice so as not to disturb the Japanese student or the other customers who were presently looking around in the jewellery store.

"No thank you, we're fine for now, he's looking for an engagement ring for his special someone and I'm helping him shop for it." Ilyssa whispered softly in response, receiving a nod from the gentleman who left them to continue browsing around the room for a while.

The gentleman who had asked Ilyssa if she and Michiru required any assistance had wandered off to tell several female employees that the teenage boy was looking for an engagement ring, all of them sighed in response as they recalled when they had been that young, imagining how wonderful it must feel to be in love and to receive such a special and memorable gift from a young man who was going to propose to the lucky girl whom he loved. But the Shikigami user was in no hurry or rush to get married, he mainly wanted to purchase an engagement ring not only to prove his love for Sango, but also to do something very special for her as well. Michiru browsed around for a while, admiring some of the various assortments of jewellery that were there to see; rings, bracelets, brooches, earrings, necklaces, etc. There were also a few displays of fancy watches as well, but Michiru was on a search for an engagement ring so he quickly focussed his efforts on the primary task at hand, time was running out after all and he would be busy helping the Ghostbusters in their search for the final Mandala node somewhere in the middle of the Hudson River.

"Hey there Michiru." Ilyssa asked quietly after wandering over to Michiru's side once she saw him pausing for a while in absolute silence at a particular stand located in one of the far corners of the main display room. "How's your search coming along? Find anything close to what you're looking for?"

"I'm sorry to say that I have absolutely no idea of what sort of ring to get for Sango." Michiru whispered in reply, causing Ilyssa to giggle for a moment at Michiru's innocent and honesty, for the poor boy was starting to sweat and blush simultaneously at once. "They all look so beautiful, but I want the right one that properly symbolizes the love that I have for her and yet…I'm at a complete loss Ilyssa."

"Shh, its okay Michiru, I think I can help you decide which one would be best for Sango." Ilyssa said softy and soothingly, placing her arm around him and resting her right hand on Michiru's shoulder while standing to his left and using her left hand to point at a particular ring inside the display set one at a time. "Let's take this nice and slowly with one step at a time, you love her and care for her a lot don't you?"

"More than that Ilyssa, more than anyone or anything else in either my life or in the whole world." Michiru answered softly as he exhaled with a sigh, his eyes glancing back and forth from one jewelled ring to another. "Is that what true love is supposed to feel like Ilyssa?"

"Just about, I couldn't have said it better myself, I just wish Sango could hear you say that so make a note and remember those words." Ilyssa replied, taking a glance at Michiru to smile genuinely at him while she talked before continuing with her attempt at assisting him. "Now there's one very important point that you have to keep in mind Michiru so listen carefully, all precious metals and gems have different symbolic meanings to each of them, its very important that you don't accidentally buy an ring with the wrong metal or gem."

"Really?" Michiru asked in surprise, glancing up at Ilyssa for a moment before returning his gaze to the rings in front of him. "How so? I-I mean…could you give me an example that would help to explain that so I can better understand it?"

"Well, for instance; gold is more valuable than silver is which I'm sure you already know, but gold is the kind of metal that symbolizes wealth and power." Ilyssa answered, pointing at one of the gold rings which were on display so that Michiru could look at it while she continued her explanation. "If you chose to purchase a gold engagement ring, you would be unintentionally say that you own Sango even though you actually don't and though you have good intentions, she would still feel offended because of what the gold ring symbolizes and neither of you would ever want that to happen."

"No, definitively not, that's the kind of ring an abusive husband would most likely buy." Michiru said in agreement while shaking his head before focusing his gaze on one of the silver rings being shown opposite from the gold rings inside of the same display set. "So what does silver symbolize than Ilyssa?

"I'm glad you asked Michiru, silver is a metal that represents purity and understanding, so any ring made of silver would be a far better choice to purchase for the one that you love because of the fact that they represent redeeming qualities." Ilyssa answered, her lips formed into a gorgeous smile when she saw the colour in Michiru's cheeks begin to burn even more which told her that the Japanese student was blushing furiously, it was unmistakably obvious that Sango was the only thought on his mind right now. "Now remember Michiru, gems are equally important as what kind of metal an engagement ring is crafted of, you wait here and I'll be back in a moment."

Upon removing her hand from Michiru's shoulder, Ilyssa couldn't help giggling at how relaxed and tranquil her young friend was right now for being in love with the beautiful demon slayer who was waiting for him back in Feudal Japan, but the female curator reluctantly had to suppress her giggling to avoid making any noise and risk disturbing the other occupants who were looking around the massive display room too so it was a tough task given that she felt so excited just like how Kagome always felt during her matchmaking schemes. While Ilyssa was gone for a moment, Michiru tried figuring out which silver rings he found to be the most lovely as he studied the different kinds of gems each of them had together, but remembering he had to pick the one which would be appropriate for Sango so that nothing bad would result from him presenting it to her when the time in their lives was right and they were both old enough to get married.

"Excuse, could I borrow a gem catalogue please?" Ilyssa asked, talking to the gentleman who had offered his assistance before just a short while ago.

"Certainly, here you are miss." The man replied politely, handing the leather clad woman the catalogue so that she could show it to Michiru.

"Thank you so much." Ilyssa said thankfully before returning to where she had left Michiru, opening it up and flipping the pages around until she came across a section which featured the various kinds of gem stones that engagement rings had, a legend indicating what types of gems symbolized and so on. "Here you are Michiru, this will help you figure out what gem stone you would like Sango's engagement ring to have, I'll be gone for a couple of minutes so just stay here and I'll come right back when I'm done."

"What?" Michiru asked in surprise, not wanting to be left alone in this store of all places. "Where are you going Ilyssa? And how long will you be gone for?"

"I'm going to make a quick phone call, don't worry, I wouldn't dream of leaving you here by yourself." Ilyssa said reassuringly, forgetting that Michiru was still a teenage boy despite his Shikigami magic so of course he'd feel worried at being left alone in a store he had never been too before with no sense of direction for returning to the Firehouse from here, let alone all the way to Tokyo Japan. "I'll be gone for about ten minutes and then I'll be right back here by your side, okay Michiru?"

"Okay Ilyssa, you be careful and don't let any creeps give you a hard time either." Michiru said with a serious tone to express his concern for the young woman's safety even though they were both inside of a jewellery store which had surveillance cameras all around so it was very unlikely that Ilyssa would find herself in a bad situation like the incident involving the three drunken street thugs who had harassed her on the afternoon of Thanksgiving two days ago.

"Don't worry Michiru, I'll be perfectly fine." Ilyssa replied sweetly with a cute smile on her face, handing the catalogue to Michiru before taking her leave. "Now you take a look through this catalogue until I come back, that's a good boy, bye for now."

As Ilyssa wandered off to go use the telephone, Michiru shook his head for a moment about the humorous mood his female friend was in right now, imagining just how overly excited she must be feeling for him for doing something so huge while he was still in his teenage years. After the funny moment had passed, the Kururugi boy did as Ilyssa had told him and studied the contents of the catalogue which he held in both hands, taking a glance every now and then to look at the jewelled rings one at a time in the display case in front of him as well while he patiently waited for the young woman to return as she promised she would.

Five minutes later, Ilyssa returned from using the female's washroom and quickly found a telephone so she could call the Ghostbusters back at the Firehouse, she heard Janine's voice over the receiver after just two rings and the two ladies spent about several minutes chit chatting back and forth, Ilyssa made sure to keep her voice just below a whisper since this was place required peace and quiet all around like a library normally would. Now that she needed to get back and see how Michiru was doing, Ilyssa decided to hang up, it would be supper time in a short while so she and Michiru had to hurry if they were to purchase a ring and make it back to the Firehouse without being late.

"Okay Janine, I've got to head back to Michiru now, please let Egon and the guys know that we'll both be back in time for supper in about half an hour or so." Ilyssa said, bringing an end to the conversation with the red haired secretary while checking her watch for the time.

"You got it, see you both back here soon, bye Ilyssa." Janine replied before preparing to hang up on her end of the line first.

"Bye Janine, now that that's done, I'd better see how Michiru's been progressing." Ilyssa stated, handing up the phone before quietly walking passed wandering customers and employees until she arrived and met up with her young Japanese friend, standing next to him once again on his left. "So Michiru, has the catalogue been a helpful tool for you to use in order to find what you're looking for?"

"Yes, indeed it has, thanks for grabbing it for me Ilyssa." Michiru replied, glad to see his female adult friend once again, though she had been gone for a little longer than he had expected, he really didn't mind since he was able to pass the time by studying the catalogue she had borrowed for him to look at.

"You're welcome." Ilyssa said sweetly in response glancing down at the page Michiru had turned too in order to figure out how he was progressing. "Have you come to any decisions yet about which ring you want to purchase for Sango?"

"Yeah, I've had to narrow it down to a select few, but I think I've finally made up my mind." Michiru answered, glancing up at Ilyssa before he redirected his gaze into the display case and pointed at a silver ring sitting by itself in a black velvet box at the corner away from the others; the ring was complete with a circle of tiny genuine diamonds encrusted with a beautiful dark green heart shaped emerald centerpiece inside of it. "That's the ring I want to purchase for Sango Ilyssa. What do you think? Is that the one that best suits her?"

"Give me a sec and let me see…" Ilyssa replied in anticipation, feeling pretty confident that the Kururugi boy had chosen the appropriate engagement ring with the right type of metal and gems in order to symbolize his affection for Sango. "A ring made of silver which symbolizes purity and understand, that's important to have, now for the gems. Diamonds symbolize purity as well as strength, eternity, and durability; all of those are fine qualities. And lastly, the emerald; an emerald symbolizes both beauty and constant love. So if you take all of the different meanings into account, the ring you've chosen will say, 'Sango, the love I have for you is pure, strong, eternal, beautiful, and constant.'

"That is the way I love Sango, I didn't know how to put my feelings into words, but you nailed it right there Ilyssa." Michiru said softly.

"You've chosen the perfect ring for her Michiru, I'm very happy for getting to experience such a wonderful thing as love, you're going to make Sango feel very happy when you drop down on one knee and propose to her." Ilyssa said supportively, closing the catalogue since they were done with it now that they had found the special engagement ring Michiru had been looking for.

"Sorry to disappoint you Ilyssa, but I'm not proposing to Sango when I revisit the Feudal era, I'm going to wait a few years so she can have the opportunity to fit in and get used to the modern era once she starts out a new life in our era if I can convince her to move from her world to ours." Michiru replied. "We're both still young and I don't want to pressure Sango by rushing too fast or anything, she's already enough pressure from having to chose between myself a-and…Miroku. That's right, I had forgotten that Sango still has yet to chosen between the two of us since I've confessed my feelings to her before my returning home just over four and a half months ago."

"Put that aside Michiru, Sango will be the one who resolves that issue and not you, so concentrate on the matter at hand and let's go pay for that special ring of yours before someone else takes an interest in it." Ilyssa stated, patting Michiru on the back before wandering over to ask one of the employees if they could remove the ring Michiru had chosen so they could purchase it and be on their way.

Over the next ten minutes, Ilyssa and Michiru were going through the process of buying and paying for the expensive engagement ring which the Shikigami user had chosen for Sango and needless to say, he was a little embarrassment despite how polite and cooperative the store employees were. Having a young teenage boy as a customer who was purchasing such a special and memorable gift made all the female employees hush as they were awestruck once each of them had heard the news, that and seeing that the same young man was also a member of the Ghostbusters from the work outfit he was still wearing made everyone even more excited and overjoyed. The manager had even made an appearance once he was summoned from his office by the excitement and he was nice enough to give a 20% discount as a means to express his gratitude for all the work that the Ghostbusters had done to keep the city and its people safe from ghosts and paranormal monsters, everyone wished both Michiru and Ilyssa to come again as they said their farewells before going to the taxi which had come to get them, it was a miracle that they had managed to leave at all after that happened.

"So, how's my favourite member of the Ghostbusters feeling right now?" Ilyssa asked playfully, watching Michiru who sat beside her in the taxi that was presently driving them back to the Firehouse, Michiru was sitting perfectly still, gazing intently at the beautiful engagement ring rest inside the black velvet box held in his hands.

"Hmm?" Michiru responded, turning to face Ilyssa after taking a few seconds to notice she was speaking to him due to focusing his attention on Sango's engagement ring. "Oh, sorry Ilyssa, I guess I was overly distracted by the ring we just purchased for Sango."

"Hey, you paid for it all by yourself; I merely helped you to find it so give yourself some credit why don't you." Ilyssa countered playfully before turning to look out the window once she noticed that the taxi cab in which they were riding in had come to a stop. "We're back."

"Great, and about time too, I've got a feeling that something's been going on here while we've been away." Michiru stated, drawing a look from Ilyssa while she paid the taxi driver even though he didn't know or suspect that she had been tasked with keeping him away from the Firehouse for a few hours until supper time had arrived. "Its dark out and its getting colder every hour, let's hurry inside Ilyssa."

"Hello Michiru, glad to see you and Ilyssa are back again safe and sound." Kakuju said as she and Utsugi appeared out of nowhere once the taxi had driven away and left them alone outside of the Firehouse, causing both Michiru and Ilyssa to smile together in response.

"So did you manage to accomplish all that you needed so you could buy an engagement ring for Sango like you wanted Michiru?"

"Yes we did Kakuju, and we couldn't have done it without you and Utsugi to help us out so thank you very much." Michiru replied gratefully before he pulled out the small black velvet box from his coat pocket and opened it so they could see the multi-diamond encrusted ring made of silver with the heart shaped emerald piece at the centre of it. "Do both of you think that Sango will like it?"

"Why of course we do Michiru!" Kakuju replied, becoming all teary eyed while she and Utsugi smiled for their young and brave descendant, admiring the beautiful engagement ring for a moment until Michiru closed the box and put in his pocket again.

"We're both so very proud of you, a moment such as this in your young life makes us happy that we're still tied to this world so we can see it for ourselves, but you both had best head inside now because it's getting colder now that the sun has gone down." Utsugi stated.

"Nice to see both of you again today, thanks so much again for going through the hassle of bringing my gold over here so I could buy this ring for Sango." Michiru said as he and Ilyssa waved goodbye to Utsugi and Kakuju until both of his ancestral grandparents disappeared once more for the time being. "That was nice to see them again; I wonder how many more surprises are in store for us tonight Ilyssa."

"We'll find out eventually, come on in Michiru, everyone's waiting now that its suppertime." Ilyssa said, hiding her anticipation for what was waiting for Michiru behind the front door as she walked inside with him following behind her, then they were given a big surprise.

"SURPRISE!" Everyone shouted in unison as soon as the Shikigami user had walked through the door, Janine and the Ghostbusters were all standing in various positions throughout the main floor between the front door and the reception office, and it was at that moment Michiru suddenly noticed that there were some other vehicles parked inside of the Firehouse behind Ecto-1.

"What's all this then guys?" Michiru asked in surprise, trying to glance behind Ecto-1 to get a better look at the other vehicles.

"You said you wanted to see all the other Ecto units we had, so the guys and I took the opportunity of taking them out of storage and driving them over here while you were out shopping with Ilyssa, follow me and we'll show you each one of them." Ray explained with a grin, causing Ilyssa and Michiru to smile in excitement since this was going to be another terrific night like the one they had their celebration party on after their triumphant victory at the Public Library where they defeated Azetlor and rescued the Codex from him.

Ilyssa followed a few paces behind Michiru while Ray lead the Experimental Equipment Technician passed Ecto-1 over to the open area just in front of the reception office where Janine worked, Slimer was hovering around and holding a CD player which was playing some cool tunes on it to fuel everyone's excitement during this momentous event, for this was probably the first time ever that all the Ecto vehicles aside from Ecto-8 of course were gathered and shown together like this. Janine was following behind Ray and Michiru as well, holding a digital camera so she could record the memorable experience, for she knew how much everyone would enjoy this evening. Saya was hovering just beside Slimer, Utsugi and Kakuju even chose to appear and take part in the evenings festivities as well, they were ghosts too as well as Michiru's great ancestral grandparents so it was all perfectly fine with everyone who was there.

"Ecto-8 is our boat that we'll be using to conduct our search of the Hudson River, it's too big to park inside without clearing out everything else, but we can see it at the docks later on." Ray stated as he had Michiru wandered over to see Egon, Venkman and Winston who were each standing beside a parked Ecto vehicle, four of the five vehicles which Michiru hadn't seen before were all the same in appearance apart from having a different number on each of them. "As you can see Michiru, we've formed our own biker gang here."

"You can say that again Ray, I honestly wasn't expecting this when Egon stated that you had eight vehicles altogether, but I like the vehicles you've chosen because it makes you guys stand out from ordinary bikers." Michiru said with a grin while admiring each of the four quads which were parked here and there, all of which had the same white painted appearance and the Ghostbusters' logo as Ecto-1 had, numbered 4 to 7. "That one at the back which looks different from the quads here, the called Ecto-2, is that what I think it is Ray?"

"It most certainly is Michiru, it's a helicopter, and I built this one myself." Ray answered proudly while walking over to it so he could let Michiru take a close look at it, the front of it looked like it was actually the front of a motorcycle, the helicopter had small four foot wings sticking out from both sides with fixed landing gear underneath and behind which gave it a tricycle looking appearance at the bottom because of its wheels. There were two seats, one behind the other, but the engine and prop which manoeuvred the aerial vehicle were located at the back since there wasn't a cockpit or canopy; making one wonder whether or not the helicopter could actually fly even though it looked fully functional. Unlike the other Ecto vehicles which were painted with the same pattern and colours as Ecto-1, the helicopter also known as Ecto-2 was mostly painted grey all around except for the nose which was yellow and red and part of the engine at the back which was orange.

"You built this yourself?" Michiru said in awe, admiring the aerial Ecto vehicle as he examined it with his hands. "Does it actually fly?"

"Of course it does!" Ray stated, making everyone else laugh out loud in response because of the helicopter's cool and somewhat goofy appearance. "One time I had just lifted her off from the ground while Venkman sat in the seat behind me, and let me tell you, she started panicking like a little kid."

"I think I can believe that, wish I had been there to see it. How about you Ilyssa?" Michiru replied, making everyone laugh out loud again.

"Hey, maybe we should give Peck a free flight if he ever 'pecks' his nose where it doesn't belong. How does that sound?" Venkman asked sarcastically, adding more humour to this enjoyable evening, even Janine was laughing together with everyone else as well.

"Ha! Ha! Ha!" Winston laughed until he had managed to calm himself down. "Now that, I'll like to see, especially on the big TV screen."

"So would I. Ah! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!" Ray replied in agreement, laughing out loud some more as everyone imagined Peck panicking in the middle of an aerial flight seated in the backseat of Ecto-2 with Ray piloting it. "Don't worry Peck; I'm pretty good for an unlicensed pilot!"

"Ah! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!" Venkman laughed out loud, exchanging high fives with Ray and Winston for such a hilarious remark.

"Hang on a minute guys; Ecto-1 and Ecto-2 are here, so are Ecto units 4 through 7." Michiru stated while looking around the spacious room of the main floor to count all the vehicles he could see since he deduced that there was one still missing from the group. "You mentioned Ecto-8 is at the docks because it's a boat, but I don't see Ecto-3 in here at all. Where's Ecto-3 hiding?"

"We thought you'd never ask Michiru." Winston said with a grin before turning to glance at Egon and Venkman. "Guys? Where's Ecto-3?"

"Hiding inside of Ecto-1 where it's always been stored." Egon answered, causing Michiru and Ilyssa to widen their eyes in disbelief.

"Michiru and I have ridden around town more than once inside of Ecto-1 and neither of us have ever seen any sign of another Ecto unit, let alone one that would be small enough to fit inside of that car parked behind us." Ilyssa argued, unable to believe Egon's answer.

"Stand by Ilyssa and watch as I uncover Ecto-3 from its hiding place, you watch too Michiru, prepare to be amazed." Venkman said, walking over to the back of Ecto-1 and bending over so he could find the switch underneath, a small door opened up on the side behind the right back wheel of the car which revealed a small empty storage compartment on the inside. "Surprise! Surprise! Here's Ecto-3!"

"No way!" Michiru said, walking over with Ilyssa to take a closer look at the contraption which Venkman had removed from Ecto-1's secret compartment was now assembling together. Once he was finished, Venkman stood back and let the two of them look at it, still wearing a humorous expression on his face. Ecto-3 basically looked like a unicycle attached to the sidecar of a motorcycle and its compact size together with its flexibility allows it to be easily stored away in a confined space like the secret compartment of Ecto-1, it had the same white paint job as the majority of the other Ecto vehicles, but it also had a Ghostbusters pennant on the antenna that stuck up from the tiny engine located behind the unicycle seat on the right side of the neat looking vehicle. A quick look showed that Ecto-3 started up like a lawnmower, but it drove around like a real motor bike. "I never would have expected to see a vehicle like Ecto-3."

"Sounds like our little vehicle show gave you quite a few surprises, especially Ecto-3's grand appearance." Venkman stated with a grin.

"This is true, however, now it's our turn to show all of you a surprise of our own." Ilyssa countered before turning to glance at Michiru, eyeing him intently so he would pull out what the two of them had just spent a hefty sum of money on less than an hour ago. "Michiru?"

"I know this might seem kind of sudden, b-but um…I just felt that I had to get something special for Sango, so here it is." Michiru stated nervously, holding pulling out the small black velvet box from his pocket and opening it up to show everyone the precious engagement ring resting inside. "All of you can look, but please don't touch it, this is for Sango and I bought it especially for her and her alone."

"Wow!" Ray said briefly, gazing in awe at the silver ring along with the diamonds encrusted on it with the beautiful dark green heart shaped emerald at its centre.

"That's a very lovely engagement ring you're holding Michiru, you be sure to guard that with your life and keep it somewhere safe." Janine advised as she admired its appearance.

"Don't worry Janine, I wanted to show it to all of you before I ask Utsugi and Kakuju if they can take it home for me and hide it somewhere safe in my bedroom along with the rest of my gold." Michiru stated, receiving a nod from the spiritual entities before he handed the precious possession to them, watching them soar upstairs where they could grab his casket of gold coins and fly back to Japan where they could place them in his bedroom at home. "Thank you again Utsugi! Thank you again Kakuju! Goodbye until next time."

"Gold?" Venkman asked curiously, suddenly catching on the Kururugi boy's mention of gold and instantly figuring out that having a large amount of gold would explain how he was able buy an expensive piece of jewellery such as that. "What gold? Are you a rich boy Michiru? Did you strike gold somewhere this afternoon while you were out shopping with Ilyssa because if so, then some of it is ours."

"S-Sorry Peter, but it's the gold I earned from my travels throughout Feudal Japan, I swear." Michiru said with a hint of embarrassment for making everyone think that he had all of his gold here the entire time ever since the day he was transported here accidentally because of the Sounga when in fact, he only had a handful of coins while the majority of it had been brought over this afternoon by Utsugi and Kakuju who were now taking it back to the Kururugi boy's home where it rightfully belonged along with the engagement ring.

"A likely story Michiru, you can't lie to us, now you've got one minute to tell us how much gold you actually had on you this afternoon or else…we're going to lock you up where Ecto-3 is kept!" Venkman stated, grabbing hold of Michiru in a flash and playfully trying to shove him feet first inside of the small compartment behind the right back wheel of Ecto-1, causing everyone to race over and rescue the poor boy before he was stuffed inside; making everyone wrestle around for good minute or two until Venkman released Michiru and laughed out loud to show that he was just messing around. "Ah! Ha! Ha! Ha! You guys are so easy to fool, you guys honestly thought I was going to stuff Mitch inside and lock him up didn't you; boy did you ever fall for that. Ah! Ha! Ha! Ha!"

"GET HIM!" Michiru yelled, grabbing hold of Venkman with the help of Ray, Egon and Winston who were all ganging up on Venkman.

"Just for that Venkman, you're going to enjoy another of my fancy flying lessons, bring him over and sit him down in Ecto-2!" Ray said.

"No! No!" Venkman protested, struggling to break free, but it was pointless since four guys were restraining him. "I don't want to fly Ray!"

"Don't worry Venkman, now I can take more lessons and plus we're inside so the weather won't be a problem." Ray said sarcastically.

"It'll be alright Venkman, and in the off chance that Ray does loose control of Ecto-2 while in mid-flight, I can use my Shikigami magic to make sure you guys float safely back down to the floor without any injury just like I did when I practiced flying that magic carpet two days ago." Michiru said sarcastically in an effort to give the man some comfort since it was better to have some than no comfort at all.

"You hear that Venkman?" Winston said with a grin while he and the others sat Venkman in the seat and did the seatbelt extra tight to keep him from getting out, allowing Ray to sit down in the pilot seat and start up the engine so Ecto-2 could be ready for take off. "Ray and Michiru both got you covered, you got nothing to worry about, this'll be a sooth flight and it'll be over before you know it."

"Ray!" Venkman whined again, causing Michiru, Ilyssa, Janine and Slimer to laugh together at the poor man's predicament; this certainly was turning out to be a very eventful and enjoyable evening just like their celebration party had been. "Ray! Ray! RRAAAAAAYYYYYY!"

Author's Note: Thank you all for waiting patiently again. I'd like to wish a special thanks to J4RE77 for helping me with the scenes involving Michiru buying an engagement ring for Sango, this might seem sudden, but I figured it couldn't hurt for Michiru to buy it and prepare for the day he proposes to Sango a few years after she's started a new life with Kohaku and Kirara in the modern era with him.


End file.
